The Grey Man

In northern Thailand a 12-year-old girl is sold to a middle-aged western man for sex. It's a transaction as ordinary as it is disgusting. In this case, however, the man in question is not a paedophile – he is a rescuer, working undercover to free child sex slaves from an appalling life of exploitation and misery, securing their freedom as well as seeing to their subsequent long-term care, nurturing and education.

The rescuer works for an organisation known simply as The Grey Man, an Australian army term for a quiet and dedicated professional who operates under the radar. This unique organisation is the brainchild of John Curtis, a former special forces soldier who has put his talents, energy and passion into fighting the child sex trade throughout Asia.

The Grey Man documents John Curtis's personal story, from his restless early life to his military career and his search for meaning in his life – a search that took him to northern Thailand and the dramatic first rescue of a young victim of the sex trade. In the years since Curtis rescued that first child, The Grey Man has gone on to rescue literally hundreds of women and children in Thailand and Cambodia. The organisation, now an official charity working with other NGOs and law enforcement agencies, has also contributed to the arrest of paedophiles from Australia, Europe and the US. Their work continues today, with plans to expand into several other countries.

About the Author

John Curtis was born in Wollongong, NSW, and is a former Australian Army Commando and Army Officer. He is also an expert in human survival and a graduate of The Tracker school in the USA. He has been a guest lecturer at the Woodlore school in the UK, the Ragnarok Primitive Skills Gathering in Sweden, the RAAF Combat Survival Wing, Townsville and has taught survival to the military from 14 countries.

In 2004 he went to Thailand on a promise to his daughter to rescue children from brothels and from that, founded The Grey Man organisation in 2008. He lives in Brisbane with his beautiful Japanese wife and his lovely daughter.