Books & Writings
Books, Essays and Collected Thoughts
Books, Essays and Collected Thoughts
Writing became a natural extension of Ron Manners’ curiosity.
Across books, essays, speeches and historical collections, he has documented ideas, observations, experiences and historical material gathered over a lifetime of enterprise and exploration.
Together, these works form a broader intellectual journey through:
• Entrepreneurship
• Mining and exploration
• Economic philosophy
• Freedom and responsibility
• Leadership
• Human endeavor
• Historical preservation
FEATURED BOOKS
Heroic Humility
Failure, Risk and the Courage to Keep Going
Heroic Humility tells the remarkable story of Ron Manners’ 90-year journey—from the goldfields of Kalgoorlie to becoming one of Australia’s most respected entrepreneurs and public thinkers.
The biography examines:
- Resilience – overcoming significant personal setbacks and turning adversity into opportunity.
- Entrepreneurship – building successful mining businesses through innovation, calculated risk and determination.
- Leadership – leading with conviction while remaining grounded in humility and purpose.
- Ideas and Influence – championing free enterprise, economic education and independent thinking through the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation.
- Legacy – mentoring future generations and encouraging others to embrace responsibility, opportunity, and lifelong learning.
- Character – revealing the personal convictions, relationships and experiences that shaped Ron’s philosophy and approach to life.
Written by Damon Kitney, the biography explores the challenges, achievements and values that shaped a life dedicated to enterprise, leadership and helping future generations succeed.
Heroic Misadventures
Trust that makes sense
Heroic Misadventures is a candid exploration of entrepreneurship, adversity, mining, risk and resilience.
Rather than presenting success as a straight line, the book embraces the unpredictability, setbacks and lessons that shape every entrepreneurial journey.
Ron reflects openly on:
• Mining ventures
• Business failures
• Partnerships
• International opportunities
• Bureaucracy and regulation
• Leadership under pressure
• Recovery and resilience
At its core, the book explores the human side of enterprise and the willingness required to continue despite uncertainty.
The Impatient Libertarian
A Lifetime Searching for Better Ideas
The Impatient Libertarian explores the thinkers, ideas and experiences that shaped Ron Manners’ worldview across decades of enterprise and philanthropy.
Part memoir and part philosophical reflection, the book examines themes including:
• Economic freedom
• Personal responsibility
• Entrepreneurship
• Leadership
• Independent thinking
• Institutional influence
It also documents the intellectual journey that eventually contributed to the formation of Mannkal and Ron’s broader work in economic education.
The Lonely Libertarian
Standing Apart. Thinking Independently.
The Lonely Libertarian reflects on the challenges and rewards of maintaining intellectual independence in a world increasingly shaped by conformity and bureaucracy.
Drawing from decades of business, travel and philosophical exploration, the book examines:
• Self-reliance
• Freedom and responsibility
• Leadership
• Entrepreneurship
• Cultural change
• The courage to think independently
The book presents libertarianism not as rigid ideology, but as a practical philosophy centred around responsibility, creativity and human initiative.
Never A Dull Moment
The Stories That Built the Journey
Never A Dull Moment began as an exploration of family history and evolved into a broader historical journey through Western Australia’s mining heritage.
Through research, storytelling and archival preservation, the book documents:
• Family history
• Kalgoorlie and mining culture
• Entrepreneurship across generations
• Historical preservation
• Australian social history
The project also became a catalyst for Ron’s later interest in preserving archives, records and historical knowledge for future generations.