I became interested in music at school, joining the school cadet band and teaching myself to play drums and bugle, but loved playing drums. At 16 I went to my first concert, Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs and decided then and there I wanted to play rock music.

At the end of high school myself and two mates spent a few months on the central north coast and went to see the Atlantics play  the Coffs Harbour Civic Centre on New Year’s Eve. I stood in awe as I watched and listened and could not imagine that 2 years later on New Year’s Eve that 3 other boys and I called The Finx would be playing in the same venue.

The Finx was the first real band I played with. We started out as an instrumental group calling ourselves The Auroras, playing Shadows Ventures Atlantics and surfing music. Then one rehearsal we discovered that Larry Townsend (lead guitar) and John Marshal (rhythm guitar) could sing rather well so with new member Brian Mosley (bass) we changed our name and material and became The Finx. We won three heats of Hoadleys Battle of The Sounds over the years we were together.  We played the New England, Central West, and North Coast areas as well as lots of local venues and when we weren’t playing we were rehearsing. I was totally consumed by the music scene and enjoying every minute of it.

Then I got my call up notice for National Service that meant two years in the Australian Regular Army. That changed everything.

At the end of our initial 3 months recruit training I was hoping to get a posting to the army band corps, but was chosen for Infantry training. After another 8 months of intense training I was posted to Vietnam as an infantry soldier in a Rifle Company with the 5^TH Infantry Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. It was a difficult and sobering experience that changed many things about my life and gave me a confidence that I had probably lacked previously, especially at school.

Coming home to indifference ignorance and even hostility was a shock and it took some time to adjust. I had accepted the fact that my band days were over, and was pleasantly surprised when I was approached by some young fellows and asked to join their band. Initially it Was Paul Mailfert vocals Steve Kliendienst on lead guitar and Trevor Wilcox on bass. We called ourselves Justin Tyme, did a couple of gigs and decided we needed a rhythm guitarist. Welcome Russell Hughes who added the final icing on the cake. We played a few more gigs and then won the Tamworth heat of Hoadleys Battle of The Sounds, ditched our name and became TREK. I was reading an American Penthouse magazine perusing well written and extremely interesting articles and saw an advertisement for TREK hiking boots. I liked the name and the logo, showed the boys, they liked it also and we became Trek. I even copied the logo onto my bass drum.

Trek had so much work that there were times when it was difficult to find time to rehearse new material. We played all over the New England region as well as frequent gigs in the Central West and North Coast areas. We played numerous B&S Balls which were all nighters and sometimes did two shows in one night in two separate venues. And of course the many Teachers College and UNE college gigs, it was a fun and busy time.

Meeting those guys at that time for me was a Godsend. They were non judgemental, friendly, funny and being with them and playing music was just wonderful. We had a great time and I will be forever grateful for their friendship fun and the musical experience. Over the years we were together we had a few changes in personnel but the fun and friendship never changed. Paul was transferred with his day job and Trevor went off on a global adventure and we welcomed Doug Jameson and George Finney into the band. Doug’s vocals were a little different to Pauls so our style did change a little, and George was an experienced and good player, so the bands feel power and energy remained and the boys fitted in perfectly. Later George moved on to other things and Ross Gilbert joined. Ross was a mean and experienced bass player and slotted in easily. We played, we partied, and we even did the odd streak…not a pretty sight … and had a great time together. It was really great that everyone got on well; played well and to this day we remain friends. I will forever look back at those years with great fondness.

A few years after Trek stopped playing I played briefly with Tamworth band Powerhouse and about 12 months with Elm Street. All accomplished players but there was never the great friendship fun or energy that surrounded Trek.

I had about an 8 year break and was approached by some guys to form a pub band as a “last Hurrah “. This started as a 4 piece hard rock outfit called First Offence, and morphed into the Token show band with both female and male lead singers, I enjoyed my years with Token. Things had changed a lot since the sixties and seventies and Token had a huge sound and lighting production and a 5 tonne truck, van and roadies. We played for about 6 years all over but by this time I was a Regional Manager for a major banks Financial Services Operation and   it was difficult getting to far away gigs. Sometimes I had to drive from say North Sydney to somewhere like Port Macquarie on a Friday afternoon. The pace and lifestyle was too taxing so I had to choose between the band and career….so alas my band days came to an end.

I left the bank a year or so later and joined the Dutch Netherland Group ING to establish a national Integrated Financial Services operation into their Austrbrokers division, which I accomplished and managed for 16 years. So it was corporate life for many years and now looking back I was probably not really corporate material. I saw much of the world during those years so I’m grateful for the opportunities experience and lifestyle.

And after a 30 year break of not even seeing a drum kit, in 2020 just 2 weeks before Covid 19 hit us, Trek had a reunion at Evans Heads. It was a fun week and I reckon if we had a month to rehearse we could come back and kick serious arse. Hopefully we will do it again one day soon.

So a big thank you to Paul Doug Steve Russell Trevor George and Ross for the craziest funniest amazing years of my life.