About The Author

Wow, what a question to answer. As a child I was a Childwelfare kid. I was thrown from foster parents to foster parents. Some of these abused me as a young boy.

As soon as I reached the age to enlist, I grabbed it in 1976 and in one way I figured I was running away from my past in search of a real family. I found that in the Army. It was exciting times for me, at the age of twenty, with hardly any quality education, I relied on one of my cousins who was a teacher, to bring me up to speed with my education before I attempted the testing program to become an Australian soldier.

I served eleven years, made it to a Crew Commander of a tank with the rank of Corporal. I had no idea a dark day was around the corner, perhaps not as dark as I first thought. I had a nasty training accident that resulted in compression fractures in my lower back. As my unit I was in was classified front line. And now with this injury I was medically downgraded and unable to fore fill the roll as a Crew Commander. This eventually led to me taking up position that are deemed none Corps Posting. One was in Army Recruiting. I returned to my beloved regiment. My Regimental Sergeant Major at the time slotted me into the vacant position as the Regimental Police Officer.

I was then sent on another non corps posting to Canberra Army Office to Operations branch. I loved it. I high security position and rubbed shoulder with Generals and future generals of the Australian Army. As my posting was coming to an end, my head of corps advised me they had no further posting for me, given my medical condition. I was discharged as being Medically unfit.

On discharge, I ended up working in Aboriginal Affairs, firstly as a Community Co-Ordinator in the East Kimberly region of W.A. I was then recruited via the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Commission (ATSIC) to become a public servant. Accepting I worked hard and eventually made it to being a Business Service Manager in a regional office. My military injuries started catching up with me. Heart problems and a stroke. ATSIC eventually retired me as Totally and Permanently Incapacitated. I was retired, at the age of forty-five years.

I was now a very pissed off man. My mind was still very active, but my body was the problem. I sat down one day; I wanted this nightmare to end. Yes, I looked at my rifle and thought one shot it is all over. But I had two daughters.

I managed to ring an old mate. He listened to me. He took my rifle and cut it up with the drop saw. He then told me this one thing.

Mate, you have done a lot in your life, you have served in the Army at one of the most Top-Secret places. Why don’t you write about your experiences? You know to protect you under the secret act, turn it into Fiction. Bing the light went on.

We after having a few beers, I remembered back to grade school. It was grade seven. I had written this essay.

I got an A grade. The one and only I every received.

My teacher and headmaster were impressed. Telling me Tom you need to be  A writer, practice this art Tom and you will make it. So, I did.