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Tom Bamforth is a writer whose work has appeared in Granta, Griffith Review, Meanjin, Guardian and The Age.
He is the author of The Rising Tide: among the islands and atolls of the Pacific Ocean and Deep Field: dispatches from the frontlines of humanitarian aid relief.

Based on his extensive travels in the Pacific, Tom Bamforth shows us the people of the islands, their cultures and their lives. From uprisings in New Caledonia to tsunamis in Tonga, this is a book about interaction, race, colonisation, climate change, nuclear testing, resistance, cultural preservation, urban life, the tastiness of well roasted pig and the pleasures of canoeing at dusk.
The Rising Tide masterfully weaves together stories of Pacific peoples and politics at the forefront of global change.
“Enter the ‘highly politicized and ruthless world of a major humanitarian operation for a roller-coaster of a read. Bamforth is a savvy and sagacious guide, explaining in depth the complexities that underpin and undermine efforts to stabilize countries experiencing state collapse, natural disasters or conflict. He’s also one hell of a storyteller and wordsmith: astute, descriptive, ironic, funny and philosophical. Bamforth illuminates the intricacies and entanglements of history, politics and self-interest and introduces us to the eccentrics who keep ploughing through it all for a better world. Verdict: Astonishing” Herald Sun
“It reads as if Don Delillo had been sent to Darfur” John Freeman, Granta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihaB8AFOhZo
#Syria: Eleven years on, displaced people are still living in unsafe, worn-out tents. Can we afford to replace these with alternative shelters that are safer & better suited to local conditions?
Shelter expert @TomBamforth1: “The real question is, can we afford not to do this?”
We're pleased to announce that #AnnaMarttinenPont
has been appointed by @antonioguterres to lead our @UN Team in Equatorial Guinea🇬🇶🇺🇳
Looking forward to collaborating w/ you and our team to work towards the #GlobalGoals and recover from COVID-19.
https://bit.ly/AnnaPont
Maryam, an 8-year-old Syrian girl, fled with her family from southern Idlib two years ago.
She’s moved multiple times since then, always taking her doll with her - the one constant thing in her life
#Syria: 14-year-old Maria, paralyzed during a bombing raid, lives in camp for displaced people in Idlib. Her family can't get her the care she needs
People with disabilities in camps face so many hardships. Much more support is needed for people like Maria & her family
Links
Adventures in a nuclear Pacific Meanjin 78/1 (2019)
The Men in Green: encounters with populism in the Pacific Griffith Review 57 (2017)
Green and Pleasant Memories: the afterlife of an Olympic Village Griffith Review 53 (2016)
’Lots of rabbits about this year’: fragments from the war correspondence of Private Charles Harlock, Australian Imperial Force, Abroad Griffith Review 48 (2015)
How to Survive an Earthquake Griffith Review 35 (2012)
The Mission Granta 117 (2011)
Talks & interviews
The new frontiers of travel writing Wheeler Centre
Travel writing ABC Radio National
The Pacific’s rising human tide ABC Radio National
Journalism
Past meets present in a Berlin refugee camp Inside Story 14/11/2018
Antonovs, technicals and the insane logic of war in the desert Inside Story 26/3/2014
For ‘rough’ neighbourhood born from Olympic ideals, a new pride The Age 29/04/2018
While the world’s attention is elsewhere, Bangladesh faces a humanitarian crisis Guardian 12/09/2017
Reflections of a humanitarian aid worker: an interview with Tom Bamforth Devpolicy (ANU Development Policy Centre) 30 July 2014 with Margaret Callan
Turning our backs on foreign aid Saturday Paper 21/6/2014