Irish born and educated, I am now a long-time Australian citizen, former obstetrician and gynaecologist, and part-time IVF specialist with a deep interest in the power of good nutrition for long-term health.
Early in my obstetric career I was fascinated to read Professor David Barker’s Foetal Origins of Disease theory. I learned that conditions such as under- and over-nutrition during pregnancy could increase the risk of premature death from heart disease decades later.
My interest in nutrition became obsessive when I was influenced by my wife, Jennifer, and her personal trainer, Jeff Osborne. Together they convinced me to question the evidence regarding the Australian dietary guidelines. At about the same time, long discussions with my friend Patrick Dignan—a retired professor of leadership in education—helped me realise that entrenched dogmas emanating from academia often ignore and suppress newer ‘contradictory’ evidence. After adopting a more critical mindset, I took nutrition courses and became immersed in nutrition books and medical articles. I found that nutrition recommendations are dependant on the agenda of the source of the advice.
The Covid-19 shutdowns gave me the opportunity to write Our Children, Our Legacy. This book combines my interests in reproduction and nutrition. It represents my desire to show parents and parents-to-be how they can pass on the gift of good health to their children through healthy eating.
My wife and I, our four children, their partners, and our eight grandchildren live on the Gold Coast—within earshot of my nutrition sermons!
