China Bound 2005

Gary's first overseas holiday to China in 2005 profoundly changed his life, as detailed in "No Tossing – A Tale of Two Worlds". His university degree qualified him to teach English in China, and his teaching roles at university and high school gave him valuable insights into the nation's complex society.

His journey also led him to Cambodia, where sixteen hours of volunteer teaching each week provided a direct insight into the spiritual and cultural complexities of Southeast Asia. He also enjoyed extended stays in Vietnam, finding the Vietnamese people warm, friendly, and notably more straightforward than other Asians he had encountered—a quality he observed even among taxi drivers.

Upon returning to Australia in 2018, he realised how much his homeland had changed. This realisation was underscored by his tenure as a "Star Boarder" in a chaotic welfare cottage, which he saw as another journey into the theatre of the absurd.