Normal 0 0 1 200 1143 Retired 9 2 1403 11.1282 0 0 0 I graduated as a Secondary School Science Teacher (specialising in Senior Biology) and Geography Teacher and have taught at a variety of State High Schools in both the Sydney Metropolitan and country areas. These appointments allowed me to experience many different social and cultural student backgrounds. In the last 14 years of my teaching career, as Deputy Principal I endeavoured to foster an understanding of ‘helping others’ and many of the senior students from my school became companions to children with Cancer at the “Camp Quality” events held within the Shoalhaven area. As the first Camp Director of Camp Quality Illawarra South Coast, I garnered a deep understanding of the fears and challenges experienced by children coping with life threatening illnesses. I also witnessed the bravery demonstrated by many of these young people and their parents in the face of adversity. This reinforced my belief in the presence of a ‘benevolent spiritual force’, a theme that runs through each of my novels.   To date I have written three novels. The first, “ENCOUNTER”, was published in 2007. Its limited edition received good reviews and sold well. It told of the adventures and challenges of 13 year-old Jonathan Newman-Smith as he battled with the tragic loss of his mother, new family relationships, his spirituality and the frightening adult world of espionage and terrorism. The 2nd and 3rd novels in the series are still in process.