Ian McKenzie

English is a living language which is constantly changing. "Understanding Australian English: An Essential Guide to Understanding Aussies and being Understood by Aussies in Australia. Australian Slang Explained" explores and explains the uniqueness of Australian English. Words which may be offensive in some English speaking cultures are sometimes used by Aussies in an affectionate way with their mates. Very often the contexts in which words are spoken are much more important than the words themselves. Aussies use of hyperbole and their very Australian sense of humour is reflected in their colloquialisms. You will learn and understand more about Aussies after reading this book. This publication is 178 pages in length, and the informative text is punctuated with Aussie photos which have been taken by the Author. In addition to the printed book, there is also a version available as an e-book.

Positiveness through people, photos and quotations. Original photographs and compilation by Ian McKenzie.

About A.B. Patterson Andrew Barton (Banjo) Patterson was born in February 1864 and died in February 1941. He was a solicitor, soldier, war correspondent, journalist, author and poet. He was the eldest of seven children and grew up near Orange in rural New South Wales. Patterson used the pen name "The Banjo", which was the name of a race horse owned by the family. Banjo Patterson wrote extensively on Australian life, focusing mainly on outback areas. His poem "Waltzing Matilda" was set to music and has become the unofficial Australian anthem. Patterson was a contemporary and a colleague of another equally well-known Australian author, Henry Lawson.All of the poems in this book were originally first published in the nineteenth century. This book of poetry has been written for easy reading with size 20 font for the body text and size 30 font for all the headings. Banjo Patterson is my favourite poet. Poems from this publication I shall be reading to my grand-child due in March this year.

Henry Lawson is a much loved Australian poet and author. He was born in 1867 and died in 1922. This anthology contains the following poems: If you think that your people came of better stock than mine, The Rhyme of The Three Greybeards, Here Died, The Roaring Days, The Things We Dare Not Tell, After All, In The Street, Andy's Gone with Cattle, Faces in The Street, Out Back, The Teams, The Tragedy. All poems have been written in large easy to read font, with a different font used for each poem to add interest.

A random selection of photos taken at some of my photo shoots over the last two years. Shoots are normally organised on a weekly basis at a venue somewhere in south-east Queensland. The majority of attendees at these shoots are actors and/or models who would like quality shots for their portfolios. However, no charge is made for attendance, and everyone is made welcome, regardless of age, gender or any other attribute.

Previous black and white photograph albums published by author/photographer Ian McKenzie, combined together in the one album. This is a large album containing three hundred and eighteen pages eight and a half inches wide by eleven inches high. Models are of all ages and both genders and live in or near Brisbane in the south-east corner of the state of Queensland, Australia.

Have you heard any great speeches or read any written works which have really impressed you recently? If you have, chances are that the orator or writer concerned has learned to use some of the tools which have been available to great communicators throughout history. These tools which have made them great are available for you to use also. Learning and practicing their use will significantly add to your credibility as a public speaker or competent writer. The author has compiled a comprehensive list of effective rhetorical devices, explained how they can be used and has given numerous examples of them. They will not all become a part of your personal repertoire of tools to use when delivering talks or writing documents. The names you don't need to remember, but even learning to use a few of these devices will add to your skills in public speaking and/or writing.

Australian English like all other languages being used is a living entity and is constantly changing. Many slang terms used by my parent's generation are infrequently used now. Likewise, the language used by Aussie teenagers today is different from the language I feel comfortable using. With the internet, television and the globalisation of almost everything, cultures are being influenced by other cultures and many slang terms are now almost universal. However, we do need to take care when we use language in different cultures, because even the same slang terms can mean different things. Two examples which come to mind are the words "thong" and "fanny". These words have very different meanings in the United States of America and in Australia. In Australia, the context in which various words are used can totally change the meanings of those words. An example is the word "bastard". The dictionary meaning is "a person born from an unmarried mother". It is used in a derogatory sence in most cultures and can be used that way in Australia also. However, in Australia it can also be used in an almost affectionate way between good friends.

Professionals are regularly called upon to give presentations of various types. Whether it be; conducting a coaching session or seminar, a training program, a guest speaker at an event or a variety of other activities; if you are required to present a topic, you will want it to be professionally done and to optimise the learning outcomes for the participants. This publication gives you the strategies for you to quickly develop the necessary skills to give a professional performance which will be long be remembered. Author Ian McKenzie, has spent a major part of his working career as a teacher, educator, trainer, lecturer and educational administrator in many different education and training sectors. Having observed presentations ranging from brilliant to lousy and just about everything in between, Ian has analysed what makes the best presentations and gives that information here. Ian believes that we don't have sufficient time in one life time to make all the mistakes ourselves. So, in addition to learning from our own mistakes it is important that we also learn from others. Examples are given of "not so good" presentations, with advise so that ours should not fall into that category. This publication is Volume 1 in a series called "Optimal Employability". Yes, I know that "employability" is not in any dictionary, but . . ., it should be The author, Ian McKenzie, has worked for many years with professionals improving their skills to enable them to better perform in their chosen professions. Future publications in this series will include strategies for improving business writing and communication in general, writing resumes and addressing selection criteria and developing interview and related skills.