Providing inspiration for today's women, in this book of profiles Susanna de Vries examines what it takes to be a truly heroic Australian. Women of grit and courage, women of integrity, resilience and resourcefulness, the 21 individuals whose stories make up The Complete Book of Heroic Australian Women were a rare breed. They faced different tests - harshness as pioneers in outback Australia; the turmoil of war - but when encountering adversity, even death, each proved her mettle. From Olive King, who saved countless lives in the war-ravaged Balkans, to Vivian Bullwinkel, who survived the Bangka Island Massacre only to endure three tragedy-filled years in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, to Jeannie Gunn, who turned her experiences of hostile outback conditions into a classic book. We of the Never-Never, these are women who displayed extraordinary determination in often terrible circumstances. | 
