Author Biography
Born in Sydney Australia, Don spent his youth surfing the east coast's beaches and also became a top ranked competitive swimmer. On leaving high school, he studied electronic engineering but on graduation opted for a career as a creative copywriter, a job at which he excelled. His main achievements included designing a baked bean campaign that persuaded the Army to buy the brand for their ration packs because of their nutritional value...a decision that came back to haunt him when a year later he was drafted and he was forced to eat the same wretched beans for the duration. His real passion was flying and he used money earned from freelance writing to purchase flying lessons, with the aim of becoming an airline pilot. Subsequently he was commissioned (as a dangerous lieutenant...) and served in Army Aviation during the Vietnam war. He achieved a certain notoriety for implementing a soap powder bombing raid on Vietcong fish farms that nearly developed into an international incident when a news reporter accused him of chemical warfare. On his return to Australia he wrote extensively about the Vietnam War and his experiences with army aviation for Australian magazines and newspapers under a pseudonym - essential at the time as being a commissioned officer, writing for the public media was forbidden, a regulation Don maintains was intended to prevent service members from telling the truth and embarrassing politicians.
