An Adventure to Write Home About

  This first blog post is dedicated to you, Nigel. I am truly going to miss you regaling us with stories in the lunchroom.   G’day Folks! Have you ever sat back, marveling at not only a brilliant story, but the way the storyteller tells it? Not everyone is a fantastic storyteller, able to weave the tale around you, and make you feel as though you were there, amongst it. My Gran’ma used to do this when she read stories to myself and my sister, and I think that is where my fascination with storytelling began. Every now and then, you meet one of these enchanters and are treated to a magnificent story. My advice is to always stop and listen, even if it means having to extend your 30-minute lunch break by a few extra minutes (consequences be damned!). Nigel is one of these storytellers. With each story he told about his life, it became apparent that there was far more to this smiling chap than first met the eye.   He’d lived, travelled, and worked across the globe and ...

Looking for birds and whales at Booninyabah (Fingal Head)   Bird Nerd. Storyteller. Professional Meerkat. Ella Thomas is, much to her chagrin, a generalist. Her love for knowledge and adventure draws her to many topics within the natural world and has thus far led to her career spanning across many jobs. In the past decade Ella has worked in Wildlife Education, Wildlife Husbandry/ Zookeeping, Wildlife Conservation and Management as a Fauna Spotter Catcher, and currently as a Wildlife Veterinary Nurse in Australia’s busiest wildlife hospital. She has a Bachelor of Wildlife Science, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Venomous Snake Handling Certificate, and is currently undertaking a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. Moreover, she has a certain affinity for climbing things, being distracted by birds, randomly bursting into song, and looking for the good in people. Ella also loves writing letters and both telling and listening to stories, particularly over a cup of tea. ...