I received early training in the biological sciences and did postdoctoral work in Canada in the field of biological control of pests. I then changed horses mid-stream and earned my living as a photographer, artist, and then curator and director of an art gallery. Currently working at Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth on the West Coast of the south island of New Zealand where I carry out research in the structure of the tourism industry (currently mapping the ecotourism and sustainable tourism sectors), the training needs of tourism operators, human resources in tourism, and (also currently), the secondary schooling participation and tertiary participation of the regions children. A small project in looking at access for people with disabilities to tourism products has led me to a passion for this subject, and the subject of boomer tourism (soon to swell the number of PWDs). It has also turned me into a zealot for PWDs issues of any kind.