This Australia Day he is being honoured for his contribution to the nation's veterans and our history by receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia.

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Overall, the Kiama Downs resident has written 25 books - some novels - but most are gripping, non-fiction accounts from the front-line, shedding light on what it was really like for Australian soldiers.

Over the years he has worked with the Australian War Memorial to collate an oral history, having interviewed hundreds of veterans, with the full recordings and transcripts kept safe in the archives of the memorial.

"I have the street cred when I interview people, they tend to open up and I tend to get more of a complete story and they're more honest, down to earth," McKay said.

"That's why I felt I needed to do it."

His latest work, After the Blood Cools, is another autobiographical work describing his battle with an illness he didn't understand and somewhat didn't believe in.

After being struck down with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder more than three-decades after being conscripted, McKay's eyes were opened to big black whole that was sending many veterans to suicide.

"I used to hear about guys getting it ... and I thought people were just trying to get a secure pension," he said.

"But when the Black Dog came in the room, I had a bit more empathy for people who had it ... and a more open mind on it."

The now-President of the Kiama Jamberoo RSL said soldiers are thrown into an abnormal environment but are expected to act normally when they come home.

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"If we're going to do that we need to make sure we look after them when they come back," he said.

"To be honest, I do not mince words, [the book] is graphic. It's not for the faint-hearted but it has to be. We have to make people realise what soldiers go through."

After the Blood Cools is available for purchase online, with $5 of every sale going towards Legacy. For more details, visit: https://livinghistorytv.com.

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