The town I grew up in is on the outskirts of the city of Melbourne. Back then it was almost the countryside though these days it is well and truly part of the suburban net. I wanted to be a writer from a very early age and despite the odds decided to actively pursue the course in my mid-twenties. I left my native Australia for the first time in 1987 and since then have combined writing with life and work in a range of different communities all over the world. I have lived with disabled people, homeless people, and refugees.