Sixty Years On.

My late mother loved to recount how I was born at 8:30am in the midst of a violent thunderstorm. In my teenage years she blamed that storm on what she described as my belligerent traits – I prefer to think that I was uncompromising and determined – but in retrospect, I can see her point.

I suspect that she also had reservations about whether I would ever make it this far and there have been times when I have doubted it myself. A major car accident when I was stationary at a red light and a forced landing in my aircraft in mountainous terrain were two instances that come to mind. Two major surgeries also caused me to question my ongoing existence in recent years. However, for better and worse, I’m still standing – to quote Elton John.

It has been a sixty-year journey that I could not have imagined from my small fibro home in Sydney’s western suburbs. From day one I knew that I wanted to fly but it was not ever guaranteed. Gaining a scholarship to one of Sydney’s top schools was undoubtedly a turning point as it brought with it a range of opportunities if you put in the effort. From sport and athletics to the Air Training Corps, I was privileged to experience a fascinating world beyond the classroom and I will always credit these years and activities in teaching me life’s early lessons more than any textbook.

And in terms of “growing up”, I would be wildly remiss to overlook my four years as an officer with the NSW Ambulance Service. In the western world it is easy to complain about what we term as “first world problems” but if you spend a few night shifts as a first responder, your perspective is changed for the rest of your life. I joined the service at the ripe old age of nineteen and I would not swap those formative years for the world. (Also, thanks to Wilko for hitting the ambulance’s accelerator and not the brake on King George’s Road, or I might not have made it this far.)

I have played cricket on some of the most historic grounds in England and Australia. I have looked down on Antarctica from the flight deck of a Boeing 747 and watched a rocket launch from 37,000 feet. I have sat In Kingsford Smith’s “Southern Cross” and been the first civilian to fly the Air Force’s PC-21 when it made its debut. 23,000 flight hours and over 100 different types of aircraft. All of these milestones and more could not have been foreseen by the kid from Guildford West – although I always had dreams.

There were obstacles in my path at times but my Dad always told me to “build a bridge and get over it” and he knew far more about overcoming adversity than I ever will. You can’t control what life deals you but you can definitely dictate how you respond. Without hesitation I can state that from every perceived “bad break” I have encountered, my life has emerged richer on the other side.
That richness is never more evident than in the family that surrounds me. For all the people and places that I have been privileged to encounter, my gorgeous wife and wonderful kids will always be placed at the top of the list. They are the constant around which the rest of life is built. Kirrily and I were “just friends” for quite a while before we began dating and without knowing it at the time, this is the period I now credit as being the bedrock of our 27-year marriage. It was a time when we honestly discussed our outlook on life and our goals without romantic overtones. Before we ever looked into each other’s eyes, we were looking in the same direction.

So, what of the next 60? If my time as an Ambulance Officer taught me anything, it was not to ponder the inevitability of death but to focus on life and squeeze every drop out of it. There are still many hills to climb and goals to conquer and, in some ways, this age is a new beginning. There are more places to see and milestones yet to be marked with Kirrily by my side. And yes, there are more books to write, however, don’t anticipate an autobiography any time soon as there are many chapters of that story still to be written. Just not another sixty.