What was your favourite subject at school?
My favourite subject was history!

How did you spend your summer holidays as a kid?

We lived in a very small town until I was about eight or nine years old. I have a few treasured memories of those days – Hunting for tadpoles in the dam, riding the tractor with my dad, being left in a tall field of wheat by my older brothers, being in an army with my friends from across the road, playing in the sand hills near the farm, climbing what seemed like a mountain ( a hill a short walk from our home) and looking out over the countryside, finding snake skins and sheep skulls and hiding them in a hollow tree, building cubby houses with rope bridges in two enormous pepper trees in our back paddock. A great life!
My novel Danny Allen was here is based on those memories.

What are some of your favourite books?

The James Herriot books; I love animals and the landscapes and characters in these stories were wonderful. The Hobbit and To Kill a Mockingbird both left a lasting impression on me. And I’ve always loved The Peanuts coming strips.

What are some of your favourite meals?

Steak, pasta, fresh salad, home made bread and for dessert – chocolate cake and ice cream.

What are some of the favourite places you have been in world? 

Canada and Alaska.

What words would you use to describe yourself?

I would hope that people would find me easy-going, down to earth with a sense of humour.

What is your favourite room in the house and why?

My study, because I am surrounded by a comfortable mess of papers, books, photos, old records, guitars and loads of memorabilia!

What skill do you wish you had?

I’d love to be able to play guitar like Eric Clapton.

Who or what inspires you?

A determination to succeed, the power of resilience and self belief on any level. The story of Nelson Mandella inspires me. 

One of my favourite quotes from him is… When we lose the right to be different. We lose the privilege to be free.

What are your nicknames?

At school my nickname was Cummo and am still called that by my friends from my hometown. But my more commonly used nickname is Seagull. This name has survived from the days when I played cricket and would swoop on the food scraps at the tea break because I would often not have a proper lunch before leaving home and would be starving by mid afternoon. I remember coming into bowl once and whole team suddenly started flapping their arms furiously before erupting into a chorus of squawking. It took me quite a while to pull myself together so that I could keep playing. The umpire and batsmen were not impressed!

Tell us about you love of music. 

I love music and listening to it is one of my favourite pastimes. I love the music from the late sixties and seventies. It’s hard for me to pick a favourite artist. I love so many different kinds of music. But just to give you an idea of my musical taste. I love Van Morrison, Ry Cooder, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Cocker, J.J Cale, Sting, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, B.B. King, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones and so on.