DUNCAN COLE BIO... How does one person fit so much into a single lifetime? Come around the world with me a couple of times, visiting over 70 countries; share 10 years in the Royal Australian Navy, 4 marriages, half a dozen businesses, tertiary education at 50, more close shaves than a stunt pilot, circumnavigation of Australia, diving on the Great Barrier Reef, flying a light plane, and "settling down" to teach in southern China. Above all I am a survivor. Trips on ships, trains and planes amongst many others - and all the while - anecdotes, some of them hilarious, some with a deal of pathos. When so many people kept saying "You ought to write a book" - I finally did...and here it is. The son of a Naval officer, I became familiar with the military way of life at a very early age. I was christened on board a warship, HMS St. Kitts. The family moved from Kent to Scotland when I was three years old. My father served in a destroyer squadron based in the Gerloch, near Glasgow, defending the North Atlantic sealanes. In England, at my father's depot, Chatham Barracks, Portsmouth, I fired my first small-bore rifle at age six. A year later the family moved to Australia for a two year exchange duty for my father. I went to Bondi Beach primary school, where I was introduced to poetry during punishment, which was being prevented from playing sport. At age 9 it was back to England to live in Nottingham for four years. This is the longest I have stayed in one place for all of my life. There was a pub in Nottingham called "The Admiral Duncan", and it left an indelible imprint on my mind as the school bus drove past it every day. All I ever wanted to be was a Naval officer, just like Dad. Returning to Melbourne for another 18 months of school, then off to Sydney to join the Navy. Backgrounded by the Vietnam War, my early time in the Navy, including Perth, where I fell in love, was tumultuous. Then came a posting to a warship to do the job for which I was trained, play Rugby U
About the Author: Duncan Cole is the son of a British naval officer. He began his travels at the age of 3, and moved almost every 2 years since then. The longest he ever stayed in one place was the 4 years he spent in Nottingham, in between trips to Australia. He has lived in most of the capital cities of Australia. Duncan intends to continue a life of adventure for as long as he possibly can! Music has been a big part of his journey, and 10% of the royalties from this book and any sequels will go to The Slim Dusty Foundation.