Simon Cole was born an identical twin in Melbourne to English and Australian parents. His schooling and language study started in Baghdad during his 1st step-father’s posting with the U.N.. Back in the suburbs of Barry Humphries and Kylie Minogue, his well-educated mother and 2nd step-father set him on a path to Behavioural Science at La Trobe University. This was hard yakka. For many years he regretted not following his heart to Prahran Art School to do sculpture. After a taste of the wrong side of psychiatry, he rebuilt his personality and eventually became his true self. Still concerned with balancing financial security, joy and social purpose, he started teaching English language.
From 1988 he taught at universities in Japan, the U.K. and Australia. An abiding interest in politics, economics and finance morphed into disillusionment with education institutions and our systems in general. Was this a mid-life crisis? Not really. No compensating sports cars for him. He drives a Prius. From forty five years of age he’s been debt-free and liberated from full time work. As teaching fades into the background, he flings himself into community administration advocating sustainability. This ties together threads from 1987 Adelaide where he studied Aboriginal Community Administration and joined the ALP.
He’s lobbied for gay law reform and dabbled in journalism. In 1989 he moved to Brisbane where, in 2008 he co-founded the Brisbane Chapter of The Zeitgeist Movement. He’s worked with Sustainable Australia Party, Sustainable Population Australia and built a model sustainable home. He’s researched intentional and sustainable communities nation-wide. He’s moulded some clever sculptures and discovered he’s happiest doing lots of different things. His passions are stronger than ever.
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