It started rescuing animals in Ghana

The Volta Dam was just on the cusp of finishing, and they were starting to fill up the gullies in the valleys with water. We would go out on weekends in a dinghy and do animal rescue.  

That probably started my love of nature. I'd always loved animals, and it was at that period when I sat and read [British Naturalist] Gerald Durrell from cover to cover, and from one all the way through every copy. And that just continued on through high school. 

My closest friend was also keen. She's now a marine biologist, or probably retired, but a marine biologist studying in CSRO down in Hobart. We used to do talks at school with the lizards that she'd catch, and stand there and talk about animals at these school assemblies. 

So, a love of nature has always been there.