Author: David Horton

I was born (in 1945) and grew up in Perth, with schooling at Swanbourne Primary, John Curtin High School, and University of WA. Graduating from UWA with Zoology Honours in 1965, aged 20, I then had a disastrous year at University of Melbourne, six good years at University of New England, an unhappy year in York, England, and then 24 very mixed years at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (first as an archaeologist, then as a not insignificant figure in Australian publishing, then as the creator of the Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia). I did research into scincid lizards and biogeography (1966-1974); archaeozoology (sites from Cape York to SW Tasmania), Pleistocene occupation of Australia, Pleistocene extinctions, the role of fire in Australian ecosystems (1974 to 1984); running Aboriginal Studies Press (1984 to 1998). Major works include “Recovering the Tracks” (1991), “The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia” (1994), “Aboriginal Australia” [Map] (1996). Gained a BA, MSc and two doctorates along the way plus major awards (The Australian Award for Excellence in Educational Publishing; A WA Premier’s Literary Award; Australian Interactive Multimedia Association Award for best Multimedia Title; Centre for Australian Cultural Studies Award for ‘An Outstanding Contribution to Australian Culture 1994’; NSW Premier’s Literary Award 1995 Book of the Year 1994; NSW Premier’s Literary Award 1995 Special Award; Print Industry Gold Medal for excellence in printing). After being forced to leave the Institute I published a book (“The Pure State of Nature” 2000) on prehistory and ecology in Australia (notably considering the role of fire). Became a leading stud sheep breeder. I ran for federal parliament in the 2007 election. The following year saw the start of a run of bad health - a heart attack, then lymphoma developed in 2011 resulting in years of treatment, then a stroke in December 2020, and more heart problems in 2022. Now working on a Memoir ("Hammering on the mind's door) focused on my adventures in zoology, archaeology, publishing, farming and cancer, with themes, intellectual development, historical context, and a little light name-dropping. Summary: In the trenches - Australian archaeology, fire ecology, Aboriginal studies, blood cancer, sheep breeding, green politics, map drawing, encyclopaedia making, book publishing, stroke play, memoir writing.