After being born and bred in Newcastle, attending Floraville Public school since it opened in 1967, then Belmont High School, I moved to Sydney to study dentistry at Sydney University, and in doing so also met my future wife, another dental student, Sophia.
After graduating and moving back to Newcastle, I briefly worked in Belmont in a dental practice just around the corner from my own childhood dentist. After two years I took over an existing dental practice in King Street, Newcastle where I practiced for a further 20 years, before relocating to our current purpose-built surgery in 2008.
Sophia and I have been married over 30 years and are now well and truly empty nesters. Mitchell our son has firmly cemented himself in Sydney, being married for some years and working for a while now as a lawyer at RACS (Refugee Advice & Casework Service). Our daughter Jessica has moved back to Newcastle after a stint in Orange, now practicing Occupational Therapy locally, but lives separately. No grandchildren on the horizon, but we have our (daughter’s) “grandpuppies: Stitch, and younger half-sister Scrump.
Outside of the dental practice I am heavily involved with Belmont Baptist Church. I am currently the secretary, and serve on the board of our school – Belmont Christian College. I run our church soccer club (for 10+ years), also serving on managements of Hunter Christian Churches Football and President of the referees’ association. I still play soccer, plus referee, in the all-age competition each weekend over the winter months, and squeeze in a little snow-skiing. During the warmer months I like to water ski when I get the chance, as well as getting out with Sophia on our tandem pushbike. Weekdays I ride my pushbike to work, from home in Valentine, so please be careful of bikes – the life you save might be mine!
Interests
I still studiously avoid gardening unless it is absolutely necessary – mowing being the one exception – earmuffs on and no-one bothers you!
Sophia has encouraged me to travel over the years, which I now look forward to, which is about the only time I get to indulge (superficially) in a hobby of photography. I have combined these two past-times to produce the powerpoint slide show which runs as a default on the overhead screens in the surgeries: my (mostly landscape) holiday snaps!
