Casper Ozinga

From the past:

“Can you imagine, being single, living in the snow, studying in freezing temperatures (single quarters were not flash) and not putting my skis on for a whole season??. ALSO STUPID. But I mastered commitment.”

2004

I was born in Holland, came to the land of milk and honey in 1956, year of the Olympic games (all those flags), with my mother and father and 2 brothers and a sister. Six weeks on a boat, compliments of Robert Menzies, was the beginning of my Australian Adventure.

Five months in a migrant camp called Schyville near Richmond, with prison type food, dormitories, and “mess halls”, was not the kind of beginning my mother and father had expected. Bushfires, drought, snakes and hot tin roofs, was life in a Nissan Hut. After that, 2 years in Lithgow, learned to play basket ball, learned to speak English, and for the first time in my short 9 years, lived in a free standing house with a back yard!!

My father built his first home in Berowra, and we moved in December, 1969. Began at ABHS at the old partly burnt down Hornsby Home Science School as a PIONEER OF ABHS. Who can forget the much celbrated, anti-climactic move to the curent premises?

Some memoral teachers were the much celebrated Miss Deer (Dear), Miss Smith (our class teacher), Mrs Evers, Mr Bitmead, Mr Kent, Miss Yee, Mr Potter, Mr Miller, Mr Saunders, Mr Hayes (cranky bastard), Mr Rigg (aka as ......)?, Mr Holmes and of course Mr Brown. There off course others I cannot remember. My last year is remembered with affection even though my only fight at the school was with non other than Stig Falster (sorry mate).

After leaving school, studied for the Biology certificate at Sydney Tech, was employed by the Uni of Sydney as a lab. assistant, caught up with Warren Brooks, and declined an offer to study medicine at NO COST. STUPID!!. After that, I joined university of NSW in a similar capacity, but in the Department of Zoology. Got a taste of the out doors and all things wild and joined the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service as a Ranger, Kosciuszko National Park. In the NPWS for the next 12 years, moving all over the place five times in one year, including a stint in Head Office. During that time, I commenced and finished a Science Degree in Environmental Science at Macquarie University. Can you imagine, being single, living in the snow, studying in freezing temperatures (single quarters were not flash) and not putting my skis on for a whole season??. ALSO STUPID. But I mastered committment.

I won a scholarship to study bushfires in the USA. an exciting opportunity. I advised them, that with in 15 years all of the forest of Yellowstone National Park, would be burnt, if the NPS did not implement a firemanagement strategy, others than putting fires out. Needles to say, my prediction took place 17 year later.

In the snow I met Libby, a girl who had just finished her HSC at Abbotsleigh, and we were married in 1973. We bred two great children, Nicholas and Tristan. Nick (22) is a territory manager for Cerbos foods, and Tristan (19) is studying advertising/communication at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst. we are very proud of both of them.

In 1982, left NPWS, joined a family business, worked in Oslo, London and Copenhagen, and learned how not to run a business. I won’t go there!

In 1989, a long time friend and I formed Comfort and Fit Australia Pty Ltd, a business that specialises in providing footwear and other appliances for people with problem feet. This business continues to thrive today, and through our own and franchised facilities, this business has provided jobs for over 50 people directly and another 10 indirectly. So if any of you have problem feet............................. During this time, we were caught up in “the recession we had to have”, sold our house in Killara and moved to a property near Canberra, so we could retire some debt. Living in Canberra did not work out very well, and we returned to Sydney after 12 months. The business survived, but our marriage faltered

In 1993, exactly after 20 years of being together, Libby and I went our separate ways. We get along very well, and we are both committed to ensure to the continued well being of our children. In 1994, I met Christine, a fantastic woman, a former employee, and we were married in 1997. She is a sales rep and came with one son who is completing a Bachelor of Business, on line through Monash University.

We currently live in Fairlight (near Manly) and we are looking forward to a sea change.