Born in the country in New South Wales, Australia, Will Parker spent his early years travelling the outback of New South Wales with his mother and father, a travelling picture-show man. The family moved to Parramatta, near Sydney, during Will's late childhood. Parker spent his school and teenage years surfing, playing football, having car and bike adventures, serving an apprenticeship, boxing with title-holder coaches, jumping rattlers, working on a sporting newspaper, and joining the Royal Australian Navy as an electrical petty officer. He was hospitalized with tuberculosis and underwent years of treatment. Later, he sailed to England, hitch-hiked through Europe, and worked in London with De Havilland Aircraft as toolmaker and at Finsbury Pool as an attendant. He joined the British Merchant Navy as an engineer and had experiences at sea and on shore. Later, Will worked as a secondary school teacher in New Zealand and then in Australia. He married, became a father, returned to college to complete his education, and eventually obtained a science degree from the University of New South Wales. Later, he left teaching to work at Unilever as a management trainer from office and training facilities overlooking the Sydney Opera House. He returned to teaching and enjoyed more of the highs and lows of school life and the joys of golfing. In retirement, he travelled extensively until his wife of fifty-plus years was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and her decline and hospitalization is described. Will, now aged eighty-nine, has also encountered some health problems.
