I grew up in Sydney’s inner south. I wanted to be a teacher. . . . . .the problem was it was the 1980s and, being good at school, it was made clear to me that I should be a doctor or lawyer. So a lawyer I dutifully became. I practised in relative boredom for many years before a bout of ill health made me realise that life is short and precious. So, I returned to university to study music. After much hard work I became a senior Lecturer in Music and finally got to teach – at a tertiary level. I loved teaching with such a passion that I felt I should pay, rather than be paid, for the privilege of participating in such a noble profession. I am a competent practical musician, but it turns out that I have a flair for composition – I’ve absolutely no idea how that came about.
One day, rather unexpectedly, the stork knocked on our door and brought a little baby into our lives. Two years later, the stork delivered another, and even littler, baby. Our family of two was now four. Soon the babies needed child care and we (Catherine and I), were so inspired by the care our boys received at Wee Wonders, Kensington (under the stewardship of Siobhan Finnegan), that we opened our own centre, Gumnut Gardens.
Naively I thought I could continue to lecture, manage Gumnut Gardens, maintain a private music studio and continue to compose. Now I do a little private music teaching, a lot of high level management of Gumnut Gardens, am expert at house husbandry and dream of composing once again. Dealing with government departments is so complex that I have once more become a legal practitioner and legal counsel for Gumnut Gardens. I played a major role in developing the Gumnut Gardens philosophy and I guess it tells you the rest about me: I have a passion for education, food, environmental sustainability, animals and, perhaps most important of all, the dignity of human kind.