Coming from that year when so much happened, (1969) :-)

I grew up in the gorge country of northern NSW Australia, part of a community of long standing families founded in the life of the land. With a school small enough to fit in one car, my education came from life, the bush and a strong connection to my cultural roots of Irish ancestry.

I spent time at a boarding school in Lismore NSW for a short while and later, high school in Armidale NSW where my passion for reading became my education. A very important tool that was a priority over school work which I didn't waste time on.

During and after this time, I remained in the gorge country of the Macleay river continuing the generational occupation of farming and the hard but rewarding life of the bush where I grew up. It was during this time, around 17 years old, that my interest in writing manifested into actual words and pages in the form of poetry which is a family trait and tradition. (note to the Irish ancestry)

Many years of hard physical work followed including a period where I worked underground in the mines at Hillgrove NSW and later a sawmill at Eastwood Jeogla on the Styx River closer to home. Both jobs were rewarding and remembered with many stories. Throughout this time my farming career continued, followed by marriage and a family of six boys joined later by a daughter after our move to the west coast of Tasmania.

Buying a smaller farm in Tasmania was part of the expansion of a growing family and a reduction in workload from the hard life of the gorge country. It was here, my life changed significantly, due largely to a fractured spine which eventually gave out altogether around 2006, changing my life irrevocably. Ironically, a change that began my slow transition from farming to the beginnings of my first book, Awakening.

During the slow period of recuperation, I pushed myself hard into the recovery process, opening a lot of interesting doors. One of which was The Order Of the Dragon’s Realm, a full metal, full contact, Medieval martial arts club where swords, armour, and other weapons were the order of the day. A time I thouroughly enjoyed.

This was a pivotal part of my life that played a significant role in the conception of my book and a serious change in my writing career. I spoke with my surgeon about the physical nature of the club and possible risks. He was very supportive and encouraged me to embrace my interests. I will be forever grateful for his support.

This was my introduction to sword fighting and the training that took me into a very interesting world of unique characters shared around late night BBQ’s, home brewed beer, and the latest bruises and injuries that came with it. Among the recollections of comradeship, were the latest fights at the Timeline Fair in Melbourne where we fought other clubs in competition. My surgeon was right, it helped strengthen my body and I firmly attribute my involvement in the club to the success of my recovery along with providing invaluable insight for my book.

It was here, sitting around the fire that another club member mentioned he was writing a book and the two of us soon fell into the world of crazy fantasy writers and word art. I wrote a small piece as an example of my own style of writing in relation to his and the seed was sown. Up until that moment my focus was on poetry and philosophical pieces but other members of the club and my own family read that example and said, “You have to finish it now.” So was born the beginnings of my book (Awakening) back in 2010, growing into a hobby between farming and sport.

Too soon however, a severe encounter with pancreatitis coupled with my back injuries, ended my days as both farmer and sword fighter. I only mention this as it played a significant role in my writing carer.

Retirement from farming followed, the boys grown, with jobs and homes of their own. The impact of these changes again changed the course of my life. After selling the farm, a lifestyle that until then, had remained unbroken for many generations, my daughter and I moved to Longford Tasmania where my parents live. They have been great supporters in both my recovery and in my pursuit of writing.

Our stay in Longford was brief after the discovery of Airlie Beach in Qld and the consequent move from Tasmania to the Whitsundays in 2021. It was at this point I stopped calling myself a farmer and took on the title of writer. My daughter is now grown and lives in the Whitsundays as well, so I have the house to myself and put all my time into my writing. The end result, a finished book (Awakening) and the new world of marketing. Another skill to master, along with website building and management, but its a new world and a new life, so hey. I'm a writer now, working on my next book. (Beyond the Darkest Shadows)
Nigel Gleeson