Neil Kirby speaks at Warilla High. Photo: Supplied.
When Neil Kirby stood before a group of Warilla High students last week, he had to apologise for being 48 years late with his English assignment — but it was finally finished.
A former school leader, Neil returned to the place where his dream of writing began to launch his debut novel Binya, marking an emotional full-circle moment nearly five decades in the making.
“It was quite emotional for me – a sort of welcoming home in many respects,” Neil said.
“A lot of my inspiration to write a book and that dream did begin when I was a student at school in English and literature there.
“I jokingly said, ‘Mrs Bramlett gave us an assignment to write a story, and I’m sorry I’m 48 years late with it, but I’m here now.’”
What could have been a routine book launch transformed into an inspiring encounter, with students peppering him with questions about writing, life, and dreams.
Neil, who graduated as school leader in 1977, recalled founding the “BONG Club” — which stood for Beat Out Nasty Garbage – an environmental group that gained statewide recognition.
“It was an antipollution group. Back in the 70s, this was quite on the front foot,” he said.
“We went out and did clean-up campaigns on the roads and we did policies on antipollution in the school.
“I was the president of that, and it ended up taking a lot of my time, to the point I got an office.
“I was the only school kid to ever have their own office – of course, the principal wouldn’t let me call it ‘my office.'”
It wasn’t the first time Neil had returned to the school, appearing at a speech night some years ago, leading to the creation of the Neil Kirby School Ambassador of the Year Award.
“When I wrote this book … it’s a fictional novel, but based on my experiences in life and my search for that place of peace, so launching it at Warilla High just all fitted,” he said.
“I thought, what better place to launch it than where my heart sits back at the school.
“This is where it started for me. There’s a piece of me in this school.”
Binya follows a protagonist who reluctantly returns to his hometown where he “unearths ghosts from the past” and discovers himself.
In Aboriginal language, Binya means “place of rest” or “mountain”, perfectly capturing the novel’s theme of self-discovery and honouring a family farm of the same name at Harden-Murrumburrah in regional NSW that made him feel safe and at peace when he visited during his childhood.
Neil Kirby’s book Binya. Photo: Supplied.
“This particular story has evolved over many years,” he said.
“Problem is that a busy executive work life consumed me and it was not until I had a stroke, and moved into the slow lane, I began transferring my thoughts to paper.”
Despite training as a journalist, Neil spent most of his career in emergency services, rising to become Queensland Ambulance Deputy Commissioner, Dubai director of ambulance, and Ambulance Tasmania’s CEO.
One of his most powerful messages to the students was about patience and perseverance.
He shared a remarkable story about cutting out a newspaper ad for a public health fellowship to study abroad that resulted in him taking his family to Canada for six months in 1993.
After completing his thesis, he sent off a copy to those who hosted him in Canada.
A decade later he was informed that Canada’s Minister for Health carried a copy of his report under his arm every day, resulting in him being invited to speak at a Canadian conference based on his original research.
“The point I made to the kids was to plant a seed, cut your ad out of the paper and wait for it to germinate,” he said.
“My seed took 10 years to germinate.”
It’s a seed that led to a stream of other opportunities for him.
For Neil, it was a metaphor for pursuing dreams, even when success isn’t immediate, and a message that captivated the students.
“I’ve been to events with kids before, and they sit there like stunned mullets and say nothing,” he said, laughing.
“Well, 100 hands went up, and they had heaps of questions – and great questions.”
Neil said the launch was a tribute to Warilla High and the formative years that shaped his journey.
As he said to the students: “Never walk away from here and regret your years at school. They’re so powerful”.
In fact, Neil said a unique aspect of the graduates of Warilla High 1977 was they had remained friends to this day.
They catch up when they can and have lived through each other’s milestones, from one becoming 2010 World Masters Athletics’ Best Female Athlete of the Year to another being the Salvation Army captain for the entire Western Europe region.
“I told them to cherish those relationships that start here,” he said.
“I think it’s a special place. I’ve really got a soft spot for it.
“That’s what my award, the School Ambassador of the Year Award, was all about. It’s not for achieving something; it’s the person who’s going out there and championing the school and raising the flag high in the community.”
Binya is available on Neil’s website.
