I was born in Sydney to German migrant parents, grew up in Adelaide and trained in medicine there and began general practice training in Tasmania. My wife Sarah Joy, was also born and raised in Sydney, preferred spending time in the country, particularly when her parents (of English & Scottish descent) led ministry to youth camps in country NSW for the Presbyterian Church of NSW. Sarah Joy then trained as a teacher, and taught in schools in NSW, and SA.  

We met, courted, and were engaged at ALC in 2001 (it was and is a whirlwind romance) when I was studying as a private student, and Sarah Joy was upgrading her teaching qualifications. Enoch (14) and Abigail (12) were born in Cooma, NSW, while Christian was a rural GP there and when we were part of the Trinity congregation in Cooma.  Andreas (10) and Thomas (8) were then born in Adelaide while we were at ALC, and Sophia (6) and Noah (3) were born in Toowoomba. And we welcomed Bethany here in November 2016.  Being a mother and father is a great privilege.

Enoch loves the country life, his piano, reading and his sheep, Abigail enjoys playing the piano, cooking amazing treats and loads of reading. Andreas is excited to play piano in church and loves jumping on the trampoline as much as possible, and Thomas is our Bear Grylls expert and loves keeping up the wood supply in winter. Sophia loves reading and painting, and Noah is keen to be outside playing in his treehouse. Sarah Joy loves teaching the children at home and outside of the home, running her little farm, connecting with other mums and families, and gardening. I enjoy nipping into second hand book shops (‘just for five minutes’), and looking for a book (often war stories or biographies) in which I will be engrossed for the next couple of weeks.