‘Streamline Publishing exists to bring to life true stories of deep humanity for adults, joyous tales for children, and engaging educational resources.’
Streamline Publishing was born out of covid lockdown in 2021. The publisher, Cathy Oliver, wanted to bring to life an astonishing narrative memoir that was beautifully written by author Michael Metzger, whom she had been commissioned to edit in 2008, for a book on Grief published as Towards the Light – Growing through Grief. And so the Adult Non-fiction Division was seeded.
About the same time, news came through of the Melbourne Museum’s new acquisition of a Triceratops skeleton, slated for end 2021. A character, Terri, sprang to life in Cathy’s mind and she wrote a children’s picture-book story, Terri Triceratops is Free! Her chosen illustrator, Jessica Callaway, had painted a charming portrait of Cathy’s dog in 2020 and brought Terri to life. And so the Children’s Division was also born.
In 2023, further titles have been The Future is Now, a fable by Yvonne Turrico, and About Face: Our Thai Odyssey, a memoir of seven torrid months as an ex-pat with four children under 10, by Dr Christine Durham.
All books are available at the Publishing premises at Suit 10, Level One, Midway Arcade, 974-6 Main Rd, ELTHAM 3095 and through the ecommerce shop attached to this site.
Cathy Oliver has a 35-year career in editing and project management for trade and educational publishers, book buying and selling, writing educational materials and tutoring VCE English. She has published six books and has had over 100 VCE English study guides published by the Senior Students’ Resource Centre in Melbourne’s CBD.
Cathy is a lifelong lover of learning. She attended Melbourne Girls’ Grammar, The University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and online Charles Sturt University, and Melbourne Polytechnic.
Cathy is qualified with BA (Hons, English Language and Literature); Dip Ed (Primary), BEd (Secondary), Grad Cert Educational Research, Grad Cert Information Studies.
She also holds Cert IVs in TAE 40116, and Professional Writing & Editing.
Cathy lives in Melbourne. She has two adult children and a cocker spaniel.
Roma McLaughlin is an artist of intricacy who lives in NE Melbourne. Her creative practice includes illustration, painting, papercutting and Book Art.
Her children and adult book illustrations for publishers include Cole’s Publications, Black Dog Books, Five Mile Press and Macmillan Publishing.
For Macmillan Art Publishing, Roma illustrated a book of poetry by Barbara M. Moore called Cosmic Collisions and Falling Bodies (2010).
Her papercuts and Book Art are in the Whitehorse Art Collection and she is honoured to have been published in the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum, London) publication, Papercrafts. A Maker’s Guide.
Roma has featured in many exhibitions not only in Melbourne but also wider afield and overseas.
Inspiration
Earlier Paintings
Her earlier paintings used the spiral shapes of the passionfruit vine and the intertwining knot patterns from Celtic Art to create intricate mandalas reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts.
Current Paper Art
Roma’s paper art is inspired by the detailed patterns found in Art Nouveau, Asian decorative arts and more recently in Nature’s organic forms observed in the Ocean, and also the local rivers bushland where she lives.
Michael Metzger emigrated as a child with his parents from post-Holocaust Europe to Australia. Educated at the University of Melbourne with studies in Language, Literature, Fine Arts, Philosophy and Education, he spent thirty years as a teacher, lecturer and mentor.
The death of his father and, shortly after, that of his son, fundamentally re-shaped his life. As a qualified journalist he brought the experience of his metamorphosis to an earlier published work, Towards The Light – Growing Through Grief (Michelle Anderson Publishing, 2008), one that recognises the legitimacy of our feelings as we stumble from death to the fullness of life.
The lifelong impact of his parents’ story has gestated among copious other writings on history, philosophy and religion during his professional career, culminating in a deeper awareness of history’s shaping of our humanity.