“Captain James Cook is a hero of the history of Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia –and rightly so.

Lieutenant Cook returned to England from his exciting, dangerous and highly successful first voyage in 1771. This was the longest sea voyage ever undertaken to that time. The new, flamboyant First Lord of the Admiralty, the Earl of Sandwich, recognised a hero. Sandwich promoted Cook to Captain, personally took him to meet his King and began to groom Cook as an icon of Britain.”

Don Heussler, 2016

Don has always loved Australian Colonial history. He's read much and collected treasures from this period since he was 17 years old. He has collected Colonial documents, military badges, Aboriginal stone tools and antique maps.

Many of the unique colonial maps, paintings and old photographs that Don has rescued from house dispersals and auction sales, over decades, are now in the National Collections of the State Library of NSW (Mitchell) and the National Library of Australia, (Canberra).

Like all Australian children, he first learned about James Cook at school, but his obsession started 16 years ago when he discovered an unpublished manuscript by Lawrence Hargrave who challenged Cook's priority in mapping the East Coast of Australia.

By following this trail and all its byways and applying his scientific education, Don nailed the truth behind Cook's Endeavour voyage.

The science comes from his first class honours degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sydney. He also worked for more than 34 years in the pharmaceutical and life-science industries. Working in England and Australia, he has been intimately involved in the initial manufacture and subsequent marketing of innovative human medicines and agricultural products. Many are still in wide use today to the benefit of human society and the environment.

Time stretches to today to encompass his family of a patient wife, three grown-up children and four energetic grandchildren. There is just time for competitive bridge on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Don Heussler's manuscript of 60,000 words and many illustrations is focussed on the controversies which have arisen around the Endeavour voyage by James Cook and his entourage.

The controversies range from subterfuges used by Cook in the charting of Australia and New Zealand to the many mysteries around the most important event in Cook life—the finding of a suitable harbour, to repair his ship and save his crew at Endeavour River.

The manuscript also covers the special place that Tahiti held in Cook’s life. This small island group was visited four times by James Cook during his three Pacific voyages. He lived a total of 9 months of his life in that paradise. What a unique world for an 18th century Englishman to visit. It had a perfect climate, bountiful food available for little effort and a sexually progressive society which amazed both the British and the French. Yet this unique society was perversely destroyed because of the publicity that Cook’s voyage generated.

Don has a strong family connection with Tahiti and its downfall as his great, great grandfather was on the first ship of missionaries sent to save those 'heathens' (1796). His family archive contributes to this story.

A new aspect of Cook’s life is opened wide via this work and the 21st century science, technology and scholarship used in its production. Two other important, independent scholars who have published in their specialist journals inform the general reader via this work.

The author examines several new aspects of that Endeavour voyage nearly 250 years ago. These appear to have been overlooked by previous researchers and writers probably because some of our 21st century technology was not available to them. 

Don proves that Captain Cook deserves a new sobriquet to add to ‘great navigator’ and ‘resolute explorer’. This is ‘True British Patriot’. The reasons for this are carefully and entertainingly explained using a distinct, personal narrative style.

The Captain Cook Society, (based in UK) Member, UK and Sydney Chapters

The National Australian Maritime Museum, Sydney

The Royal Overseas League, London

Australian Society of Authors (ASA)