My interest in Harold Holt, 17th Prime Minister of Australia, began in my childhood. I understood little about his politics but I was charmed by his smile and personality. After he died in December 1967, I had an intimation that he would somehow play a part in my life. And so it proved to be when I decided to write the second biography of him.

I understood that I needed to write a different kind of biography from the first one, by Tom Frame. I wanted to create a more intimate picture of his life and personality. To this end, I aimed to strike a midway point between biography and narrative non-fiction – history told as a story. 

My research led me to new material, including records relating to Holt’s years as a student at Wesley College and Queen’s College in Melbourne. I also made extensive use of the travel diaries of both Holt and his wife, Zara.  

Ross Walker was for many years a secondary teacher of English and Literature. During his career, he wrote many study guides of texts set for VCE English, as well as many articles. After retiring from teaching, he has continued to work as a casual employee of ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research), while continuing his lifelong interest in writing. Harold Holt: Always One Step Further was published in 2022. He is currently working on a personal memoir. Apart from reading and writing, he enjoys living near Port Phillip Bay and swimming regularly throughout the year.