In his affectionate and gently humorous verses John O'Brien (Patrick Joseph Hartigan)sang of farming life and of the life of Irish settlers in Australia - at home, on the land, and at the Church upon the Hill that is the center of their lives. Around the Boree Log is verse that is simple and sincere and lit with a kindly understanding of the lives it chronicles.

John O'Brien lived and worked for over thirty years in Pakistan, as a witness to the gospel. He is Associate Professor of Theology (Research) in Durham University.