Every journey starts somewhere. Mine started in San Diego — shaped by a mother who pushed me, a father who showed me what hard work looked like, and a young man who dared to dream beyond his neighbourhood. The road led through the US Navy, across continents, through careers and classrooms, and eventually to the Southern Forests of Western Australia — a place I never planned to land, and now couldn’t imagine leaving. This is the story of how I got here.
Latest from Journey posts
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The Cars of Amsterdam
Amsterdam is renowned for its art, canals, and bicycles, but its unique small cars also stand out. During a stroll, I noticed quirky vehicles that are ideal for the city’s narrow streets, showcasing a different automotive charm. … More The Cars of Amsterdam
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Up and away…our First Class Experience
Melissa and I progressed from economy class to premium economy, then to business class, eventually experiencing First Class Suites on Singapore Airlines. This journey reflects our years of hard work and sacrifice, making moments like these rewarding. We cherished every minute and look forward to repeating this amazing experience. … More Up and away…our First…
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Retirement from my perspective: The US versus Australia
I occasionally see social media posts from people wanting to leave the United States. This episode offers insight into my own experience of migrating to Australia. This episode examines retirement through four forces: Leadership, Culture, Process, and Technology (LCPT) — that take into consideration healthcare, education, community, safety, and more. I also do an honest…
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Retirement: Planning for a Smooth Landing
This is a reflection on the catalyst for a plan to a smooth landing into retirement, and what surprised me most about life on the other side. … More Retirement: Planning for a Smooth Landing
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Swan River Life
I am enjoying an early morning walk in Applecross, Western Australia along the Swan River, it is revitalizing and reflective. I see pelicans and a black swan, setting a positive start for the day ahead. … More Swan River Life
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A partner in so many ways….
Journey highlights of this life include celebrating Melissa’s Birthday with close friends and family at the Ritz Carlton, Perth, Western Australia.
Melissa’s Birthday party at the Ritz Carlton Perth, Western Australia.
Our wedding day….
We got married during the COVID outbreak…we had the world to ourselves…
The Journey: Adolescence — When Doors of Opportunity Began Opening… and Closing
The Journey — The Early Years: Building the Foundation
This is my 9th-grade photo, taken long before I understood how many doors life would place in front of me—some wide open, some barely cracked, some tempting, some dangerous, and some I had no idea even existed.
Back then, I wasn’t the most confident or the happiest young guy. I was just a kid with a mix of curiosity, insecurity, and enough reckless fun to keep things interesting. And like every kid growing up in a neighbourhood full of noise and energy, I faced a hallway of choices: the smoking door, the drugs door, the alcohol door, the sports door, the girls door…
Each one with its own glow, its own risks, its own pull.
I appreciated what I had—my friends, my family, the community that shaped me. But let’s be honest: my life didn’t look anything like The Brady Bunch or The Cosby Show. It didn’t have the polished adventure of Mission Impossible, the calm authority of the Starship Enterprise, the glamour of Studio 54, or the power and privilege of the great halls where big decisions were made. My world was real, imperfect, gritty, and often unpredictable—but it was mine, and it laid the groundwork for everything that followed.
Even without that glossy TV-show shine, I carried something important: a simmering drive to be happy, to break through limitations, to imagine a life bigger than the one mapped out for me. Becoming a doctor never crossed my mind—not because I lacked respect or ambition, but because that door felt like it belonged in another universe. Role models were scarce, the hurdles high, and the path invisible.
But what I did have was instinct. Curiosity. A willingness to scan each doorway and trust myself enough to step through the ones that felt right—even when I wasn’t sure where they led.
Those early years didn’t give me a clear blueprint, but they gave me a foundation of resilience, imagination, ambition, and the courage to keep moving forward, door by door, shaping a life far beyond anything I imagined.
My Mother — The Quiet Force Behind the Early Years
One of the strongest drivers in my early life was simple: I didn’t want to disappoint my mother.
She didn’t grow up with the opportunities that eventually came my way. Her journey was shaped by different doors—doors she pushed through with courage, doors that closed on her unfairly, and doors she chose even when the path ahead was uncertain. Some decisions were bold, some weren’t perfect, but all of them were made with a determination that still humbles me.
Looking back now, I can see the architecture of her life more clearly—the doors she walked through, the ones she avoided, and the ones she had to force open because there was no other way. Her drive wasn’t about personal glory. It was about hope, a deep, steady hope that her children would do well, that we would step through doors she never had the chance to even knock on…and that also was a bit scary…there is risk with each door.
In those formative years, her support was the foundation beneath everything. She was the steady hand, the quiet belief, the voice reminding me that I could be more. I didn’t want to let her down—but I was also trying to live my own life, to build on the base she created, and to reach for things neither of us had ever imagined.
Her journey gave me the starting point.
