13 November 2025

   

the eye of the dragonfly

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tracey lee holmes
in-conversation with
tory shepherd

For celebrated journalist Tracey Lee Holmes, sport has been both a way of life and a lens through which to look at life itself. In conversation with fellow journalist Tory Shepherd, Tracey reflects on her book The Eye of the Dragonfly – part memoir, part manifesto – sharing personal stories and insights into some of sport’s most compelling and controversial issues.

The dragonfly sees in 360 degree perspective, and that’s what Tracey Lee Holmes has always done in her sports journalism. Over four decades, she has taken us beyond the scores and stats to the real stories of sport – the stories of human beings in exultation and defeat, and the bigger stories of money, power, and all too often, discrimination.

In both her life and work, Holmes has consistently broken barriers. The first female presenter of the ABC’s flagship sports programme, Grandstand, she has pioneered coverage of and by women in sport. Her longform style of interviewing and her reporting on world events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cups have introduced us to athletes from all backgrounds and nations, from our own Cathy Freeman and James Hird to Ayrton Senna and Pele. Anchor, reporter, podcaster and – for a rocky spell over the 2000 Sydney Olympics – media manager, Holmes has never sought to divorce sport and the politics of the world it’s played in. As well as recounting highlights (and a couple of lowlights) from her career, in this book she shares her views on drugs in sport, Sam Kerr, and what challenges face the Olympics before the 2032 Brisbane Games.

Holmes has also had a rich personal story. The child of itinerant surfers, she has lived in many different countries with her own children and husband, Stan Grant, seeing the world from many different perspectives. And her life has been full of surprises: only after numerous years living in China did she learn that she has Chinese heritage herself.

Bracing, intimate and characteristically unconventional, The Eye of the Dragonfly gives us the full picture of a remarkable life in sport.

Imprints Booksellers will be selling copies of The Eye of the Dragonfly in the Auditorium foyer on the night of the event.

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre 

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tracey lee holmes
JOURNALIST & AUTHOR

Tracey Lee Holmes is one of Australia’s most recognised and rewarded journalists having spent almost four decades reporting on the world’s biggest sports stories. Her work is focused on the intersection where sport meets politics, business, culture, and news. Her weekly podcast, The Sports Ambassador, explores in detail the stories behind the headlines, it can be found on Patreon, Spotify, YouTube and across most social media platforms.

The Eye of the Dragonfly, her most recent book offering a 360 degree view of the world through the prism of sport, will be published by Simon and Schuster in August. As Deputy Chair of the Oceania Australia Foundation, a Council Member of Indigenous Football Australia, a member of the IOC Press Committee, and a Mentor for the IOC Young Reporters program, Tracey is actively involved in promoting sport as a tool for social change and empowerment. Tracey has a Master’s degree in Communications, is currently studying a Master’s in Sports Diplomacy at the Hungary University of Sports Science, and (when time permits) will finish her Master’s in Sports Law at Melbourne University.

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TORY SHEPHERD
JOURNALIST & AUTHOR

Tory Shepherd is a senior reporter for Guardian Australia, a freelance writer, and the author of On Freedom. After finishing Honours in Anthropology and a Masters in Communication, she ended up as a ‘mature-age’ cadet at the paper 15 years ago. She is a Walkley Award judge and a Churchill Fellow.

Tory Shepherd hosted the Just A Thought series as part of the the Hawke Centre's program in 2020, including: The Truth of the Palace Letters, Poverty: Where To Draw The Line, In-Conversation WIth Senator The Hon Penny Wong, John Keane: Dictators, Despotism and Democracy, How To Be A Star Citizen, and Slaves In The System. She has also been in conversation with Gill Hicks AM MBE (2021) and George Megalogenis (2024)

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Presented by
The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre 

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While the views presented by speakers within The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre public program are their own and are not necessarily those of either the University of South Australia, or The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, they are presented in the interest of open debate and discussion in the community and reflect our themes of: Strengthening our Democracy - Valuing our Diversity - Building our Future. The Hawke Centre reserves the right to change their program at any time without notice.