Welcome to the Official Website of
A biography of AIDS warrior Tony Carden
Soon to be released
Available late July 2024
This literary biography of AIDS activist Tony Carden is a personal story and a social history – and it’s a vivid portrayal of an era when homophobia was rife and child sexual abuse lay buried beneath societal propriety.
The ‘90s was the decade of death for Sydney’s LGBTQI+ community as they fought for their lives on two fronts: the battle for life-saving drugs and the struggle against homophobia.
An Extraordinary Life
In 1986 Tonys childhood friend Andrew was dying of AIDS in Sydney where medical support for the little-understood disease was sparse and the harsh stigma of AIDS discrimination was brewing. Knowing how much it would mean to his ailing friend, Tony reluctantly put aside his budding Broadway career and returned to Australia to help care for Andrew and to support Elizabeth, Andrews mother. Five brave young men, former school buddies, took on challenges doctors, nurses, even funeral directors refused to tackle.
Tonys story covers the historic record of Sydneys chapter of ACT UP and reveals how a group of activists put aside traditional banner-waving and slogan-chanting to turn their protests into theatrical performances, achieving results that saw Australia become one of the first Western countries to reverse the rate of infection.
In response to their suffering, gay communities expressed their pain through art. Two such artworks live on to commemorate Tony Carden and those he saw as AIDS Warriors. Both, like Tony, experienced challenges before reaching their final resting places: Canberra's National Portrait Gallery and Sydney's MAAS (Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, aka Powerhouse Museum).
About The Author
Lesley Saddington grew up in northern Sydney where she attended Chatswood Public School, Artarmon Opportunity School and Hornsby Girls High School. At the age of 12 she won the Ethel Turner Secondary School Award for Literature for her poem "Time".
Over the course of her life, Lesley has garnered a wealth of experience through a range of employment. She worked as a medical technologist at Sydney Hospital’s Kanematsu Institute of Pathology and, in more recent times, taught at Sydney and Ryde TAFE Colleges, Sydney WEA and U3A. In 2002, she was made a Senior Fellow of the Australian Institute of Horticulture.
Lesley holds qualifications in medical technology, entomology, horticulture, landscape design, viticulture and arboriculture.
Following the death of her son, Tony Carden, from AIDS in 1995, Lesley trained to become an Ankali Volunteer (Ankali is the Koori word for friend). For eight years she provided Ankali support to four people throughout the duration of their AIDS illnesses.
Lesley is widowed, has three children and eight grandchildren and lives on the South Coast of New South Wales.
her son, Tony Carden, from AIDS in 1995, Lesley trained to become an Ankali Volunteer (Ankali is the Koori word for friend). For eight years she provided Ankali support to four people throughout the duration of their AIDS illnesses.
Lesley is widowed, has three children and eight grandchildren and lives on the South Coast of New South Wales.
Reader Reviews
Its 10pm and I've just finished your beautiful and amazing book, which I opened as soon as you sent it and could not stop.
You've captured Tony's life (and your life) in such incredible detail- your honesty and your love shine through.
I laughed as I recalled, in considerable visual detail, Tony's presentation of the feather duster to Miss Gough.
Apart from everything else it is also a fantastic history of AIDS activism in Sydney, and is a book everyone should read - I will be encouraging everyone to do so when it is released.
Simon Hunt
University Lecturer, Actor
Tonys old school friend
