My parents were rural people who made the most of what little they had - a hard work ethic, loyalty to family, no sense of entitlement and just being grateful. We never lived beyond our means and saved up for everything. We grew our own fruit and veg. The only debt was the house mortgage. The family was large (8) and included our poetic grandfather. We were encouraged to explore and take risks, create and invent things. My mother was an artist and this was her gift - the freedom to create something from a blank canvas. My siblings all had jobs from a young age. My first job was at 13, collecting paper money. Then came the fruit picking, work as a shop assistant and postie. If you want it, work for it. My current roles and rural GP work in particular derive from all that my upbringing taught me - help others to help themselves, the value of hard work, taking risks and being creative, persistence, using criticism to review and strengthen your case, working for the common good, leveraging outcomes through and alongside others, painting a vision that rises above division and how the power of connectivity within small communities can make a difference.