Don Truss

Don Truss is co-author and illustrator of Hamish and the Shadow Secret. A school chaplain with SU Queensland, Don has positively impacted kids in this role for well over 10 years. He lives in rural Queensland and is husband to Miriam and father to four children.

Don has a passion for seeing young people succeed and flourish in life. Similarly, he makes it his mission to help young people gain the necessary tools to navigate current and emerging challenges. He has worked to support children and youth in various roles over the last 18 years. Subsequently, having gained a wealth of experience, he has seen a shift in attitudes and behaviours. Don knows how essential it is to address porn impacts to increase kids’ safety and wellbeing.

The creative ideas for Hamish and the Shadow Secret are thanks to Don. It was inspired by resolving a complex situation at school where boys in Grade 4 showed other kids porn. Looking to share a story that would help the boys understand all the things that porn disrupts, he used the example of Star Wars. The battle of good and evil resonated with the boys, and when dreaming of ways to translate this success into a book, Shadow Secret was birthed.

Don has thoroughly enjoyed being the co-author and illustrator of Hamish and the Shadow Secret with Liz Walker. He hopes this tool will empower kids and equip families to support and protect young people from pornography harm. This invaluable book creates an opportunity for open and constructive conversations to address this critical child safety issue.