Author talk: Beyond Timbuktu with Catherine DeVrye

Join bestselling Australian author Catherine DeVrye for a special presentation focused on her new book Beyond Timbuktu: Journeys of Hope and Humanity. What if the world was far kinder and more connected than headlines suggest? Catherine DeVrye will discuss the importance of travel, kindness and connection between people. Catherine will be introduced by social researcher and writer Hugh Mackay AO. Drawing on journeys through more than 150 countries, Catherine DeVrye shares remarkable stories of kindness, resilience and human connection. Whether it's trekking to Timbuktu or sharing pizza with Syrian refugees in Serbia, she discovers that most individuals are kinder than their governments. That more unites us than divides us, even in often-maligned nations. This book is part travel narrative, part memoir and largely a reflection on common humanity. Having started life in a Canadian orphanage, Catherine DeVrye earned a master's degree in the United States of America before arriving in Australia with two hundred dollars, grieving the loss of both adoptive parents. A cancer survivor and former IBM executive, named Australian Executive Woman of the Year, she was honoured to carry the Olympic torch and grateful to share her message in over 30 countries.