1. I’m a qualified barista

I love everything to do with coffee. A few years back, I decided to do an intensive 3-Day “City & Guilds International Award in Barista Skills” course to learn more about making better coffee at home. To be fair, I tell most people I’m a qualified barista so you may already know this.

2. I had a black belt in Taekwon-Do

When I was 15, I earned a black belt in Taekwon-Do and the same year became a New Zealand National Referee and Judge. Even though I haven’t done Taekwon-Do for years, I still love the sport and watching martial arts movies.

3. I’m extremely allergic to tomatoes (among other things)

When I was in my mid-20s, I developed an allergy to dairy and nightshade (tomato, capsicum and potato) which makes eating out difficult, yet not impossible. Oh, did I mention I’m also allergic to bees?

4. I collect TOOL vinyl

When I was 15, I earned a black belt in Taekwon-Do and the same year became a New Zealand National Referee and Judge. Even though I haven’t done Taekwon-Do for years, I still love the sport and watching martial arts movies.

5. I caught my first wave at 10

When I was 10 years old, I caught my first wave after borrowing a friend’s bodyboard. The unforgettable feeling of catching a wave has stayed with me ever since. I transitioned from bodyboarding to surfing in 2007 and haven’t looked back. The photo below was taken at an artificial wave at Adventure Parc in Snowdonia, Wales.

6. I used to work in tech support

In a past life, I worked in tech support for networks and servers. It was a great job while I was travelling and I was able to pick up work relatively easily. When I got back to New Zealand in 2006 I decided to retrain and began studying Design, which is the second-best job I’ve ever had.

7. I taught sailing in America

The best job I’ve ever had was teaching American kids how to sail, kayak and canoe in upstate New York. As an American Red Cross Lifeguard, I worked on the lake at Camp Lokanda for four years between 2003 and 2006. Besides America, I’ve also lived and worked in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

8. I met my wife while we were both working at a summer camp

I met my Canadian wife, Alison, in 2003 while we were both working as counselors at Camp Lokanda. We got married in 2007, bought a house, have a couple of kids and a dog. My brother also met his wife at the same summer camp.

9. I fell off a ladder while designing a health and safety app

I broke my leg while painting our house after falling off a ladder. At the hospital, I had to fill out a form explaining how the accident happened.

Current employer: ACC (New Zealand Health & Safety)
What are you doing for them: Designing an app for Health and Safety (there was a module on working on ladders). Well played, irony 😄

10. I’ve had 15 minutes of TV fame

I broke my scapula (shoulder blade) in three places a couple of weeks after purchasing a new mountain bike. I went over the handlebars riding downhill, the bike flipped and the seat catapulted into my shoulder.

I got back to my feet and tried walking the bike down the hill but was in too much pain. I asked a friend to call 111 (NZ emergency) to see if someone could come and get me. At the very least, I was expecting a quad bike or jeep.

My heart sank when I saw a helicopter coming over the horizon. My initial thought was “I hope my shoulder’s broken and not just a deep bruise” as I would never live it down. When the helicopter landed, rescue workers jumped out along with a camera crew and asked me to sign a waiver giving permission to be filmed. I’m not really a fan of reality TV but I was in so much pain I was happy to sign whatever to get down the mountain.

Six weeks later I took my bike back into the shop for a complimentary service, arm still in a sling.