"I turned 43 years old recently, making me a baby boom/generation x cusp.  In fact an Irish Catholic working class Virgo Rabbit, growing up in the suburbs of Sydney.  Dad was a truckie who eventually owned a fleet of Peterbilts, specialising in heavy haulage.  I Spent plenty of my youth covered in grease and diesel, fiddling with mechanical things.

Around my 10th birthday, I received a crystal set as a present. This began an interest in electronics. Christmas that year, I received a 100 in 1 electronic project kit. This hobby had a significant effect on the rest of my life. The set even contained a selenium sulphide solar cell, that I used to power my projects. Around this time we experienced the OPEC oil embargo - talk of petroleum replacements was rife at the time. I'd point at my electronic set and suggest solar alternatives. Very few people were interested.

Life has been full and fast since my childhood. Janeane and I married 20 years ago and had three wonderful children, who've been the light of my life. All this seemed to require plenty of money. The computer industry provided. And ate my brain in the process. It was a great ride for a person with no real qualifications.

For the last three or four years, I've been pondering what to do next.  This year, the answer arrived in the form of Jeremy Leggett's book: Half Gone, Oil, Gas and Hot Air.  The first half of the book was about peak oil, the second half about climate change.  The book shook me right down to the core.  The immediacy of these problems woke me up, so to speak.

After months of study, it became clear to me that the only real answer to many of the worlds problems is to Power Down.  I fought this idea at first.  But as I studied alternatives, it became clear that this was the only answer.   

I reached a conclusion that I would set course for a simpler life - one that could include my kids as needed. The dream in my mind now, is a small acreage and a degree of independence from The Economy.  I began to feel sure that my work future would revolve around renewable energy sources - I certainly have the background to work with anything electrical, electronic or mechanical.

The term Permaculture seemed to appear in front of me continually as I studied peak oil issues. I decided that this would be a very good start and set about finding a course to study. With the same feeling of Incredible Good Fortune that led me to the computer industry, I quickly discovered the Permaforest Trust.

I've found that the keys to a sustainable future are more about using less energy than finding alternatives. The Trust has a wonderful community and I can see the benefits of a cohesive, well organised group in maximising energy returns.

When I'm done with the course, I'd like to establish a little permanent agriculture of my own, somewhere close to Ballina and the kids. Id then like to work on some ideas around natural gas powered vehicles."