I remember a lot of partying on, visiting friends, playing in bands, and basically a fantastic time there, but not a lot of study.  By the end of term 2 the writing was on the wall - I didn't know the first thing about study and was failing miserably.

The mighty 1965 Ford Cortina MK1.  With a massive 1.3l motor, front disks, hot(?) red colour, 2 doors and four speed box. Ahh the glories of youth! (shown here some years later on the way to becoming to a new source of iron oxide for future industry to mine)

Upon leaving Uni I decided that I needed some real world experience (and some money).  Dutifully following the instructions at the dole office I applied and got the first job that came my way.  I became a trades assistant (TA) at a metal shop where large steel pipes were bent into gracious curves by sweaty, gritty, and very skilled Italians.  I spent many long months pushing a broom and, even better, filling the large steel pipes with sand and belting them with hammers so the sand was compacted.  The start of life's real lessons after leaving school.  I have a feeling that every job I 've had since has involved sweeping !

My conversion to Christianity in 1982 was instrumental in my wanting to do some work to help people.  So while I worked with my broom I cast around for something I could do which might be more helpfull.

I came  accross a crowd called 'Fusion' who used to run some fun stuff at the Perth festival.  They put me on to a 6 month residential diploma course in Youth and Community work. This sounded excellent to me, and the adventure was that the course was run an old mansion on the east coast of Victoria (Sale).

'You Beauty!' I said (July 1984), and I jumped into my (second) Ford Cortina Mk1 and cruised over the Nullarbor (first of many, many trips, in as many ways possible) with a few clothes and a guitar (still couldn't really play it).  The course was good, introducing me to politics, philosophy, sustainable technology, and a smorgasbord of new ideas.   The study theme was revisited with more success - on the road to recovery!  Also I met my future partner Louise (fellow student) (who is telling me to come to bed as I type). We broke up and got together a few times before getting married in 1993.

Full of enthusiasm I embarked on a career as a Youthworker that would span the next 16 years. I spent 1985 teaching 'young' people (ie I was 20, they were 17) how to build pushbikes and weld playground equipment


1986, wanting more information on helping people I started a Psych degree at Murdoch (under the mistaken assumption that it was about counselling/helping people).  That damn study bug just keeps coming back.  

The Psych degree quickly turned into a Politics degree (fantastic stuff - but very very hard - I had to learn how to actually write to pass subjects - I shudder to think what the poor english teachers had to read from me in 1982).  The politics gradually turned into computer science with a pragmatic view towards future employment. I refused to give up this time and after years part time and external I finally got the monkey off my back in 1995 and now have a BSc in computer science.

While studying I worked in various youth shelters, trying very hard to be cool as the hair slowly thinned... and the waist... (didn't thin)


1992 saw me moving to sunny Queensland (Brisbane) to be with Louise (third time lucky).  I got a 'Real' job in a large Community Agency as a youthworker.


Finally got married in 1993.  A long and winding road, but at least Louise and I got to know each other really well in advance!  Beloved son Tas (Tasarinan) arrived a little ahead of schedule in 1994 (that natural contraception doesn't work as well as some people claim...) Beloved daughter Fara (Faramir) arrived as planned in 1997.

Having kids is fantastic fun (get to relive childhood pleasures) and incredibly wearing (self interests, sanity and patience vanish into thin air).


I finally escaped from the youwork scene (now having my own youth to deal with) and shifted sidewise into IT. Since 2000 I have been the victim of a dot com collapse (made redundant without warning - very depressing), worked in a bank (which was actually a lot of fun) and am now doing various contracts.

So far it has been a good life - with hopefully many adventures to come. I'm still trying to work out how much KSHS contributed to that - I wasn't ready to learn when I was 17, so how much difference could the school make?  I certainly have very fond memories of  the time (agonising as it was!) .  The camps we went on, playing basketball, getting involved with the 'musicals', hanging out with the 'proto' geek crowd, dreaming of cars, music, dating...

I have had a chance to do one little bit of inventing: