From around the age of 14 I read and made zines. The discovery of zine culture and DIY publishing had a profound impact on me and changed my sense of isolation (I grew up on a farm in country Victoria) and introduced me to all kinds of ideas including feminism, punk, DIY and self publishing.

Through my teens I made Moquette Zine and then in my early 20s I made See Saw Zine. I also made a zine about living in Amsterdam, a zine about The Penthouse (a short lived squat I lived in in Melbourne) and a zine comprised of high school confessional letters.

I swapped zines with people all over Australia and the world and the POBOX that I shared with two other country zinesters was my favourite school skipping destination. As well as mail swapping zines with folks I stocked my zines at Au Go Go Records (where I first discovered zines on a school trip to Melbourne) and Sticky Institute.

Some of the makers of my favourite zines; Nervous Dandruff, The Miraculous Indulgence of the Hairball Goulash, Thunderpussy, Coughing Up Lego Men and of course the seminal Tadpole Zine have become life-long friends.

Space Station had a zine library at Irene Warehouse which we donated to the State Library of Victoria who house the largest zine collection in Australia; which is where most of my zines ended up.

Image: Typewriter and scissors Wyndham Library, Zine wall from Birdsong mag.