NEIL (Foss) Tyson was born in Horsham, Victoria. He then lived in five different small Victorian country towns before finishing primary school, gaining a real sense of rural living and the friendliness of small country towns. During his high school years he relocated to Hobart and Melbourne. He moved to Beechworth 23 years ago.
What did you do workwise?
I had a variety of different occupations until accepted for training as a paramedic. This varied from digging tunnels with the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works now known as Melbourne Water, to working with the CSIRO as a technical assistant and slightly interrupted by national service. I then worked at the Tullamarine Airport tower as a flight services officer, assisting aircraft outside radar control areas. Finally, I landed as an advanced life support paramedic - my career for nearly 30 years.
What brought you to your career role as a paramedic?
My mother had been a nurse during World War II in London, and she had some stories from her time there which intrigued me.
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What do or did you love about your work as a paramedic?
Interacting with different people and to find myself in different situations that I would not normally have been exposed to, from being paid to attend AFL matches to assisting homeless people on the street. One time our vehicle was parked in a side street to be the first responders to the Royal Tour as it passed down Swanston Street. And the very next job that we attended was one of the poorest places near Carlton. The day had been one of of great contrast.
What do you do in the community.
I have just qualified as a volunteer general firefighter with a CFA after one year of intensive training with more opportunities for further training. I now realise there is a lot more than just putting water on fire, and there are also opportunities for those who do not want to be directly on the fire front who would like to contribute in a meaningful way to this contest with nature.
Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing?
Housing is placing a new burden on our young folk. I have raised this issue with my local politician here and I get the sense that it will be an important issue in upcoming elections.
What do you see as one of the most important current world issues.
During my time at CSIRO atmospheric physics in Aspendale in Victoria, I undertook weekly flights over Bass Straight to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) readings for the Southern Hemisphere. At that stage in the early 1970s the level was 330 ppm, and is now over 420 ppm, showing how CO2 has been steadily rising. I think this issue is going to play out in many different ways from sea level rise to food supply issues. CFA is already talking about new phenomenon to be considered while fighting fires. For instance, local weather being generated by fiercer fires can lead to issues like convection column collapse which can create its own damaging winds.
If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo Shire past or present or was already here, who would that be and what would you show them, and why?
My wife from Maine, USA. She is an art teacher, and has taught me heaps about our local wildlife and botany, and I have shown her how Aussies are more relaxed and have a great sense of humour. She loves Australia.
What book are you reading?
"Godel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter which has ideas about how consciousness arrives from mere matter.
