John Newman was born in England in 1937. Secondary Modern was as high as his education took him. A brief stint at farming, in his native Essex, was followed by four years in the Royal Air Force, where he saw active service in the terrorist blighted island of Cyprus in the 1950s. A more permanent career as a butcher was pursued in England, New Zealand and finally in Australia. He has three children and seven grandchildren from his marriage of 50 years to wife, Maureen. Some Kind of Justice is his first published work.