I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which I live and work, the Djiringanj people of the Yuin nation, and pay my respects to Elders past and present.
My Journey to Professional Writing
Time was scarce for a manager of a coastal liquor store during tourist onslaughts, but over quiet winters civil engineering work fed me. Tasks like supervising on-site wastewater treatment plant installations on domestic and light-industrial sites. That was a people thing, but the most enjoyable and interesting earn was walking beautiful agricultural landscapes analysing terrains, flora and fauna, water courses and flood plains, and soils. Then reporting to local government on their ecological and sustainability status for rural subdivisions.
The liquor store was sold and Australia’s capital, Canberra, needed streetscape work. My role was supervising replacement of unbreakable concrete bus shelters with safer, for traffic, aluminium and glass structures. Some were solar-powered and LED lit, others featured 24/7 illuminated grid powered advertising panels. After that contract ended I started surveying South-East New South Wales’ public and privately built dwellings in regional towns, villages and on farms analysing and recommending ways of mitigating electrical energy use.
Travelling for Knowledge and Change
This forged my interest in sustainable living practices. A trip to Taos in the US state of New Mexico investigated the concept of Earth-Ships. These desert sited, off-grid, multi-roomed domed dwellings were constructed using discarded tyres filled with compacted soil stacked up and buried under an insulating layer of dirt. They were attractive, but expensive due to costs of glazing, off-grid solar powered appliances, solar panels and battery storage and effective black water treatment.
Then off to the beautiful and cosmopolitan Vancouver BC to investigate hydrogen fuel-cell powered public transport. Harnessing hydrogen is a work in progress, both there and in Australia.
Change Happens
These forays demonstrated many options available to replace existing transport and built-environment paradigms. After a short period of working for a dairy-product manufacturer, designing a system for treating high nutrient wastewater to irrigation quality, a life changing heart attack prescribed a less stressful profession.
This led to a writing career and an Internet business focused on professional writing services, blogs and crafting creative nonfiction narratives.
Examples of my work can be found on Portfolio page.
Life’s Diversity
The Good
An accidental avocado spouts new growth as heavy spring rains stimulate its drought impacted, moribund roots. A survivor, it sprouted decades ago from a chook-bucket seed that was scratched to safety behind an ancient banana plant in the chook pen.
The Bad
Did an opal miner miss city traffic jams?
The Ridge’s people, location and its starkly beautiful ancient geology make Lightning Ridge really good at being a bad place to be in 45 degree summer heat.
The Ugly
Covid 19 changed my Woolworth’s shopping paradigm from shelf wandering to online form filling. Problematic at times, but now they’ve gone too far; reference this disgraceful $1 avocado that was substituted for the $3 organic one ordered.
What
This Professional Writing and Blog Publishing service can help active and creative Aussies achieve objectives.
How?
Telling your story gets results, I can provide professionally written content narrative, letters, submissions, pleas, research reports, discussion papers, copy, ministerial advice … , if you’re an author let me do a copy edit before thinking about publication – if you need a professional writer look no further.
Competitive Per-Word Rates for Small Jobs: simple documents @75cents/word for 1000 words or less and @50cents per word up to 3000 word jobs; Negotiated Fees for Larger Projects — Contact details