About Us

We're a social enterprise bookshop based in the Blue Mountains, Dharug & Gundungurra country, Sydney, Australia.

A huuuuuge thanks to our friend Susanna Rossi for putting together the video above about how and why we started a social enterprise bookshop supporting local refugee charities. You can also read her fantastic article here.

Run by avid readers and Echo the bookshop dog (our quality control expert), with the vital support of a small group of volunteers, we've combined our love of reading with our passion for supporting & advocating on behalf of refugees.

We do this through hosting Refugee Week events, chatting with customers about our experiences working with refugees and by fundraising and supporting refugee charities, including the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group, Rural Australians for Refugees, Refugee Advocacy and Casework Service (RACS and Australian Rohingya Women's Development Organisation (ARWDO).

Our name comes from two major characters (Rosemary Waterlow & Philip Ravelston) in the George Orwell novel "Keep the Aspidistra Flying", both of whom try their best to support an aspiring poet.

About the team

Cath (she/her) grew up in NZ with a huge love of reading, thanks in no small part to her librarian mum and sister. She has worked in a number of social work roles with refugees and people seeking asylum. She loves puns, animals, and Cadbury mini eggs. She hates horror movies, but enjoyed Saw (2004) that one time Alex made her watch it, so go figure. Cath is a big fan of literary fiction - usually the sad ones. She has fangirled over Hannah Kent at a writer's festival... twice.

Zac (he/him) is a history nerd who reads widely, especially non-fiction. He boasts the most colourful employment history of the RoseyRavelston bunch, with a focus in specialty coffee buying and roasting. He and Cath both worked in offshore detention with people seeking asylum before founding RoseyRavelston Books. He is passionate about social justice and relates profoundly to Murderbot.

Alex (she/they) was a customer and friend before joining the RoseyRavelston crew, first as a member of staff and now as part-owner. She reads widely, with a soft spot for messed-up horror and messy literary fiction - but rest assured, their taste in music is far more fun-loving than their taste in books. She is studying English literature and gender studies, and not-so-secretly wishes she were a N'avi living on Pandora, but would only go if she could take Bram, their whippet, with them. Alex eats the entire apple, even the core.

Echo is a 17-year-old Labrador who has her own merchandise. She loves carrots and once ate a whole platter of sushi in one go - it was impressive. Her favourite books are in the food/drink section of the bookshop.