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. 

Attend in person 

Entry to this event is free but bookings are essential. 

Watch online 

The presentation will also be available online. Please make a booking and we will send you a direct link to the livestream event via email. Or you can join anytime through the Library's YouTube channel.

About Beyond Timbuktu: Journeys of Hope and Humanity 

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 our common humanity.

About Catherine DeVrye  

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 $200, 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.