Sign-In
Cart
Hail Mary, the Creek's Up: From the Banks of the Castlereagh to the SAS (Large Print Edition)
Paperback
Biographies GeneralMilitary BiographiesAustralia & Oceania
ISBN13: 9780648907183
Publisher: Imprimatur Books
Published: Apr 25 2026
Pages: 204
Weight: 1.01
Height: 0.53 Width: 6.69 Depth: 9.61
Language: English
By the author of the acclaimed and best-selling military memoir Two Ranks on the Road: 35 Years of Australian Special Forces Service (2024), Hail Mary, the Creek's Up: From the Banks of the Castlereagh to the SAS, is a powerful prequel memoir of resilience, mischief, and transformation set against the backdrop of rural Australia which focuses on the early years of this true Australian original.Growing up in the tiny New South Wales town of Binnaway, on the banks of the Castlereagh River, Michael John Malone was the knockabout tearaway forever in trouble. Yet beneath the scrapes and small-town adventures lay the steadying influence of five remarkable women whose love and strength shaped his character. From bush childhood freedom to the discipline of boarding school, this is the story of how a restless boy became a man of purpose.
Written in advance of Two Ranks on the Road, Hail Mary, the Creek's Up is a prelude to the well-known story of Mick Malone's long career with the Australian Special Air Service Regiment. Before he became a respected soldier and leader of men, Mick Malone was an inquisitive, active child with a knack for finding trouble. His hard-scrabble, resilient childhood was one of simplicity borne of the time and place, as a third-generation Australian of strong Irish stock. Hail Mary, the Creek's Up begins with an account of the Malones of Limerick who were forced to leave Ireland on account of the Blight-the Irish Potato Famine-and tried their luck in Australia growing tobacco, raising cattle, and searching for gold. Amidst all of this, the Malones maintained a sense of humour and strong loyalty to Ireland, traits carefully passed on from generation to generation. As Mick grew and learned at the knee of his idolised father, Ned-a gun shearer, war veteran, and pillar of the community-he pieced together his perspective on the world. Most important, as the family moved towns and schools, was the enveloping presence of the women in his life (especially his beloved mother, Joyce Malone), stretching back three generations, who were fundamental to Mick's security and sense of self. The book takes us away to the challenges of a far-off boarding school, St. Stanislaus' College for Boys, where Mick learned to harden himself and understand the nature of discipline: two assets that would mean his later service in the Australian Army was easier to manage. Two Ranks on the Road begins with the account of an aimless teen yearning for a place to invest his spirit: Hail Mary, the Creek's Up outlines all of the different ways that spirit was developed.
Also from
Malone, Michael J.
Quicksand of Memory: The Twisty, Chilling Psychological Thriller That Everyone's Talking About...
Malone, Michael J.
Paperback
Also in
Military Biographies
The Phantom: The Untold Story of the American Marine the Nazis Could Not Kill
Drury, Bob
Clavin, Tom
Hardcover
Band on the Run: Xenophon and the First Great Mercenary Army's Epic Escape from Persia
O'Connell, Robert L.
Hardcover
Never Call Me a Hero: A Legendary American Dive-Bomber Pilot Remembers the Battle of Midway
Kleiss, N. Jack Dusty
Orr, Timothy
Orr, Laura
Paperback
Retribution: A Us Marine's Fight for Justice, from the Russian Gulag to Ukraine's Front Lines
DeFelice, Jim
Reed, Trevor
Hardcover
George Washington's One-Man Army: The Life, Legend, and Battles of Peter Francisco
Palmer, John T.
Hardcover
Bird Men: The Rise of American Airpower and the Machine That Ended World War II
Baime, A. J.
Hardcover
Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown
Blehm, Eric
Paperback
Ortiz's War: The Allies' Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France
Reynolds, Nicholas
Sanders, Katie
Hardcover
Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them
Sodais, Abdulhaq
Sullivan, Spencer
Paperback
The Lazy SEAL: How a slacker made it through the toughest military training on earth and how you can too!
Khol, Nathan
Paperback
American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant
Tyson, Ann Scott
Paperback
Tidal Wave: The Pilots, the Princess, and the Enemy Ace - A True Story of Courage and Survival in WWII
Makos, Adam
Hardcover
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission
Collins, Eileen M., USAF (Retired)
Ward, Jonathan H.
Hardcover
One is a Warrior: The Relentless Fight of an Army National Guard Sniper Team in Ramadi
Martinez, Harry R.
Hardcover
Courage Under Fire: Testing Epictetus's Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior
Stockdale, James B.
Paperback
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant Volume 1/2: Large Print Edition (Large Print Edition)
Grant, Ulysses S.
Hardcover
The War They Won: The Story of World War II, as told by Those Who Were There
K. Kistler, Lt Hobart
Hardcover
The Road to Unafraid: How the Army's Top Ranger Faced Fear and Found Courage Through
Struecker, Jeff
Paperback
The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War
Molloy, J. T.
Donohue, John Chick
Paperback
Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II
Edsel, Robert M.
Hardcover
Raising Athena: A Mother and Daughter Attend West Point Thirty Years Apart
Shattan, Mylinh Brewster
Hardcover
Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire
Katz, Jonathan M.
Paperback
The Siege: A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World
MacIntyre, Ben
Paperback
Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance
Grdovic, Mark
Paperback
Every Man a Hero: A Memoir of D-Day, the First Wave at Omaha Beach, and a World at War
DeFelice, Jim
Lambert, Ray
Paperback
The Last Hill: The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle That Defined WWII
Clavin, Tom
Drury, Bob
Paperback
No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden
Owen, Mark
Maurer, Kevin
Paperback
Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them
Sodais, Abdulhaq
Sullivan, Spencer
Hardcover
As the Pentagon Burned: Leadership and Human Excellence in the Face of the 9/11 Attack
Klimow, Ambassador (Ret) Matthew S.
Paperback
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History
DeFelice, Jim
Kyle, Chris
McEwen, Scott
Paperback
The Naval Academy - A Parent's Ponderings from Home Port: Untying the Bowline on I-Day
Wade, Steve
Paperback
Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism
Waugh, Billy
Keown, Tim
Paperback
The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army
Lockhart, Paul
Paperback
The Things They Cannot Say: Stories Soldiers Won't Tell You about What They've Seen, Done or Failed to Do in War
Sites, Kevin
Paperback
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant Volume 2/2: Large Print Edition (Large Print Edition)
Grant, Ulysses S.
Hardcover
The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy Seal Leader (Large Print Edition)
Redman, Jason
Bruning, John
Paperback
No Ordinary Dog: My Partner from the Seal Teams to the Bin Laden Raid
Chesney, Will
Layden, Joe
Paperback
One Man in: The Explosive Firsthand Account of the Lone Special-Ops Commando Who Fought Off a Major Terrorist Attack in Kenya
Craighead, Christian
Hardcover
American Sniper: Memorial Edition (Large Print Edition)
Kyle, Chris
McEwen, Scott
DeFelice, Jim
Paperback
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Paperback
To End All Wars: A True Story about the Will to Survive and the Courage to Forgive
Gordon, Ernest
Paperback
Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force
Longfritz, Lori
Schilling, Dan
Paperback
The Wisdom of the Bullfrog: Leadership Made Simple (But Not Easy) (Large Print Edition)
McRaven, William H.
Hardcover
One is a Warrior: The Relentless Fight of an Army National Guard Sniper Team in Ramadi
Martinez, Harry R.
Paperback
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
Luttrell, Marcus
Paperback
Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent
Berman, Larry
Paperback
Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich
Webster, David
Paperback
Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961
Reynolds, Nicholas
Paperback
Own Your Resilience: An Army Leader and War Widow Shares Tools to Live with Courage and Joy
Sileo, Tom
Ballou, Jennifer
Hardcover
In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Paperback
The Invisible Veteran: Rediscovering Purpose, Identity, and Connection After Service
Kidder, Kevin
Paperback
Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall
Willner, Nina
Paperback
World War II Generation Speaks: The Things Our Fathers Saw Series, Vols. 1-3
Rozell, Matthew
Hardcover
Then All Hell Broke Loose: The Odyssey of a Marine Corps Photographer in Vietnam
Fisher, Dennis
Paperback
Wielding the Trident: Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and America's Victory in the Pacific
Blackley, Andrew K.
Hardcover
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Large Print Edition)
Hillenbrand, Laura
Paperback
A Soldier's Life: A Black Woman's Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion
Cummings, Edna W.
Hardcover
Pentagon 9-11: Scars You Can't See A Chief Master Sergeant's Reckoning with Truth, Trust, and Coming Home
Woody, Roger A.
Paperback
African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan
Girard, Geoffrey
Lockley, Thomas
Paperback
The Swimmer of Auschwitz: The Incredible True Story of the Olympic Hero Who Swam for His Life
Leblond, Renaud
Paperback
The Fate of the Generals: Macarthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines
Horn, Jonathan
Paperback
The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea--The Forgotten War of the South Pacific
Campbell, James
Paperback
The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear Into Your Superpower
Curran, Michelle Mace
Hardcover