Happy Birthday to a Most Interesting Brother

My brother Simon turned sixty-three today. He lives in Sharon, near Bundaberg, in an idyllic location on the Burnett River. This morning, he would have been up at sparrow-fart watering his growing garden. Bundaberg has been in the grip of a vicious drought for six months and Simon is happily watching the lawn die whilst he creates a more environmentally friendly outdoors with bird attracting trees and shrubs. His goal is to finish with a bushy paradise that is waterwise, low maintenance and marvellously private. Take a sickie for his birthday? Not a chance. Simon's last extended time off work was in 1990 when he almost died from meningitis.

He always gave the impression of being slightly remote when I was growing up. Seven years older than me, I have only built a close relationship with him in the last twelve months. Prior to that, we were siblings, for sure, and spent plenty of time in each other's company at family occasions, but without any real intimate knowledge of each other.

I remember him as a lanky teenager, entertaining his mates at poker nights in the rumpus room of one of our homes. I was also fascinated with his love of tropical fish, building a quite exquisite and large fish tank populated with some beautiful and some scary specimens. Tiger Oscars, a freshwater shark and Giant Gouramis shared a one-hundred-and-eighty centimetre-long watery paradise which always took my breath away.

Thanks to Simon, I also learnt how to pour beer and watch cricket. His eclectic bunch of buddies would often gather for cards and I perfected my early barmaid skills. And as a child in Brisbane during the late 1960s and early 1970s, summer meant cricket on the telly.

The family was split by a move to Sydney in late 1972. David, working at Myers and Simon, studying medicine at Queensland Uni, did not come with Mum and Dad, Mike and me. Further fracture occurred when Mike descended into his own personal hell. At thirteen years of age, I became an only child.

The deaths of both our parents have caused a huge shift in our relationships with each other. Three times in the last twelve months, my siblings and me have gathered to meet, to share, to grieve and to connect. For me, discovering more about my brothers has been incredible. Sibling affection has been transformed into deep and truly astonishing understanding and acceptance.

In particular, becoming familiar with Simon has been intriguing. He is hilariously, brutally honest. He does not suffer fools. His passions are life and work. Yet, he appears to have these two aspects quite balanced. He is happy in his own company, but adores his friends and enjoys being in relationships. His children are everything to him, but he has always allowed them to have their own lives. He is generous with others. Yet, he loathes what he sees as a waste of money, which may actually seem like sound financial expense to others.

Anyone who enters into a relationship with Simon will find him a puzzle and a challenge. However, I really hope he finds that special someone. Simon is an enigma, a blast of energy and enthusiasm. He adores activity - water skiing, snow skiing, hiking, fishing, canoeing. Believe me, I think he is worth the effort.

And we look forward to more of his incredible personality when we return to Sharon in February.

Simon in his natural habitat -