Greetings, Traveller
Your journey through cyberspace has been long and tortuous, but you have reached my humble page. I shall try to reward you by providing answers to the questions most commonly asked in life (Often when we wake up after a hard night!)
My name is Ron Windeyer, and I have been on this planet for 55 years. I was born in Wellington, N.Z. - I am not however a Kiwi; my parents were just there at the time, and I wasn't asked. I am a genuine Aussie, but do have relatives in N.Z. (Gaseous is a "handle" I have used in connection with the Ultima community - a reference to my occupation....)
I am an anaesthetist in private practice in Perth. I graduated with a medical degree from the University of W.A. in 1974, and after a few years working in hospitals tried general practice for a few more years. This was less than satisfying, and I felt that anaesthesia was more my thing, so I went back to specialise. I gained my Fellowship in 1984, and have been running around town giving anaesthetics since then. The hours are sometimes a little strange, but that goes with the territory.....
I live (as suggested above) in Perth, the capital of Western Australia. This is a very pretty city of 1 million plus people. The city centre sits on the banks of the Swan River, for which Perth is famous. The Swan is an estuary, therefore salty, tidal and not wonderfully deep. It is still very attractive, and, when the authorities keep pollution out of it, is OK to swim in (despite the jellyfish). Thousands of people love sailing on it.
The main port of Perth is actually Fremantle, about 15 km down the river. The harbour of Fremantle is dredged so that decent sized ships can use it.
Well, apart from the usual - work, accumulating superannuation etc, the fun part of life is hobbies & interests. These include:
Probably my favourite hobby, but the one I do least because it costs serious money. In 1992 I succumbed to a long held dream and started flying lessons at the Royal Aero Club of W.A. They are based at Jandakot, which is Perth's General Aviation airport. I now have an unrestricted private licence, meaning I can fly a single engine 4 seater aircraft in daylight hours and in clear weather. My favourite destination is Rottnest Island, about 20 km off the coast. The longest and most satisfying trip was to Coral Bay (more below)
Favourite authors include Frederick Forsyth, Tom Clancy, Jack Higgins, John Grisham, Douglas Adams.
I'm an admitted Trekkie; other likes include MASH, Friends, Mad about You and the X-Files. Recent good movies include Titanic, Good Will Hunting X-Files Movie, the Lord of the Rings series, and Six Days Seven Nights. Some of the most powerful movies I have seen include The Shawshank Redemption and The Usual Suspects. These days I enjoy the Law and Order series on TV.
I admit to wasting away many hours in front of the computer; I especially enjoy roleplaying or strategy games. The game par excellence (in my opinion) is the Ultima series. Click Here for more info.
Time has moved on and I don't tend to play computer games much now; much of my spare time is taken up with video editing. I have a lovely software package to do all the editing on my laptop; now travel videos are more of a structured and easy to watch documentary, rather than excruciating and disjointed raw footage!
I enjoy seeing the world; haven't
travelled too widely yet, but we have been to New Zealand,
Singapore, Hong Kong, and parts of USA. (Los Angeles, Las
Vegas, Orlando, New York, San Francisco). In 1999 the whole
family went on a great trip to London and Europe. Our next
adventure was in July 2001, when my wife and I decided that
the boys could be left home, and it was time we had a holiday by
ourselves. We embarked on a month long trip to Alaska and the
Canadian Rockies. This would rate as the best holiday we have ever
had, and the Alaskan cruise (run by Cruise West) was absolutely unbelievable.
If anyone wants to see the real Alaska, this is certainly the way to go.
In May 2002 we decided to see more of Australia, and spent a few days on
the Queensland Gold Coast before heading to Cairns for a cruise around the
Great Barrier Reef. This was really magnificent; snorkelling over the coral
formations and seeing the myriad varieties of marine life is an experience
not to be missed.
In March 2003 I hired a light aircraft from the local aero club and flew
with the family to spend a delightful week at Coral Bay, a tiny settlement
in the northwest of WA. The coral there is at least as good as the Barrier Reef,
and it can be viewed by merely wading in from the beach.
In Jan 2004 we travelled yet again; a delightful week in New Orleans was
followed by yet another Cruise West adventure, this time from Panama to Costa Rica.
For the curious, there are many photos of this adventure here.
Our latest travel adventure was in 2005, when we cruised around the northwest coast of Western Australia
from Darwin to Broome and return. This cruise,
with Orion Expedition Cruises, was breathtaking, and the northwest
is really a rugged and remote country. Afterwards we hired a car and explored the Northern Territory for a couple of weeks. This is also an amazing
place, with so much to offer - it is truly said that "You'll never never know, if you never never go.."
I have a wife (Elizabeth) and two sons; Steve is 28 and has completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of WA; Daniel is 25 and is a Chartered Accountant, having finished a Bachelor of Commerce, also from the University of W.A.
Any comments or suggestions are most welcome -- please email me.