Author and UQ graduate Toni Risson published three books while studying part-time at UQ Ipswich.

Aphrodite and The Mixed Grill chronicled Greek cafes in Australia while Batty Business and Licking Lizards were both aimed at the popular and competitive children’s market.

The 2007 Bachelor of Contemporary Studies graduate believes the knowledge acquired through studying at UQ has given her new choices.

“Knowledge allows me to choose the level at which I want to interact with technology and it enables me to direct a fascination with the past towards listening to older people's stories and understanding the shifts in our culture,” she said.

“If I could choose a phrase to adorn an entrance at the Ipswich campus, it would be ‘Knowledge bestows the gift of choice’.”

Toni is now completing a PhD focusing on the area of society and culture.

Her most recent book, Aphrodite and The Mixed Grill, outlines how Greek immigrant-operated shops combined the benefits of milk bars, rest stops and diners and brought American treats such as ice-cream sodas and sundaes to Australian towns from the turn of the 20th Century to the 1970s.