I grew up in Balgowlah—a close-to-the-beach suburb, north of the Spit Bridge, in Sydney, NSW, Australia. I completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney and taught science in NSW state high schools for twenty years. In 1972 I travelled to Europe, ending up in Murnau, Bavaria, where I studied German at the Goethe Institut and met my husband, Sakae. After eight years of marriage I went to Japan for seven monthswith our two oldest children to learn Japanese and in 1989 changed from teaching Science to teaching Japanese and later, after completing a BA with Honours German, I taught German as well.
I now live on five acres in Maraylya, NSW with my husband and one or two children (depending on who is in transit between accommodations), two dogs, one horse and five chickens. My family is both bi-lingual and bi-cultural which can make daily life interesting.
I am fascinated by intercultural communication and mis-communication between English and Japanese cultures as well as between humans and animals (specifically dogs, horses and chickens).
