Jill Coombe—whose report I read in the Australian Journal of Emergency Management (volume 15, issue 1, 2000) back in 2013, and who generously answered my questions when she got a very random email asking her to recount events that happened some fourteen years ago.

Photographer Emmanuel Santos—he documented the lives of Kosovar refugees seeking temporary asylum in Australia, and kindly chatted to me about his time spent with the refugees at Point Nepean that resulted in some beautiful and empathetic photographs.

Two books greatly aided in my initial research of this story: Kosovo: War and Revenge by Tim Judah (Yale University Press, 2002) and Borderline by Peter Mares (UNSW Press, second edition 2002).

The quote from Ursula K. Le Guin at the beginning of the book is taken from her Bryn Mawr Commencement Address, 1986.

Mr. Khouri’s sentiment for the class—“Not all those who wander are lost”—is a line from the poem “All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter,” written by J. R. R. Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings.

Librarian Sharon Muir—from the Singleton Public Library, who kindly spoke to me about her memories, and then went through the archives to aid my research. Singleton kept wonderful and meticulous newspaper records of their own “Operation Safe Haven,” and this was a good reminder that public libraries can be the keeper of community conscience, history, and memory—and that librarians really are superheroes.

The photograph mentioned in the chapter “Worldly possessions” is real. It was taken by Carol Guzy for The Washington Post, with the caption: “Family members, reunited after fleeing Kosovo, pass 2-year-old Agim Shala through the barbed-wire fence into the hands of his grandparents at a camp in Albania.” The photo was taken on March 3, 1999.

In 2014 I won the Ray Koppe Young Writers’ Residency through the Australian Society of Authors (ASA), which provided me with a week-long stay at Varuna, The Writers’ House. I remain incredibly grateful to Varuna, the ASA, and particularly the Koppe Family—who established the Residency in memory of their mother, Ray, who managed the ASA’s business affairs for many years. Let me also take this chance to encourage every creative reading this (because I know serious book people read the acknowledgments, the same way film buffs read the final credits!) to join their local, national, and/or state associations, who have your best interests at heart by providing you with advocacy, support, and advice.

Early readers Sally Rippin, Suzie Bull, Danielle Carey, Emily Gale, and Angela Crocombe—thank you so much for your enthusiasm and endorsement.