|
It is always hard to know where to start when you think of telling your life story. So I decided to start with my parents. |
|
Here are my youthful parents on their wedding day

|
|
I was the second child to arrive in their family.

|
|
After a short career in sumo wrestling…
|
|
I had my passport photo taken and left for Kalimantan (Borneo, Indonesia) with my parents and sibling…
|
|
I adjusted quite well…
|
|
And took up mud wrestling…
|
|
Construction engineering…
|
|
Then a spot of acting…
|
|
...whilst fitting in some school-work in the mornings.
|
|
But, too soon, it was time to say good-bye to my friends...
|
|
And enter the world of school uniforms and cheesy school photos.

|
|
I managed to survive these and another four years at University to graduate with a double degree - Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Special Education) - on a Departmental scholarship.
|
|
I then moved to the country for my first teaching posting.
|
|
After several years I moved on to being an Early Childhood Teacher in a long day care centre, ending with being the Acting Director whilst the Director was on maternity leave.

|
|
This gave me a taste for directing, so I set up the town’s first out of school hours care centre.

|
|
Exhausted, I decided take time off and do some exciting things like visit Tasmania
|
|
…and climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
|
|
I also returned to Newcastle University to do a research Master of Philosophy. This opened the doors to tutoring and later lecturing undergraduate teachers as my project turned into a Doctorate of Philosophy…
|
|
Only in the middle of it all my health let me down and I had to prioritise – so I deferred my research and focused on lecturing and tutoring. In recent years, with my health improving, I decided to follow through on my two passions – supporting children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, their families and teachers; and writing. |
|
And so Dave is Brave and Learn to be Buddies were born…..

But that is a whole other story which I tell here.
|