Get ready for Alan Joyce in his own words

 

Love him or hate him, former Qantas chief Alan Joyce knows how to command attention. 

Now Joyce is preparing to release his autobiography: Riding The Jetstream in August. 

"Some exciting news I've been waiting a long time to share," Joyce announced on LinkedIn.

"For the past year, I've been working on a book - a memoir of my life and career. Today I can finally tell you it's real and that you can pre-order it.

"When I sat down to research and write it, I had two motivations.

"The first was to set the record straight on what actually happened during my career: the Global Financial Crisis, the grounding of the Qantas fleet in 2011, the industrial battles, the unrelenting public scrutiny, and the period that brought global travel to a standstill: COVID-19. So much was written and said in real time. I wanted to tell it as it actually unfolded, in the room, under pressure, with every decision carrying enormous consequences for tens of thousands of people.

"The second reason was more personal. I wanted to encourage young leaders to learn from my successes and my failures,  because I think that's where the real lessons sit. I grew up in a working-class home in Dublin, the son of a cleaner and a factory worker, and I found my way out through numbers: mathematics, then management science, and eventually into the complex and volatile world of aviation. Aer Lingus. Ansett. Founding Jetstar. And then, at 42, being appointed CEO of Qantas. The path from there to here was never a straight line, and it certainly wasn't easy.

"This book is also about resilience, what it actually feels like to lead through a crisis when there is no playbook. It's about leadership under genuine pressure, the kind that doesn't relent. And as one of the few openly gay CEOs in corporate Australia, it's also about what it took to use that platform for something bigger than the bottom line, including the campaign for marriage equality.

"During nearly three decades in aviation leadership, I had the privilege of working with some of the giants of the industry. And as CEO of Qantas, I worked alongside some extraordinary people whose advice, courage and commitment I will always cherish. This story belongs to them too."

Details here: https://publishing.hardiegrant.com/en-au/books/alan-joyce-by-alan-joyce/9781761452277

The world according to DimSimLim

One of the key factors with any cookbook is: How many of these recipes do I want to make?

Paging through a preview copy of The Wolf of Wok Street, the answer was: Lots of them.

To be honest I have never heard of chef Vincent Lim, who goes by the catchy, but slightly weird, name of DimSimLim.

It turns out he is an internet star and no newcomer to the pan-handling business, having worked in his family's restaurants.

Lawson Chinese restaurant, the eatery he opened in the Blue Mountains in 2022, was a big success and he has since built another business, YumYum Seasoning, while being a social media star. He featured on MasterChef during a special on wok cooking.

“Cooking has always been a central part of my life, not just as a chef, but as a way to connect with my heritage and my family," Lim says.

"Growing up in my father’s restaurant, I was immersed in the kitchen, but it wasn’t just about preparing food. It was about crafting something special with each dish, a tradition that my father passed down to me with care.”



The Wolf of Wok Street features over 80 "restaurant-quality, authentic south-east Asian recipes that elevate wok cooking".

The book is well laid-out, and the recipes easy to follow.

From old school recipes like honey chicken to comforting soups such as each recipe aims to deliver restaurant-quality results.

The Wolf of Wok Street: Hardie Grant Books | September 30, 2025 | Hardback | 240pp | RRP $45.