Growing up in Uralla was great. The innocence of a small country town gave me the freedom to work hard, go hunting and fishing with Phillip Smith, Noel Adams (who went on to become our unofficial roadie) & Co and most of all play music. As an apprentice carpenter living at home, I had the money to buy cars, guns and guitars.

Having no TV in the early days most of my childhood was spent with Uncles, Aunties and Mum & Dad, playing music. Guitars, piano accordions, mouth organs, fiddles and   t-box bass were just some of the instruments of choice. Dad and Uncle Jack Wilcox would play the local radio stations in Armidale and Inverell. I would tag along.  On one occasion I remember well I was asked to sing a song on Radio 2NZ Inverell. Dad and Jack accompanied my 10 year-old-self singing the Drovers Dream. These childhood experiences gave me the ear, timing and confidence that put me in good stead when I later played with some mates in local talent quests, like the Thunderbolt’s Showcase.

With Paul, Steve, Les, Andy, & Pat, we played local halls and clubs, which soon morphed into ‘Trek’. We practised at Bill Geldoff’s Wagon Wheel service station on the outskirts of town. We built up a following of the local youth and honed our skills both as musicians and showmen. The line-up changed when Robert Hobbs (Hobbsie) replaced Pat O’Brian on drums. We now had that driving beat that powered the band.  Steve, Paul, Hobbsie and I were then joined by Russell Hughes. The band was now complete.  We weren’t the most technical band around but the energy and our personalities came through.

Trek became very popular around the area. We just got on with it, having fun, partying hard, and playing bloody great rock & roll. We would do our own promotions, plastering our posters at every bus stop, on every power pole, from Sawtell, Bellingen, Coffs Harbour to Armidale and Glen Innis. Winning our heat in the Tamworth region Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds in 1972 was a fantastic reward for the band.  Trek was in demand. We were now working three and four nights a week in Armidale. The University, Teachers College, and local pubs just couldn’t get enough of the Trek effect.

When work commitments led Paul to leave the band we recruited Doug Jamieson. It gave us a chance to refresh and refocus. Doug was our new front man and he really hit the mark.  With Doug in the lead, we now had a fan base in Walcha, and continued to play round the local haunts.

I made the decision to travel overseas, which ended my days with Trek (for the time being). On my return from wandering around the world, settling back in Uralla/Armidale was not going to happen. 

I moved to Coffs Harbour where I played in three different bands, Pacific; Redboat and a duo called The Day Trippers. Redboat were the resident band at Coffs Harbour RSL, playing there for 3 years and supporting most acts who came to town.

After meeting my second wife, Averil, at a gig with the Daytrippers duo, at the Seaview Tavern in Woolgoolga, cupid hit his mark and I moved to western Qld to be with her. (Unfortunately, not many gigs available in Julia Creek.)  We now live on the Sunshine Coast Qld where we have raised our two sons.  I still enjoy playing music with some mates in our band called The Renditions and jamming with my youngest son Floyd when he is in town.

We have done a fair bit of travelling as a family, always with at least one guitar on board. On one such trip we crossed the dry river-bed that was once the mighty Darling River, which inspired me to write and record a song titled “My Darling Doesn’t Run Anymore”, which was picked up by ABC radio Broken Hill. This would not have been possible without the help of my good mate Chris Cumming (a Rendition member) who helped with arrangement and recording of the song. I was interviewed by ABC Radio Far West about the song and mentioned my days with Trek in the interview. I’m sure my Dad would have been proud.

The fellowship and mateship of the Trek boys has always been and continues to be, very special to me.  They are a big part of our family and the get togethers in these later years have made more treasured memories. We can still rock it out like we always have! Many other stories about the Trek days are shared over a beer or 15 whenever we can get together. Stories for Trek ears only. Keep on Trekkin!