Educated at Wesley College, Melbourne; and Toorak Teachers' College. Graduated with a Trained Primary Teacher's Certificate 1959. Completed a Bachelor of Education Degree (by correspondence) at Deakin University, Victoria, 1985. Married Yvonne in 1966; have four daughters - Megan, Penelope, Alana, and Naomi, and three grandsons (to date!), Arden, Benjamin, and Kai.

Was employed by the State Education Department of Victoria from 1958 -1993, many of those years being in the country as Head-teacher and Principal of a number of rural schools. From 1981-1984 was the Science Consultant for the East Gippsland Region of the Education Department, and also the Social Studies Consultant from 1982-1984, along with being the Rural Consultant 1983-84.

After leaving the Education Department in 1993, moved to the Huon Valley in Tasmania, and have been the ABC's "Country Hour" poet since Dec. 1993, and also regular storyteller and poet on the ABC's "Sunday" Programme since that date.

In 1996, was invited to be the minister (unordained) of the Huonville Community Church, and in 1997 to also be minister of the Glen Huon and Judbury Uniting Churches. These positions are on-going at the present time.

Have a great interest in sport, bushwalking, and natural history. Played cricket competitively from 1949 - 1996, Australian Rules Football 1959-1970, Soccer 1954-1958, and many seasons of Badminton, and Volleyball, along with the odd season of Table Tennis, Basketball, and Indoor Soccer.

Still do quite a few days of relief teaching in the Huon Valley, along with Writers' Workshops, performances, and talks.

Did not have a great interest in poetry during my schooldays - too much of the English poets, and too much analysing of structure, meaning, and so on.

Became far more enthusiastic when introduced to Banjo Paterson's, Henry Lawson's, and other Australian poets' writings at Teachers' College.

Started writing a few verses in the early 1960's, but no serious writing until the mid-1980's. The first poem I had published was "A Penny A Pan" in a Teachers' Union Journal in the late 1980's. Also around that time had some poems published in "The Australian" and "Financial Review."

Wrote a semi-historical, yet fantasy, novel in 1993 Bess, The Black Orpington Swaggie which was published and released by the ABC in the same year, in both book and cassette form.

Self-published "Australian Poems That Would Stun A Sheep" in October 1995 - now in its ninth printing, having sold over 8000 copies.

Wrote a thirty-episode radio serial "Yendara" that was broadcast in most Australian States by the ABC in 1995.

The ABC published "More Than Nine Lives" (a collection of forty-nine poems I had written about cats), in 1996, also in book and cassette form.

Self-published "Australian Poems That Would Boggle A Bull" in 1997 - now in its third printing, having sold nearly 8000 copies.

Self-published "Tales From Mosquito Gully and Other Australian Poems" in March 1998. Initial print run of 4000 copies.

Follow this link to read a note from the poet