In retirement, I have gone back to what I left. I gave up my farming occupation which could have led to my inheriting the farm in time back in the 1960s, to go into teachers college and graduate into a career of teaching and leadership that I found fulfilling and rewarding.

In retirement, I have gone back to farming – at this time as an “ urban farmer“. It’s not wheat and sheep and cattle as it was on our rural farm in Western Australia. Rather, I have got into growing pawpaws from seed, giving away many plants and growing others on our block.

Over time I have given away hundreds of plants. I’ve also given away hundreds of homegrown fruit.

The paradox is that I like growing pawpaws and have made a reasonable success of it. But I don’t like pawpaws as a fruit to eat.

In Darwin where I live, pawpaws for sale in shops come in at around $5.90 a kilo. So I have given away hundreds of dollars worth of fruit and I’m happy to do so.

I like being an urban farmer.