Gary Briggs, a Baby Boomer born in the early 1950s, came from working-class, housing commission roots. His high school mates, Eric and James, along with Albert from primary school, all joined the school cadets. Gary also wanted to join, but his mum firmly objected, believing the School Cadets were a fast track to the Vietnam War. God bless her.

The graduating high school Class of 1970 missed conscription, and we went on to enjoy a prosperous, peaceful period in history compared to our parents' and grandparents' times.

General Insurance became his profession for the next twenty years, including claims investigation. This sometimes involved paying dubious claims or denying others due to frivolous technical errors, which was heartbreaking on several occasions. In 1995, Gary, a mature-aged student, graduated from the University of Wollongong with a Creative Arts degree, which sat idle until now. His first overseas holiday to China in 2005 profoundly changed his life, an experience he later 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. A drawback was that he felt patronised as a 'White Monkey' by private English schools. Upon returning to Australia in 2018, he realised how much his homeland had changed, a realisation underscored by his tenure as a "Star Boarder" in a chaotic welfare cottage.

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

Gary currently lives in the affordable, winter-free Philippines, surrounded by mostly like-minded expatriates from the Western World. He acknowledges, however, that 'tossers' can be found there too.