Grew up in 50's and 60's in the sheep/wheat belt around around Cootamundra and Wagga (NSW). It was a normal bare-footed and bare-arsed bush childhood, post war, with hand-me-down clothes, lots of brothers and sisters to fight with and rabbits, wild ducks, sheep and the occasional kangaroo or emu chick to keep us all fed; oh! and lots of fish from the Murrumbidgee River in the days when the Murrumbidgee literally teemed with fish. I remember fondly, sorting the shotgun pellets out of a mouthful of roast rabbit during evening meals. We were dependent on nature to survive and it was from this close relationship that I developed my knowledge and respect for nature.
After leaving school, I came across the world of computers, found that I had an natural ability to comprehend this world and found that people were prepared to pay me for, what I considered to be, a hobby and a passion. That passion took me all round the world, allowed me to play in my hobby, and gave me quite a good career.
In parallel with this life, I was also treading a spiritual path, learning and studying meaning of life stuff, studying, practising and teaching yoga and energy therapies and counselling.
This philisophical path finally led me via the works of Buckminster Fuller to the more practical aspects of the state of the world; from there to Permaculture and thence to Bill and the Sept 2010 PDC. There is no recovery from the PDC experience. There is nowhere to go except forward.
So, here I am. Closing down everything from the past, my job, my life and throwing myself into the practical aspects of Permaculture . I am now a designer - open for business; and I have my first gig - a childcare centre. Not much bulldozer work but it does need to be totally sustainable (or as close as we can get). Interesting application of design principles and an opportunity to affect local councils and expose children to nature.