My story
At first glance my pursuits seem more like a bag of backwards somersaults than a career. But a thread has been running through it all:
I love encouraging people to pursue their dreams and aspirations.
Whether it is supporting students to attend university, a child with autism to play the cello, or cheering on a photographer discovering a new career, I have a keen eye for a hidden talent. I love nurturing the diamond within that makes someone unique.
Despite being there for others many times during my career, I have only recently realised a few of my hidden talents and this website is a testament to them.
Music
South Australia in the 70s wasn’t all pink safari suits and long socks. Don Dunstan’s free music education gave me the opportunity to learn the cello.
I matriculated and gained admission to Music at Adelaide University, but instead I enrolled in a BA at Flinders. I only returned to music at 30 so I know what its like to nurture a seed planted in childhood.
I currently teach children and adults in the high country, based in Mansfield and online.
You might also catch me performing on baroque cello in various states of Australia and noodling on the ukulele in my spare time.
Writing
42 was my Meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything year. All the postcards, letters and travel diaries I’d produced could only mean one thing. I was a writer.
I took premature, part-time retirement and joined the grey-haired brigade, spending hours in archives and records offices searching for Huguenot family history. It has taken me to Europe several times following the trail of Chartiers, Pilleaus and false teeth. It has seen me fall in love with France and discover long-lost relatives. Watch this space for more books and articles.
I am available to mentor creatives and ghostwrite for people who have a story to tell.
Art & Walking – A Path with Art
I began my love affair with the French countryside in 2012 when I cycled for 16 days from Dijon and along the Vezelay route of the St Jacques Compostelle. But it was too fast.
In 2015 I tackled the 800 kilometre Chemin d’Arles in France.
I squeezed in a sketchbook and watercolour pencils for my 2018 walk of the Chemin du Puy the results are available for purchase.
In 2019, a circuit including Rocamadur and the Cele Valley. Order cards.
These walks are a balm for my soul, and I’ll will be releasing a travel memoir, The Memory of Paper in 2021. Order the book.
My life is proof that it is never too late to start walking a creative path
Bachelor of Music @ 30
Writing @ 42
Watercolour sketching @ 48
Ukulele @ 50
