If you would know, I was born in Gateshead, Newcastle England in 1946 (I know—it’s a long time, but as they say you are only as old as you feel—about twenty I reckon!). To be specific, I first saw the light of day in a pub, the Patent Hammer, my grandparents being hoteliers. I’m determined not to die in a pub, unless it’s in a room in the Ritz.
Before I was four years old my parents decided to emigrate and after six weeks of pure boys adventure aboard the MV Ormonde we settled in Adelaide in 1950. Our first abode was the emigrant camp in the wool sheds of Port Adelaide (See the anthology “I Remember When” www.legacybooks.com.au for a short expose of the time).

You don’t really want to know too much about my boyhood. It would take too long and you don’t want to hear about lizards being placed on railway tracks.

However at fourteen years of age a couple school friends and I commenced the Lefevre Peninsula Skin-diving Club with myself as president. By the time I was twenty I was able to free dive to a hundred feet, had speared a shark and groper, been involved in a shark attack, commenced my chiropractic education, missed out on the call up lottery for service in Vietnam, joined the Army Reserves anyway and became engaged to a beautiful girl, Colleen O’Neill who later became my soul partner, advisor, manager and everything else. Strangely, both of us attended the same high school (now known as The Ocean View College) but did not meet until later. Socially the world was in turmoil, the Vietnam war, the hippie movement, the Beatles. All appeared to increase immorality. What once was scandalous was becoming accepted as normal.
These events had the effect of making Colleen and I think more seriously about life. Maybe we were growing up, but the events of the Middle East leading to the 6 Day War between Israel and the Arabs as well as the constant debates between religionists and evolutionists at the college resulted in us searching “for truth”—I know what you’re thinking but I am narrating the facts.
In 1967 we were married in July and  found the Christadelphian movement and were baptized in December. Strangely other members of the club were similarly affected and turned religious and significantly some likewise joined the Christadelphians
(see Religion page).

During all of this time I was always interested in writing and as time progressed we had five children, Leah, Jason, Keren, Tamar, and Shem. Unfortunately Jason died at one year old—a tragic time. However, brighter days were ahead. Our surviving children have produced fifteen grandchildren—of course with the help of three son-in-law (Graham, Anthony and David) and one daughter-in-law, Sarah. (see photos)