I made my entrance into this world on 10th January 1961, in the Sutherland District Hospital; and entrance which made me a Capricorn, an ox and a Shark supporter, which probably explains a lot.
Growing up in Binalong (invariably mispronounced by non-locals), NSW, the realisation came to me that I was more comfortable with a book and pen than a ball and bat; that I had very little in the way of artistic flair; and probably most importantly for nurturing an interest in culinary herbs, absolutely no attitude whatsoever for cooking.
While I was having a wonderful time at college, squandering the taxpayers’ “hard-earned’, my family did the sensible thing and defected to Queensland without leaving a forwarding address. Unable to find anyone else to take me in I went on a three da visit to my prospective in-laws; decided this was too short a trial period, made it three weeks; finally gave them the nod and married their son. I had run into Tony, literally, in a college carpark some years before.
Marriage ceremony over, we loaded our little truck with “all our worldliness”, including seven dogs, five cats and a pregnant goat, and headed west. Finally planting ourselves half way between Boddington and Williams with very little transplant shock and putting down lots of new roots. My time is now spent in “masterful inactivity”, indulging in endless reading, extra study and pottering about with my herbs and, so I hope it shall continue until I retire to breed myself a nice pack of Bassets.
