Greg Kater Author Interview

The Warramunga’s War follows two friends conducting counterespionage operations during WWII. What was your inspiration for the setup to this riveting story?

My initial inspiration was based on my father’s war diaries. He was involved in the Second World War initially fighting in the Syrian campaign and later in the desert war. After I retired from a 55-year career in the resources industry, working in all parts of the world, for the first time in my life I had time on my hands. I had met and worked with many unique characters in different countries throughout the years and thought it would be fun to write a series of novels starting with the desert war, where most of the characters would be based on those weird and wonderful people I had worked with over the years.

All the different localities in which the action takes place are known to me intimately. I was familiar with the Warramunga aborigines from the early part of my career when I worked in the Tennant Creek area in the central Northern Territory.

Jamie and Jacko are intriguing and well-developed characters. What were some ideas that guided their development throughout the book?

One of the most enduring lessons I learnt, when working in remote or foreign regions, was the value of friendship and teamwork. As they are involved in many different situations, I have attempted to develop the principal characters along these lines. Friendship, teamwork, loyalty and trust are always important. Each of them are based on multiple characters I have worked with around the world.

The historical figures and scenes in the novel were well executed. What kind of research did you undertake to ensure things were accurate?

Apart from my personal knowledge of the localities where the action takes place, my research has included diaries, well-known history, reference books in libraries, and references online. I spent more time on research than I did in writing the novel as I wanted to be sure the historical events were accurate.

What can readers expect in book two, The Warramunga’s Aftermath of War?

I worked for a major resources company in the Philippines during the 1970’s and became aware of some of the tragedies which occurred in the aftermath of war. There were several groups (who I would describe as cockroaches) who were taking advantage of the general chaos created by the war. Fighting had been extremely intense in the Philippines and many people were orphaned, displaced or homeless. There were instances of trafficking of children in the aftermath of war, and my second novel deals with this aspect.

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The Warramunga’s War is a sweeping narrative of the friendship that forms between a young Australian army officer, Jamie Munro, and an educated half-caste Warramunga aboriginal NCO, Jack ‘Jacko’ O’Brien, during the Syrian campaign against the Vichy French in World War II. Jacko rescues a wounded Jamie after which they are conscripted in Cairo by MI6. Here, Jamie and Jacko learn about the seamy side of war in counterespionage as they track down German spies. The principal fictional characters interact with actual historical figures and events throughout the story.

As the desert war escalates to the west of Cairo, the MI6 team confuses the enemy with misleading radio messages using German codes and using local entertainers as undercover agents. On one of his day leaves, Jacko meets a beautiful young Syrian-French girl and a strong romantic bond forms between the two during his time in Cairo.

Following the end of the desert war, Jamie and Jacko are assigned to wartime intelligence work in Southeast Asia. After the end of the Pacific war, they initiate the Darwin operations of the CIS, the Commonwealth Investigation Service. On the trail of two suspected wartime German agents, they discover the agents have formed a dangerous criminal gang with an individual they had known during their time in Cairo. The tracking skills of the Warramunga are needed to finally catch up with the murderous gang in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.