War Dogs: A Modern Breed of Heroes

Shane Bryant was born in Sydney and grew up in Dapto on the New South Wales south coast. After joining the Australian Army at the age of 17, he eventually fulfilled his ambition to qualify as an explosive detection dog handler. He later worked as a police dog handler, a private investigator and a not-very-successful real estate salesman. In 2006, he returned to his first love, working with dogs, and took a job in Afghanistan as a civilian dog handler contracted to provide support to the US Army and other coalition military forces. He served 10 years in Afghanistan and Iraq as a military contractor in frontline and management positions.

Internationally bestsellling author Tony Park is the author of more than 20 adventure thriller novels set in Africa. Born in 1964, he grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, and has worked as a newspaper journalist in Australia and the UK, a government press secretary, freelance writer and as a PR consultant. Park served 34 years in the Australian Army Reserve including a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2002. He and his wife, Nicola, divide their time between their home in Sydney, and southern Africa, where they own a home on the edge of the Kruger National Park. His latest novel, King of Beasts, is due out in 2026.

James is an award-winning actor who has performed on stages and screens throughout Australia, Europe and the Americas. His work in film and TV includes Animal Kingdom, The Turning, Offspring, Winners and Losers, The Doctor Blake Mysteries and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. James has also worked across radio, documentary and drama, spanning 17 years and counting.