I grew up in a big (low) income family. We never had the latest toy or game, nor even a TV for many years ... but the funny thing is I don't remember ever missing them! We had to create our own entertainment, and create we did. Think for a minute - remember that house in your street that was always full of kids and noise and rooms that you were allowed to play in? That was our house. There was always games to play, clothes to dress up in and yummy things to cook. Mum was great - she encouraged us be honest and to be ourselves and not be afraid to say what we thought (yep -there were lots of soapboxes around our house!). Most importantly we knew that with a bit of hard work, we could do or be anything. She taught us the power of being an individual and standing up for what is right & fair, even if that meant that sometimes you were only one left standing!. Don't get me wrong though, we were no Brady bunch - just an ordinary family.

Music has always been a part of my life ... I never actually chose to sing, I just always did it and the 'performing ' bit just kind of happened. We didn't have a TV for years, and when we got one we were rarely allowed to watch it (something about it poisoning our minds? although years later I remember being allowed to watch the Nana Mouskouri Show and some other program with the Irish Rovers and John Williamson on it!). So often at night after homework was done, Dad would get out his guitar and old leather song bag and sing. Mum would join him on harmonies while she'd wash up and they'd sing those lovely old 3 part harmony country songs from Slim, Rick & Thel Carey, Hank & The Carter Family.

My older brother & me would join in and soon we learnt how to work out a harmony. I got a ukelele when I was about 7 or 8 - as kids do and I actually got quite profficient at it! - and it soon became "my" instrument in the family band. Luckily I upgraded to the guitar before I was old enough to be embarrassed about it.

I loved those songs, they were real - real stories from real people living real lives. I loved the songs that made me cry. I'd play some of my dad's old "singles" till the grooves were gone - songs like "Tige", "Old Shep" and "In the Ghetto". As a teen, Pop Music confused me - I wanted to hear the words,.. and the stories - but it didn't take long to discover they didn't seem to have any. I was a big ABBA fan though - I wasn't sure why, as their songs were probably as silly as the rest, but now I know it was that amazing vocal harmony sound that drew me. So I kept listening to those scratchy old singles along with plenty of "The Seekers" & "Bread" thrown in and let the pop world pass me by. Mum guessed I was musically inclined so she taught me a bit of piano but I desperately wanted a guitar (definitely more 'cool'!) but I knew we couldn't afford one. Dad was however pretty handy with a hammer & glue and with the help of an old "pre-loved" guitar body he found at the dump, I got my first guitar for my twelfth birthday. Rough? Definitely! But it served me well and gave me a lot of joy and amazing callouses (2cm high action will do that!). Soon I was a songwriter - albeit a bad one! and still painfully shy, playing only to my frog collection that adorned my room.

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