I was born in New Zealand and like most Kiwis, I fled the island nation at a young age (my family moved to Australia when I was 4)

Its a nice place to come from

My family eventually settled in Nowra, a small county town, two hours south of Sydney

I started playing guitar when I was about 16 years old, usually after beery nights at the local pub. My mother ran a little cafe with a jukebox and one of my talents was jigging free tunes with a metal washer. One of the first songs I remember getting stuck in my head was a Helen Reddy song called 'Delta Dawn'. I played a lot of folk and traditional music in my youth - but these days I play whatever takes my fancy. I still love a good trad tune though

Playing and singing has become a common thread through my life. I spent nearly 10 years travelling the world and gaining, hopefully, a little wisdom. I can remember times when the only communication I had was via a simple melody or a shared rhythm. Music is a great leveler like that

For all the differences in the world there is so much in common between people no matter where they come from. I always worked to bring people together. The session to me is about human alchemy, pulling everyone together to create something new and wonderful

Music was like therapy that got me through the rough and tumble of growing up. I love the sentiment and spirit that music brings

The GreenJam is only partly about music. The spirit of the night is equally as important. I feel a sense of responsibility for what happens in the session. If someone is unhappy, for example, I find it hard to ignore that. When I see a room full of people I see lots of life-stories and collective wisdom. My job is to release that. There are always so many unexpected things that come out of a session to amuse or entertain you

When I first moved to Sydney I used to frequent the Honest Irishman every Thursday night in the fine company of Merch Marnell and a motley gang of players and singers. The session gathered a loyal following would often last right through the night behind closed doors

Every year the lads head off to Port Fairy for a weekend of serious singing and partying. It's a tribal-like gathering of the musical clans, with some regulars flying from the other side of the world for the garrulous carry-on. A hooley of the highest order

The influence of the Port Fairy gathering is clear when you experience a GreenJam session. The tables, the seating arrangements, the carefully controlled chaos, the almost ecstatic atmosphere, and of course, the rakes of beer !

The Port Fairy Session has been described by some as the 'lunatic fringe', and I'd pretty well agree with that. I always love it when someone playing the big stage slips of to the Session for a drink and a tune because they think its more fun

Everyone finds something in a Session, so 'go on', have a go and sing, sing sing