Michael ChambersMichael Chambers arrived by boat from New Zealand in 1969. He started as a jackaroo on outback NSW station Mount Manara, and his experiences over the next few years provided the background for the Tom Duncan story in the book. A fight with a Brahman ull in western Queensland (which he lost) provoked a new career with BHP merchandising companies in NSW. In 1989 he packed his wife, five kids and a dog into a truck and van and headed for the Northern Territory. He was State Operations Manager until a lifetime love of Aboriginal people culminated in a four years relationship with the Yolgnu people of Arnhemland. He took a group of thirty Elcho Islanders on a memorable trip to Egypt and Israel. For fifteen years he owned and ran the iconic fishing and camping shops, HAPPY MICKS OUTDOOR TERRITORY. The name was chosen by kids from the island. He was a successful internet entrepreneur in the early years of the century. On selling out in 2010, the whole family moved to Mildura, on the picturesque Murray River. (That's five kids and eleven grandchildren!) WALKING AMONG THE STARS was conceived while on a long walk after a nostalgic trip to Ivanhoe NSW following a forty years absence. Michael lives in Mildura, surrounded by his large family. He and wife Aileen both retired at age seventy, she from over twenty-five years in aged and palliative care, Michael from a long stint in retail. Read More Read Less