Welcome to my website!

The primary reason for creating this site was to showcase my wonderful new book of poetry for children – “The Billy that Died with its Boots On” and other Australian Verse – which is being published by Walker Books in May 2014, but I thought that, seeing I am going to all this trouble, I might as well load it up with lots of other information about myself !

I am primarily a poet, but I also write short stories, novels, songs, articles, etc. So I will try to include some examples of all of these here as well.

Incidentally, I write for both adults and children.

My favourite writer is the great Australian poet C. J. Dennis, and I am involved with two festivals that celebrate his life and work, so I will include lots of information about them here, too. The first is the annual “Toolangi C. J. Dennis Poetry Festival”, which is held in Toolangi (of course), and the other is the “Sunnyside Festival”, which is held every second year, in Kallista, in the Dandenong Ranges.

When I am not writing, I love nothing more than to head off into the wild blue yonder with my trusty Olympus SLR camera strung around my neck, and a roll of Fujichrome 400 ASA 35 mm film in the breech. So I plan to post heaps of my photos up here, too. (They give your eyes something to look at when you are sick of reading!)

You will notice that, although I write primarily for children, the site is not specifically designed for them. This is partly because I do also write for adults, and partly because I am keen to attract what we call the ‘gatekeepers’ – those adults (parents, class teachers, librarians, etc.) who buy books for children. Of course, if any children do wish to visit this site, they are most welcome.

I am available for school visits. My agent is Creative Net: www.fordstreetpublishing.com/cnet