100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

🐉 🔥 Happy Threshing Day! Pre-order the Deluxe Edition of Rebecca Yarros' newest release today! 🔥 🐉

Fifteen Young Men

Australia's Untold Football Tragedy
4.08 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 84 ratings, 16 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Fifteen Young Men by Paul Kennedy delves into a riveting sports history narrative, focusing on a tragic yachting accident that claimed the lives of fifteen crew members. The book combines meticulous research and heartfelt storytelling to explore the community's response and the profound impact on those left behind. With the backdrop of the burgeoning world of sports, it highlights themes of resilience and the enduring spirit of a community in mourning.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$4000
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this compelling read if you have an interest in sports history and human resilience. The book vividly captures a gripping true story of ambition, teamwork, and tragedy, offering powerful insights into the past and the indomitable spirit of young athletes.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Fifteen Young Men is the true story of a doomed adventure. It was a maritime tragedy that unfolded one sad, dark hour at a time. A cold, cruelly blustery night revealed—with agonising slowness—that fifteen young men of the Mornington Football Club would never make it home.

As dawn broke and families began to mourn, a nation was to learn the full extent of one of the world's worst sporting disasters. The sinking of the Process in catastrophically rough seas off Victoria's Mornington Peninsula in 1892, with the loss of all on board, horrified Australia. 'Such an accident has no parallel in our land's history,' reported The Argus. Yet somehow, for more than a century, this calamitous event slipped from Australia's consciousness.

In Fifteen Young Men, journalist Paul Kennedy reveals the stories behind the tragedy. In his compelling evocation of a spirited Australian town on the cusp of a new century, he captures the trauma of families and friends suffering almost unbearable loss, but also the irrepressible optimism of the times, and the mateship, love, and resilience that would come to define a budding nation.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780857989826

Publisher: Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 August 2016

Country: Australia

Imprint: William Heinemann Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 155.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 469g

Pages: 352

About the Author

Paul Kennedy is a national television presenter for ABC News Breakfast. He has worked for three television networks and has written three books, including co-authoring Hell on the Way to Heaven (with Chrissie Foster), one of the triggers for Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. He lives on the eastern shore of Port Phillip with his wife, Kim, and their three sons, Jack, Gus and Leo.

Also by Paul Kennedy

View all
  • Engineers of Victory
    Engineers of Victory by Paul Kennedy offers a profound and captivating account of how the tides of the Second World War were turned in favour of the Allies through the ingenuity of problem-solvers and middle-men. This meticulously researched book delves into the often overlooked yet essential contributions of individuals whose innovative solutions and strategic thinking led to significant victories on...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (1)
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
    The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy is an authoritative historical analysis that encompasses half a millennium of global geopolitical dynamics. Spanning from the post-medieval era to the late 20th century, the book meticulously charts the evolution and decline of powerful nations. Kennedy's thesis posits that the fortunes of world powers are intricately linked to their...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Hell On The Way To Heaven
    Chrissie and Anthony Foster were like any other young family, raising their three daughters in suburban Melbourne with what they hoped were the right values. Chrissie could not have known that the stranger-danger she feared actually lurked in the presbytery attached to the girls' Catholic primary school. Father Kevin O'Donnell, a long-term paedophile, lived and worked there. Two of their...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Still Standing
    Still Standing is a book about love. A mother's love for her daughters. A crusader's love for truth and justice. A champion's love for the community she serves. Love explains why Chrissie is still standing, and it is a privilege to read her story and learn from her example." - The Hon Julia Gillard AC There are few more moving...
    Paperback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $3700
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Victory at Sea
    A sweeping, lavishly illustrated one-volume history of the rise of American naval power during World War II. "When he is at his best, as he often is in these pages, Kennedy can be dazzling."—Ian W. Toll, New York Times "The book makes for enjoyable reading, owing to the author's easygoing style. . . . Kennedy is an academic who does...
    Paperback
    $4499
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Funkytown
    Paul Kennedy's Funkytown is the vivid true story of a year in the life of a teenager leaping into manhood. It is 1993: a serial killer is loose on the streets of Frankston, Victoria. The community is paralysed by fear, and a state's police force and national media come to find a killer. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Paul Kennedy is searching for...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Sports

View all
  • New Release
    Formula One 2026
    The world's bestselling Grand Prix handbook is back for the new season. This is the definitive guide to Formula One 2026 — a complete examination of all the teams, drivers, and tracks featured in the packed Grand Prix calendar. Also including a full review of the 2025 season and a breakdown of the new rules and regulations for 2026, this...
    Paperback
    $3800
    Elsewhere:
    $4499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Legends and Soles
    The brilliant autobiography from the ‘saviour of Nike’ If you’re a sneaker head, you know him as the saviour of Nike. If you’ve watched Air, you saw Matt Damon’s portrayal of the man who discovered Michael Jordan and how he revolutionised the payment structure of endorsements for athletes. Legends and Soles tells Sonny’s story – his blind-sided firing by Nike...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Surviving to Drive
    A hugely entertaining access-all-areas account of a year inside Formula 1, from Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner, star of Drive to Survive, one of the most successful Netflix series of all time. THE INSTANT NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Gripping to read. Funny, real, exciting. It's a brilliant book.' - Chris Evans 'Fearless and candid... A gleeful guide to...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Good, the Bad & the Rugby – Unleashed
    The long-awaited book from rugby stars Alex Payne, James Haskell and Mike Tindall. Rugby megastars James Haskell, Mike Tindall, and Alex Payne get together to discuss the highs and lows of their podcast, friendship, and rugby. Among the key questions answered: What happened when Mike took their shambles of a podcast inside the walls of Windsor Castle to meet the...
    Hardback
    $5500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Gloves Off
    The unflinching autobiography from the two-time world heavyweight champion and British People's Champion, Tyson Fury, now out in paperback, Gloves Off is an enthralling journey into the life of one of boxing's most charismatic and controversial figures. From his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise and dramatic falls, Fury’s story is a testament to the indomitable human spirit. In this...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Salt Path
    The Salt Path is a deeply moving and profoundly inspiring true story that captures the essence of human resilience and the profound impact of nature on our well-being. This compelling narrative, a Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the prestigious Wainwright Prize, recounts the life-changing journey of Raynor and Moth Winn—a couple who, facing monumental life challenges, find solace and...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Salt Path
    The bestselling true story of the couple who lost everything and embarked on a journey not of escape but salvation, soon to be a major motion picture starring Golden Globe winning Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, the couple lose their home and their livelihood. With...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • States of Play
    The International Bestseller & Winner of the Football Book of the Year Award A Times Sports Book of the Year A Telegraph Book of the Year An Irish Times Book of the Year An Irish Independent Book of the Year 'Important, perfectly timed and hugely necessary.' The Guardian 'A monumental piece of investigative journalism.' Irish Times 'A must-read on how...
    Paperback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Swimmer of Auschwitz
    Pre-order
    The Swimmer of Auschwitz
    'Propulsive... Readers will be hooked' - Publishers Weekly Based on the extraordinary true story of Alfred Nakache, subject of the Oscar-nominated short film Papillon. Alfred Nakache, a Jewish child from Constantine, never imagined that he would one day swim for France at the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, nor that he would achieve a world record, as he did...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Pre-order
    Out 11 Aug 2026
  • The Formula
    A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'HANDS DOWN THE GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN ABOUT F1.' - Sam Walker, author of The Captain Class 'MODERN F1 IS THE SPORTS STORY OF THIS ERA AND NO ONE COULD TELL IT BETTER' - Kevin Clark, ESPN 'THE FASTEST READ YOU WILL EVER PICK UP' - A.J. Baime, author of Go Like Hell F1 is...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Breath
    Discover the transformative power of breathing in Breath by esteemed journalist James Nestor. This revolutionary book delves into the science and history of one of the most fundamental human activities - breathing. From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the serene temples of India, Nestor embarks on a global journey to uncover the secrets of ancient breathing techniques such...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Forever Forward
    With a foreword by McLaren CEO Zak Brown and written with inside access, this is the real-time, unfolding story of one of F1's greatest ever teams, as they rise back up from oblivion. Few names in motorsports carry the same authority as McLaren, and with their remarkable victory in the 2024 constructors championship, they are now returning to form in...
    Hardback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.