I was born into a typical 1950's middle class family in Adelaide, South Australia, 'the City of Churches'.  My parents appreciated sport more than academia, so we had a lawn tennis court in the backyard and, indoors, one small bookshelf.

 

For many Australians the 1950's and 60's were a time of cultural cringe, but also a time when social constraints relaxed and international travel became mainstream. That combination fed my desire for adventure.

 

I attended Methodist Ladies College, and later went to art school part-time while working at a variety of jobs, which included a bank clerk, orthodontist's assistant, flight attendant, rouseabout in a Maori shearing gang and secretary to an art dealer. I lived in the U.S. for a couple of years and also in Tonga for ten years where I taught English as a second language, exported handicraft and illustrated an entomological handbook for farmers.

 

After thirty years, I returned to South Australia where I currently live with my husband and little black cat (who thinks he's a dog).