We moved to Australia not long after I was born in 1956 when my father left the army and got a job with British Aircraft Corporation working on the Bristol Bloodhound, a British surface-to-air missile developed during the 1950s as the UK's main air defence weapon. Testing took place at Woomera Rocket Range so therefore we lived in South Australia, firstly in the new satellite city of Elizabeth then in Modbury where my parents built their first home.

Another job change in 1966 for my father saw us moving to Victoria. He now worked for an American company, Collins Radio, later to become Rockwell International as the South East Asia manager.  Collins Radio was responsible for the tele-communications in the ‘Apollo’ missions and established a factory in Croydon to produce components for these missions.  My father travelled a great deal and was often away with his work.    

We lived in Healesville on a small farm, which my mother managed, along with the many animals that went along with farm life and hobby farming. Here my brother Andrew and I could fulfil our childhood dreams of owning and riding horses. I was involved with pony club, junior hunting and riding with my friends on weekends in the bushland that backed on to the farm.  I attended Healesville High, a small school of only 250 students. 

On finishing school I went to Emily McPherson College in Melbourne and completed a four year course in Fashion Design and Production. I then completed a year at Hawthorn Teachers Colleges and started my career teaching Textiles in technical schools.  During my first thirteen years of teaching I taught in four Techs – Preston East, Shepparton South, Mitcham and Wangaratta. During this time I taught Textiles, Physical Education, Health and Human Relations, Graphics and also held various leadership roles including Integration Teacher.

I met Bryan early on whilst we were both teaching at Shepparton South Tech.  The rest is history!

From Wangaratta, were Thom was born, we moved to QLD to follow a better life in education and hopefully more stable jobs.  We spent 5 years in Bowen before moving to Brisbane for a further 12 years. Bowen provided me with the opportunity to set up my own business in teaching patchwork and quilting.  I ran this from our home at Rose Bay, including having some live-in workshops from paying customers.

I was also lucky enough to become a known tutor and asked to join the QLD Flying Arts Tour to teach out west. This involved two 10 day trips, 3 months apart, in a four seater twin engine aircraft with two other tutors and a female pilot.  We all had various jobs to do before take off and after landing including cleaning the windscreen. The excitement and hospitality by the people when we landed in the tiny outback towns was thrilling.  We landed on tiny airstrips or in paddocks, often dodging cattle and always on the look out for kangaroos grazing along the side of the rough airstrip. An experience I will never forget.

Our move to Brisbane was to allow Thom to pursue his dream of music and be able to benefit from attending a school in music excellence. He attended Kenmore High, whilst I taught at Lowood High in the Brisbane Valley and Bryan worked in Ipswich at the School Support Centre.  We lived in Karana Downs.  I would not like to add up the mileage but I did a great deal of driving during Thom’s High school years.  Thom went on to the QLD Con and then to England to complete a Masters in Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Being a Euphonium player has its merits but is not a money earning career so he now runs his own successful business in Sound Design and Editing in Brisbane.  He is married with two young children. Thom also completed Youth Exchange to South Africa in 2000/1

Our move back to Victoria followed when we realised that we had both aging mothers who would be in need of support and care. We moved to Geelong to live and have spent the last ten years helping and caring for our mothers. Also during this time I continued with some relief and contract teaching before finishing the last six years of my career running the Textiles department and teaching food technology at Saint Ignatius College, Drysdale.

Our Rotary life started in Bowen when Bryan became a member and continued in Brisbane when I joined in 2002.  Our involvement has always been either through community projects, youth exchange, district and foundation projects or fellowship, both on an international and local level.  Rotary for me has been a connection to other like-minded people, something to look forward to each week as well as having the opportunity to provide support – either through effort, fellowship or fundraising. Above all, having the ability to share, experience and be with Bryan to appreciate the many opportunities that have come our way through being a Rotarian. I am sure our next adventure back to Queensland will continue to include Rotary as part of our lives.