I was born in 1951 in the West Yorkshire city of Bradford. My mother was a fine mezzo-soprano, and both my parents were devotees of lieder. At the age of 11, I went to Greshams School in Norfolk, where the alumni included Benjamin Britten, whom I remember giving a recital with Peter Pears in 1963. The school retained a strong musical tradition. I played the trumpet in the school’s orchestra, and on Remembrance Sundays was wheeled around a succession of local parish churches to play the Last Post and Reveille.
I migrated to Australia in 1976, to work as an air charter broker, engaged in the transport of livestock and other specialist cargoes.
I sing as a bass in Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and have been a volunteer with 2MBS since 2011.