I have always been drawn to writing: writing as a record, as a story line, as instructions, and as a tool of persuasion.
I am the author of the non-fiction book The Lonely Islands: The Evolutionary Phenomenon that is New Zealand.
Released by New Holland Publishers in 2021, this is a comprehensive account of the origin and evolution of New Zealand’s native plants and animals.
Across my lifetime my writing has embraced a wide range of subject matter. Here is some of it:
- I have written text for brochures and interpretation panels in a variety of settings in the Christchurch area and the wider South Island.
- I have worked on software applications in mainframe computer systems. Much of my job entailed writing proposals and documentation for end users. It was the kind of stuff that many of my colleagues detested. For me it was one of the best parts of the job.
- I completed a Master of Science in Botany. Academic writing requires clear thinking, discipline and precision. My thesis questioned biogeographical hypotheses, and dug into the world of DNA sequencing and analysis.
- As a former advocate for outdoor recreation, I wrote numerous submissions relating to public access and nature conservation.
- I am currently editing my diary of my three-month journey in Japan, China and northern Pakistan in 1993. This is a comprehensive snapshot of travel in those countries at that time, and I am planning to publish this as an e-book.