BOOK ONE - Land of Matang

When John Williams travels from Australia to Banaba (Ocean Island) in 1900 to oversee its newly discovered phosphate, his wife Ella and their young daughter Gwennie follow, expecting a new life. But as John is drawn deeper into the mining company's ruthless treatment of the island and its people, Ella and Gwennie are drawn the other way — into Banaban culture, magic and the beliefs of a people whose home is being destroyed around them. What begins as opportunity becomes a reckoning, for the family and for Banaba itself.
Drawn from the author's own family history and hundreds of original photographs and documents, Nakaa's Awakening brings a near-forgotten chapter of the Pacific to life — the story of an indigenous people who endure against industrial might, holding to their belief that good will overcome evil, and the wrath of the spirit Nakaa.

"Historical fiction at its best!" — Jeremy Cooper, media producer (UK)

For years, scholars and colonial administrators have linked the Banabans to the I-Kiribati race, shaping the prevailing societal and political landscape of the Banaban people. Nevertheless, true historical accounts and origins have remained closely guarded secrets. Te Aka clan have been notoriously secretive about their identity, keeping their heritage hidden from outsiders.

The turning point comes with Lampert's archaeological findings at the Aka sacred burial ground. These discoveries challenge the existing narrative, suggesting that the Banabans were once part of a distinct and unique race, both physically and culturally, before assimilation processes began to reshape their population.

Banaban Cultural Identity examines Te Aka artifacts, presenting compelling evidence to support the argument that the Banabans' origins have never been accurately documented from their own perspective. Through the words of the Banaban people, passed down by their forefathers for generations, the true story of their ancestry unfolds.

- Banaban Study Series -

For eighty years, phosphate mining stripped the tiny Pacific island of Banaba (Ocean Island) — and when the mining finally ceased, it left behind a devastated landscape and a displaced people. Decades on, little has been done to repair the damage or restore what was lost.
Written by Stacey M. King, herself descended from the Williams family who helped pioneer that mining, Legacy of a Miner's Daughter examines the lasting human and environmental cost of the phosphate era and the obstacles that still confront the Banaban people today. It is both an assessment of a culture pushed to the brink of assimilation and a call to the former colonial powers — Britain, Australia and New Zealand — to take responsibility at last, through rehabilitation, fair compensation and a just future for a resilient people determined to endure.

- Banaban Studies Series -

For centuries, the Banaban people governed themselves through Te Rii ni Banaba — the "Backbone of Banaba" — a traditional system of law settling questions of land, genealogy and a person's place in society. But colonial rule, the upheaval of the Second World War and forced exile to Rabi Island fractured that world, leaving a people caught today between Fiji and Kiribati, and a younger generation growing up under Western influence.
This study traces the resilience of a people determined to endure. Examining the obstacles that still threaten Banaban survival, it weighs the responsibility carried by clan leaders to preserve cultural integrity for those who come after — and argues that Banaban strength lies in unity with custom and tradition. Only by standing together, with one voice, can the Banaban people reclaim their place in history and chart a course toward self-determination.

I DID IT MY WAY…
It began in a family garage—a mission to help a forgotten Pacific people and an idea unorthodox enough that most would have dismissed it. Stacey King didn't. She turned it into a multi-million dollar global brand.
This is her story: an accomplished Australian entrepreneur, corporate executive and philanthropist who built something the world hadn't seen before. How it all began—and how it all ended.
From the remotest Pacific villages to the rolling plains of Mongolia, Stacey forged a business path entirely her own. A cause-driven juggernaut built around a global message: the pursuit of justice, the importance of our shared humanity, and what each of us can do in our own lives to truly make a difference.
She started her first enterprise at fifteen, carried by an unshakable belief that anything is possible. Here she shares the full arc—the vision, the relentless determination, the conviction that you never give up—and the hard truth of what it costs to build something extraordinary and watch it reach its end.
This is her journey.
The Rise & Fall of a Multi-Million Dollar Brand.