Books at the Bowlo
Presented in collaboration with Club Lambton.
Calling All Booklovers!
What to expect:
- 6 pm – 7 pm: Host your regular book club or simply catch up with friends over a meal while chatting about your latest read.
- 7 pm – 8.30 pm: A conversation and Q&A with local authors. We talk about their books, inspirations and literary journey. Hosted by Nina Cullen and Katherine McLean.
Event Details
Cost
Entry is free. Lucky door prizes with every meal purchase.
Bookings
Book ahead to secure your table! Call Club Lambton on 02 4957 3272 or book online here.
Walk-ins also welcome.
Pre-order The Book
Copies of the monthly featured book can be ordered via Betty Loves Books! This book will be available for collection at the event, as well as prior to the event.
Coming Up: Tuesday 11 November
Through the Rubble by Alan Playford
From earthquakes to war zones. An unforgettable life of heroism, sacrifice and resilience
Alan Playford has lived an extraordinary life of service, courage, and quiet heroism—long before the day he crawled from the rubble of the Newcastle Workers Club during the devastating 1989 earthquake. That moment, captured in headlines around the world, saw Alan hailed as a national hero after rescuing Norm Duffy from beneath the debris. But for those who knew him, it was just one chapter in a far greater story.
This memoir is the story of a man who has given—and given again. It honours not only Alan’s lifetime of service but the countless medics, rescuers, and volunteers who have stood beside him. It is a deeply human account of bravery, trauma, and resilience—and a powerful reminder of the quiet strength found in those who choose, again and again, to show up when the world is at its worst.
Alan Playford
Alan Playford is Australia’s most decorated civilian since the Australian Awards system began in 1975—the bravest of us all. A pioneer of paramedicine, he helped establish the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, defying a politicised system to put patient care first. He became a national hero during the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake, rescuing Norm Duffy from the rubble. From warzones in Rwanda and East Timor to Australia’s worst natural disasters, Alan’s calm, courage and compassion have saved countless lives. His story is a powerful tribute to the human spirit and the strength it takes to face the unimaginable.
Co-Hosts
Nina Cullen
Nina Cullen is a Newcastle writer and reader. Her prize-winning writing has appeared in Australia and overseas in publications including Australian Book Review, The Big Issue Fiction Edition, Meniscus, Island, Sleepers Almanac, Taste – Fresh New Writing, Imagining Ourselves, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Guardian. She is also part of the Newcastle Writer’s Festival Story Hunter program, taking creative writing into primary schools in the Newcastle/Hunter region. You can read her monthly Bedside Bookstack reviews at ninacullen.com and say hi on both Instagram and X at @ninakcullen.
Katherine McLean
Katherine is the Director of Hunter Writer’s Centre. Katherine has over 20 year’s experience in leadership positions in arts and non-profit organisations, working across artistic disciplines such as theatre, puppetry, community cultural development, and digital storytelling. She has a great love for story and often spells it with a capital ‘S’ to give it the importance it deserves.
Program Partners
