A story of a family’s experiences and frustration during the COVID pandemic.
The rules and regulations imposed on the people and the reactions that some people had to those rules.
It’s an interesting read and there is plenty of information to make me think about what happened.
Thank you to Dave Ives and BooksGoSocial for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book intrigued me and I wanted to know more given that during this time I was desperate to go back to Australia for my dying father. I also wanted to understand the difference between UK and Australian treatments - a lot was very similar and others a lot more draconian and lasting longer. What I would have really liked was more about the Australian impacts and less about getting a US green card. I didnt realise that was also being covered.
But all in all so glad that I read this book. I may not agree with everything but open for ideas.

Step one in the pandemic of madness – scare the people.’

Here’s the blurb:

‘During COVID, the land ‘down under’ transformed into the land of the ‘lockdown.’
In his book, ‘Lockdown Australia’, Dave Ives gives an on-the-ground, eyewitness account of the madness that took place in Australia during COVID.

‘Lockdown Australia’ is a must read for anyone interested in finding out how crazy things got in Australia during COVID. Find out how the political overlords, and their eager henchmen – with the intensity of a rugby grand final match - picked up the ‘tyranny football’ and ran for the goal line. They almost made it.

You see, the politicians pulled off an amazing trick, a con – impose tyranny but convince almost everyone that it’s not. How did they do it? Easy, they announced, ‘It’s for the good of the people.’ That clause made it all ‘OK.’

Fortunately, the overlords fumbled the ball, overplayed their hand, and many people are waking up to the reality of the COVID madness. People are talking, sharing their stories, finding out the truth. Dissenting voices abound and we need to listen and learn making sure the ‘con’ is never repeated. Dave Ives is one of those voices.

If Australia falls into the ‘tyranny hole’ again, we may not get out. And the days of ‘She’ll be right mate!’ will be gone – maybe forever.’

This slender volume (it totals 197 pages) may well appeal to those who saw the response of various Australian governments (state, territory and federal) to the COVID-19 pandemic as overreach. It is less likely to appeal to those of us who, while accepting that mistakes were made in the response to the pandemic, were prepared to accept some of the restrictions imposed as being in the best interests of the majority.

Sixty percent of this book deals with Mr Ives’s views about what he perceives to be the tyranny imposed. He was in Australia’s Northern Territory when the pandemic erupted and while I don’t doubt the sincerity of his views, I wonder about his motivation. Why? Mr Ives is a citizen of the USA. Forty percent of this book is about Mr Ives’s struggles to return to the USA because of bureaucratic challenges his wife faces because her green card lapsed. Mrs Ives applied for her green card early in 2022, and as at October 2024 has still has not received it.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This will probably be a hugely controversial book bit good on Dave for telling it like it is. He makes the inconsistencies of the information that we received during the pandemic extremely clear and the unbelievable compliance of many people really did show just how easily a government can manipulate its population. Dave makes an excellent case for the craziness of most of the rules and why Australia was a laughing stock compared with many overseas countries.

At one stage, people were being quarantined at a hotel at the end of the street, which my husband was walking along. Even though he was outside, he had to stay at the other end of the street. He also got into trouble for not having his mask on properly - at the beach!

These were minor problems compared with people being prevented from seeing their dying loved ones and going to funerals, of course. This happened all the time during the pandemic.

I wasn’t really that interested in their problems with returning to the U.S. though because I didn’t think that it was on the topic.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book was an eye opener, as someone who didn’t pander to any of the Covid scamdemic it was one to read for me. Absolute tyranny reined during that time and I for one didn’t bow to it. The UK it seems though wasn’t half as tyrannical than Australia! I thoroughly enjoyed this expose on the Government’s handling of its people during the pandemic, plenty of data in here to show it was unwarranted; a sheer disgrace and I think everyone should read this book.

This is a short story about seeing through the madness, while being "locked down" in Australia, trying to get home to the US.

As an Australian living in Australia, I can attest to the authenticity of events and attitudes of the masses.

I applaud the courage and determination to not be swayed from one's morals and beliefs.

I cannot understand how a wife and mother of US born citizens isn't granted entrance back into the country, but all these celebs (who probably aren't vaxxed either) get free rein 🤷

Oh wait, I think I know.... 💲💲💲