This site updated July 2005 Bronny's page All about me! Well, I will start by telling you I was born in Pakenham Bush nursing hospital in Victoria Australia in the early hours of 19th April 1960. My father was a carpenter and my mother an infant teacher. We lived in Pakenham and Berwick and then moved to Melbourne for a couple of years before coming "home" to where I live now in Sale, when I was 6. I have a brother 11 years older than me and a sister 13 years older than me. So I was kind of like an only child. I attended primary school at a small rural school with a total 45 pupils, and then won a scholarship to the local Grammar school, St.Annes and Gippsland Grammar School When I was 16, my parents moved to The Queensland Gold Coast, and I completed school there at Marymount College in 1977. I then lived in Brisbane for several years, firstly studying at Brisbane Kindergarten Teachers College, completing half of my degree before dropping out due to financial pressures. I worked a few casual jobs including Kentucky Fried Chicken, until I went back to the Gold Coast and a job at the Commonwealth Bank. In 1982 I married and shifted back to Sale with the Bank, but the marriage broke up. I left the bank in 1984. I worked for Westpac Bank part time for a short time, then I was a shift manager at the bowling alley, and finally landed a job as manager of a new ladies fashion chain store in the new shopping centre when it opened in October 1984. MUSIC AND DRAMA When I was 7 years old I began learning the piano. I loved it, but had a very grumpy teacher who used to rap me over my knuckles if I played a wrong note, so I gave it up for a while, which put me behind the other kids when I started high school. However, I persevered and skipped a few grades to be completing Grade 6 AMEB when I did my senior high school year. My family was heavily involved in repertory companies when I was a child, they were the founding members of the one in my home town, and my older brother and sister had performed in a lot of plays and Eisteddfodds as children. My mother had a great talent for acting and directing, as did my father. They both appeared in the first film made by Philip Adams, who is now director of the Australian Arts council, back in 1966 or thereabouts. It was called "Jack and Jill, a postcript". As a child I remember going to see it at the drive-in in Melbourne. It was the support film for "Bob and Carol, Ted and Alice". Philip Adams went on to make "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie". I wonder what would have happened if my parents had stayed in Melbourne and continued to act there. My sister appeared in an episode of "Homicide", but had a very bad car accident soon after and was unavailable when Crawfords called on her again. When we shifted back to Sale I began acting in Eistedfodds and the local theatre group, and also began singing. I won the Sale Theatre Company's best actress award when I was 10, for my first stage role, Laurel in Chalk Garden. The original role was played by Hayley Mills. I continued on with this until I was 16. I had a very good year that year, winning the vocal and speech encouragement scholarships in the local Eisteddfod , and playing Nancy in the school production of Oliver. The next 2 years while I finished school in Queensland, I didnt do much except play piano and study my theory, although I did win a guest junior DJ competition on Gold Coast Radio. When I went to Brisbane I auditioned for a place as an extra-curricular student (voice) at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, and was accepted. I enjoyed the singing, but it was very intensive and operatic, and I decided I didn't have the dedication to be an opera singer.I started songwriting in earnest at the same time. The media co-ordinator at the college made some recordings of me and my songs. After I left college and shifted back to the Gold Coast I did a few plays, musicals and backstage work on the Gold Coast. I didn't have a piano during these years, so I didn't write all that much. I played a little bit of guitar and wrote a few songs with the guitar.When I came back to Sale I joined the Theatre Group again and played a few roles, including Alice in Alice in Wonderland, for which I adapted a musical score. I also did the musical direction and formed a band for Graeme Bond's "Boys Own McBeth", which was loads of fun.Through this involvement I was invited to play piano for a dance band, "Briagolong Palm Court Orchestra". When they disbanded some friends and I formed "Centreline", a modern band playing a bit of everything - middle of the road music. My future husband played bass guitar, we had a drummer and a lead guitarist and I played keyboards and was lead singer. We stayed together for 18 months, playing a variety of weddings, dances and parties. When I started playing with the Briagolong Palm Court Orchestra, I purchased a small electronic keyboard, later updating to a full sized electric piano. For years I just had an acoustic piano. Then a few years back I bought a fantastic Yamaha electric piano as well which has all sorts of computerised opportunities I have not yet fully explored. While I was managing the fashion store, I was asked to teach piano and singing for a local music school, which I did for a couple of years, having 40 pupils at one time. After I left the music school, I took private pupils at home until 1996 when I stopped , as I found it too difficult and intruding on my family life. I also did a few voiceovers for television and radio advertisements during this time. AFTER I MARRIED DAVID David and I were married while I was working in the shop and had a wonderful month cruising The Great Barrier Reef. Shortly after I returned to clerical work at a new credit union, where I stayed until the office closed down about 18 months later. I then worked part time for a year in a building society, before travelling overseas. David and I went away for 3 months, visiting Egypt, 9 countries in Europe, around Britain, and across the U.S. on a greyhound bus (what an experience!), with short trips into Canada and Mexico. When we returned I worked part-time again for the ANZ bank and then another building society until our first child Alice was born, in 1990. When Alice was 1 I worked for community services on a one year funding as a financial counsellor. This was very interesting and rewarding work, and I decided I would like to do something similar later on.Just before Alice was born, David and I formed our own company and I have been the company secretary since then as well. WHILE THE CHILDREN WERE LITTLE Before Megan started school, I worked on a casual basis. I spent about 1 day per month doing the company clerical work.I worked 5 -10 hours a week in Davids office, also as a clerk. And I also ran a small web design business. I took up piano lessons in 1998 for the first time in 21 years, and completed and passed my grade 7 AMEB exam in 9 months. In 1996 I went to a recording studio and made a recording of 4 of my own songs. Unfortunately I haven't had the time for the practice needed to do any more. WHAT I AM DOING NOW I was working on grade 8 piano for a December 2000 exam, and doing more theory and singing exams along the way, when I badly broke my finger and split open the fingertip. I couldnt play for 3 months, and during that time I lost my momentum. Meanwhile, a financial counsellor's job came up about half an hours drive East of where we were living at that time. I felt it was fate, as this was the type of work I had always wanted to do again, and Megan was now in school. I took the position and loved it. It is stressful at times, but rewarding and challenging. I stayed there for 18 months, and then was offered a postion closer to home, which I took up in January 2002. I now work with Kilmany Uniting Care in Sale, and we moved back to Sale in January 2005. I completed the Diploma of Community Services through Ballarat Uni in 2005. My son James, was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2003. It is a form of Autism. He is unable to attend mainstream school due to the failure of the education system to make provision for him, and so he attends Distance Education. I am largely responsible for assisting him with his school work (Year 8). It is quite challenging but very very rewarding. He is doing brilliantly now and we are so proud of him. I also teach my daughters singing, speech and basic piano, so there's not much spare time. I try and do a little bit of web design, family tree , gardening, cooking and music as time allows with family commitments. I love to read. I read books of all types, about half non fiction. MY OTHER FAMILY My brother lives in Melbourne and has one little girl called Fredericka who is the same age as Megan. He is currently doing philanthropic work with Oxfam in Cambodia. My sister is completing a PhD in Environmental Science , and lives between NSW and New York (where her partner lives) and is a writer. You can view her newspaper column Here My mum passed away in 1993 of cancer, and her death made me reevaluate what is important in life. It was my first close encounter with mortality. My father also died in June 1999 of cancer. I have a memorial page for him. THE FUTURE I see myself pretty much doing what I am doing now for a few years. My work has given me back some of the confidence and identity that mums of young children seem to lose. Although work is important to me, I always put the children first, encouraging them in their studies and musical endeavours. The home and family is a full time job in itself. We have an airedale dog and a Birman cat. We want to give the children the opportunity of travel. We took them to Paris, Scotland and England for a month in 2001, and in 2002 and 2005 we went to Fiji . The return trip to Fiji for a full 2 weeks in October last year was partly to celebrate our 20 year wedding anniversary, and partly because it was the best and most relaxing holiday we have ever had! But next holiday we hope tot ry something different. When the kids are older and I retire I want to learn things like quilting and photography, and maybe do a little theatre again, but for now there just isnt the time. THINGS THAT INTEREST ME I enjoy swimming, it's the only exercise I really get. I played field hockey before the children were born. I am interested in my family tree and have quite a lot of information, but again not much time to work on it. I am interested in Ancient Egyptian Culture and History, the Titanic and it's sinking (and I was before the movie made it popular!), cookery , movies, genealogy, reading, homepaging, Impressionist Art (Monet is my favourite) and James Dean. I love nearly all types of music but particularly classical, modern country ballads, other ballads (acts like Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey), chamber music, Traditional Jazz, and Bluegrass(yee-hah). BRONNY'S LINKS Parenting Links - I used these sites a lot when the kids were little: Parents Place Parent Soup Music Sites Harmony Central - a great site for musicians. Work related Sites Financial and Consumer Rights Council - the peak body for financial counsellors in Victoria Kilmany Uniting Care - my employer