3.
From my first public shows at 17 right up until the
present time the pleasure I get from conducting my
shopping centre displays and pit shows has never waned,
and travelling to country shows is like, in many cases,
visiting old friends. Overall, it has been a gratifying life
Over the last three years in particular I have been able to
attend reptile expos in America, Germany and Canada
and make new friends in all of those countries. I went
behind the scenes at foreign zoos and reptile parks and
simply had a lot of fun with like-minded people. As a
boy I dreamed of handling
some of the exotic snake
species that most Australian
herpers never get to encoun-
ter, and thanks to people like
Tom Crutchfield, Tom
Mason and Grant Ankerman,
I have realised these aspirations, and have been out in the
field in both America and Canada. I have been offered
matchless hospitality by respected herpers everywhere I
have travelled, with invitations to return whenever I can.
Someone at a reptile expo asked me once if I had any
plans to retire. As Tom Crutchfield said to me one day,
“How do men like us retire? I can’t imagine another life.”
‘If anything, my appreciation for nature
has increased with the years, and I have
learned to value the need for conservation .’
in many ways: I have travelled extensively across the
country to many remote and beautiful places; seen
wildlife that many Australians will never see; worked in
some of the premier wildlife parks in the country;
produced DVDs and written my autobiography, all of
which has given me a sense of satisfaction and great
pleasure. If anything, my own appreciation of nature has
increased with the years and I have learned to value the
simple things in life and the need for conservation of our
environment. I have seen people who attended my
training courses go on to successfully keep and breed
elapid species and appreciate the unique appeal of
venomous snakes. I have made lifelong friendships with
people who in many cases I have looked up to and were
role models to me, and having their respect means more
than making money or gaining a questionable notoriety.
Seeing my name in the acknowledgements of books
written by men like Bob Irwin and Bill Love is humbling
but at the same time heart-warming in that perhaps I have
done my small part for herpetology and conservation in a
world largely controlled by corporations and govern-
ments that put profit before any concern for our wildlife
and environment. If I can do it, so can you!