Abstract
In this reflective essay of intellectual autobiography, I respond to a series of questions the journal editor Wei-Ning Xiang asked about my 55-year journey from applied geography to socio-ecological practice research. These are (1) what and/or who had inspired your career most in geography and socio-ecological practice research? (2) Throughout your 55-year academic journey, did you ever reorient your ambitions in scholarly pursuit, or even reinvent yourself in your academic life? What motivated you in each of these instances? (3) How do you measure success in your work? Among many accomplishments, what are the top three that you are most proud of? (4) From your personal experience, what would be the most important attributes for a well-lived, fully realised, and meaningful life? Do you have any tips for maintaining work-life balance? (5) Do you have any specific advice for younger scholars in geography and socio-ecological practice research? (6) What are the three most interesting images reflecting turning points in your career? I hope that my experiences and insights showcased in this essay are helpful to the younger generations of geographers and socio-ecological practice researchers.
Highlights
The earliest influence on my development as a geographer was my grandfather’s copy of Harmsworth’s New Atlas of the World (Hammerton 1920), which he showed me whenever our family visited him at his country cottage during the early 1940s
Compulsory national service in the Royal Artillery, I went to Balliol College, Oxford University to study Geography, I started to think about what I should be believing and doing
National service reinforced my view of the world as an unequal place with much deprivation and unkindness
Summary
Moving to Australia in 1963 for Ph.D. work at the Australian National University (ANU) was a life changing step. After 1975, I began to develop ideas for my book, The Urban Environment, and was inspired by Michel Philipponneau’s book on Rennes, France (Philipponneau 1976) in which he explains that his work was driven both by his geography and his membership of the Parti Socialist He spent much time on citizen and political party committees as well as encouraging his geography students to investigate practical problems and solutions for the future planning of the city of Rennes. Zena Daysh (Fig. 5), the dynamic founder of the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC), contacted me She persuaded me to be her local contact in Manchester to help her establish a one-day symposium before the UK Government’s international meeting on Local Agenda 21. I am glad that a piece of active geography and socio-ecological practice has been so useful to so many
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