William 'Bill' Allender was born a 'townie' in 1946, living in beautiful Orange, New South Wales, Australia. He enjoys many adventures in his small community, where everyone knows each other, until his parents decide to move to a farm and begin a rural lifestyle, growing fruit trees and keeping animals and chickens for subsistence. At first, William finds this daunting, but he soon thrives in his country existence while discovering the wonders of the Australian countryside.Away from the turmoil of the world, and with good friends, he explores and experiments while he keeps learning. Chemistry experiments, metals, caving, fossil hunting, and discovering the wonders of the insect, plant and animal world lay a good foundation for his later life as a scientist.