
Why is this page here? My work and personal life tend to overlap extensively. Many of the projects I do for work require that I get involved in all kinds of learning and teaching adventures. Some of these adventures go on to influence my personal life .. meaning they stay part of my life long after the project is complete. For some reason, colleagues and past students seem to enjoy following these exploits so I will continue to share them. A few of these events have made their way into the website. The horses, the sprinting, the health and fitness work to name a few and now my return to motorbikes. Below are some new photos and a bit of the story. More later gators, Stef April 2007
	Well, it’s back to an old passion for me. These past two years I have had a few limitations caused by the rehabilitation of my right knee. For sure, no sprinting and horses too became a bit too risky and although learning to speak Italian is exciting I was desperate to find some physical outlet other than the gym working on my knee! I returned from Italy in December 2006 inspired once again by all the Vespa’s racing around and noticed a growing group of Vespa riders here at home. I really started to get the itch to ride again. And, then of course, I read the book and watched the DVD “The Long Way Round” with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman, and that was that! I remembered everything I loved about my past days on a motorbike. Having spent some part of the last 3 decades riding motorbikes I thought a Vespa might be a PERFECT mode for satisfying the itch and getting around my little north shore habitat. So, off I went to buy my first Vespa. But150 kilometres later I knew two things: I did not want a Vespa and I did want a motorbike so I was prepared to trade it in. I spent a month or so exploring the possibilities and really thinking about the kind of riding I always loved doing and wanted to do again. I met a lot of interesting people on this part of the journey. Of course, the older I get and the more experiences I have the grander my sense of what truly is adventurous and possible. I was dreaming of doing something a little more exciting then riding out on Sunday to the Windsor pub for coffee that I would have been quite excited by when I was in my 20s. In the end I settled on the BMW F650 GS for its ability to deal well with both the sealed and unsealed roads I am likely going to need to ride if I am ever to do something truly interesting. Right now everything is interesting. I have done a few fun road and off road courses and have been getting myself into as many situations as my time allowed. My next Italy trip was looming and with that a 3 month break in riding .. so I looked for something to do on the way. That led me to book myself to do a motorcycle tour of TURKEY for 21 days with Denise and Mike Ferris of Ferris Wheels to lead into my next stay in Italy . The tour starts on the 25 th of April with a 300k ride from Istanbul to Gallipoli. I will visit the memorial the day after (for the sanity of it) Anzac Day. Then it is down the coast and we’re away for another 4000km. I always wanted to visit Turkey , and this will BE visiting Turkey . I will be sharing this trip with 14 other Australians and I think it will be a grand adventure. I can sleep when I get to Italy ! When I return home in July/August I promise I will update this page with some photos from the trip. Vroom vroom, Stef
HORSE BUSINESS - MAY 2004 Everybody wants to know how the horse stuff started! And, I can now say for a certainty the story is done and on the way to you. You will finally get to know the story when my new book on fear, Move Closer, Stay Longer goes on sale in September! It's a dosey. To write a book on fear and bravery was not the reason for taking on the horsemanship challenge, but a by-product. I learned stacks! The short answer is that I was asked by Pat and Linda Parelli to build an on-line learning support centre for the Parelli Natural Horse•Man•Ship students worldwide. I did that and it's called DBs cabin. It's open to the public so feel free to visit. To do that project I had to have a lived experience of being a self-study student in the Parelli Savvy System program. Now, you can't do that without a horse, and you can't have a horse on a patch of grass on Beauty Point. So, here I am on a property in Dural with a horse. Since I last updated this page I have spent time in both Colorado and Florida with Pat and Linda. I've started a 1 year online training for their instructors, and have written a good number of articles. Parelli students are now encouraged to read Great Lies We Live By and will soon be offered the Labyrinth online course. Enjoy the photos .. more soon
I would bet no one ever thought they see a photo of me in front of students with a HORSE! It happened in Ocala, Florida in January. But I WASN'T teaching!! I was part of a demonstration done by Linda Parelli for all of the Parelli instructors.

I came home from Florida full of new knowledge, skills and confidence. I started riding Nugget as soon as I got home! I was so comfortable I started taking naps up there!

While my riding was limited due to lack of skill and needing a lot of time to develop I found I could advance my communications skills and understanding of horse psychology by playing on the ground as these next two photos show.

When Neil Pye took Helen, myself, and Sue Shoemark on this trail ride on the last day in Pagosa I began to think about just how far we'd come in just over a year. I also started to dream about what the photos in another couple of years might show!!
SPRINTING BUSINESS
A few practice starts before the final of the 100m sprint at the World Masters Games, Melbourne 2002 Mike Hawthorne replaced Jackie Byrnes as coach in December of 2002		20 April 2003 - sorry no new photos from the track .. I didn't even get any at World Championships!! Arghhhh! But I am still at it and learning stacks from it. Sprinting is a very big part of my life, and dominants a good number of minutes of every single day. It allows me to test first hand all of the notions I teach especially in regard to motivation and goal achievement. A good of articles have resulted from these exploits. My next big adventure is racing at the Veteran's World Track and Field Championships in Puerto Rico in July. Fighting it out in the last few metres of the 100m Newcastle, NSW A Series February 2002 (that's me in the middle)
Coach Jackie Byrnes Jackie retired in December 2002 and went out with a big bash. She is now residing in Queensland totally enraptured with all the time in the world to ride horse! Since Jackie's retirement I am now training with Fera Dvoskina at Homebush.		These were some fun days. What an honour to train with the likes of Jackie, Mel and Jana. Until Mel and Jackie's retirement and Jana's move we all met for regular track sessions at Narrabeen. Melinda Gainsford-Taylor Jana Pittman You'd have to be just about deaf and blind to not be aware of the skyrocketing career of Jana. You will see her in action in the Paris in July 2003 at the World Track and Field Championships.
Me, Alison Quinn, Meaghan Starr, Navenna Kennedy, Mel, Michael Hawthorne, Elliot Wood, Jackie Byrnes

Jackie's retirement party. Most of the old gang, and Mel's new little one attended. Tears and laughs all the way around.