Meet the Cast

A range of people appear and feature in this blog of mine about hiking, life, travel and adventures! So if you're interested, here are some of those who feature heavily!

Tristan

Image from Mount Jellore blog

Tristan and I met while both working doing bush regeneration (Conservation and Land Management) work. We struck up a friendship by revealing our similar interests, including our love of nature and adventure and struggle with our mental health.

Often coming across as gruff and abrasive, Tristan's outwardly aggressive exterior, and lack of tack, is more a character trait than actual aggression and a form of humour. Someone you grow to love.

You'll often find blogs that feature him include the self proclaimed 'shit talking' which in other words is 'talking trash'. Whether this be pop culture, our political debates, or just foul boyish humour. You'll also find him getting annoyed at my often nonchalant attitude in the bush, often getting us bushwhacking off trail or having to climb, or trying to push on in bad weather much to his chagrin.

The Faja 'aka Dad'

Image taken from Gosangs Tunnel and Mermaid Inlet blog

The man who raised me, and also sired my existence. (Fun fact, when I had both our DNA tested I tried to prank him by saying he wasn't a match, and was not my Father. "Bullshit. I was there when you were born!" He replied, which literally would mean nothing, so there's some insight into his character!)

The man who instilled in me my love of the outdoors and nature. Often taking my 3 brothers and I camping or travelling around the country or trying to get us outdoors. (He also bought of very first game console, the Nintendo 64 and so is in part responsible for the fact that I grew into a gamer!).

I started writing this blog in part by being inspired by adventure stories he would tell me about his youth, (that also usually mentioned huis childhood friend 'Bruce Johnson' who I do not know). As I got older and I began really writing this blog, I tried to get us to go together as a way of bonding and having good shared experiences that I could cherish, knowing my Dad would not be around forever (which almost came too soon during a rock climbing incident.)

However in later years, we struggled to keep this up, growing slightly apart because of his disagreements and constant negativity about myself and my life choices, as well as many political arguments as he went down the 'YouTube Rabbit Hole' and became more conservative with his views and opinions.

Stuart

Image from Mount Keira blog

I met Stuart when I changed High Schools, (for year 7 I went to a performing Arts High School with dreams of being an actor, but didn't fit in so decided to leave and go to my local High School after only 1 year) starting afresh at a new school in year 8. He was in the library reading a book on Dinosaurs (as a huge Dinosaur nerd myself, I of course decided this was grounds for friendship!)

We remained consistent friends throughout high school, much of this centred around being avid gamers. We went to TAFE together straight out of school to study 'Screen and Media' as we wanted to get into making movies. (A dream long dead). Here we both met Megan, our next character, who would later become his Wife.

Stuart and I were best men at each other's weddings, and he is also the creator of the 'Steventure Logo'. Not really the outdoorsy type, he is often spurred on by his more outgoing half, Megan, the two of them forming half of our usual Escape Room team. A massive gamer and self confessed geek who would rather have a session of Dungeons and Dragons than traverse a real hillside, he still finds joy and fun in coming out with the group for a real adventure now and again.

Megan

Image from Mount Keira blog

Megan and I met when Stuart and I went to TAFE to study Screen and Media. The two connected over their love of geeky things. Their connection blossomed into romance, and soon the two were dating, and eventually married. As time progressed the more adventurous side of Megan came out as she got into indoor rock climbing, taking Stuart along on that journey. I have only began doing walks with these two after my recovery from cancer, and I'm sure there will be many more adventures with the two of them in the future.

My Wife

Image from Trip to Iceland blog

It may seem weird to constantly refer to her as 'My Wife' or earlier on 'My Fiancée'. The truth is, she has no interest in my blogging shenanigans, but has to be featured as she is such a major part of my life. We met during high school, but didn't begin dating until years afterwards, eventually getting engaged and married. She features in the majority of my more 'travel' oriented posts, often unimpressed with my whimsical ways and displaying bouts of frustration at me. Not the most adventurous person (but more willing in colder climates, such as her dream-home of the UK). A huge lover of food and animals.

Orla

Image from Bens Walk blog

My beloved fur-child. Featuring her own Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/orlatherescue), adopted during the short two month period where I attempted to become a train driver. My poor little girl with her own love of adventure and exploration, but own set of insecurities and anxieties. Shortly after getting her, the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world and so we were locked down unable to take her out getting her socialised, shortly after that, I had my cancer diagnosis, stripping me away from her when she had become so bonded to me. I spent a year and a half at home recovering with her as my majority companion and I love my little girl beyond belief.

Though she has her own issues, you couldn't ask for a more loving and caring Dog, and I feel guilty every time I am away from her. All the walks that feature her take place on Dog friendly tracks, so if you want an adventure with your pooch, check those ones out!

Nathan

(Me left, Nathan right) Image from Road Trip 2009 blog

Though only featuring in 3 blogs (as of 2024, when I created this page of 'Cast Members'). Nathan has been a mate of mine since I changed high schools in year 8. Originally accidentally put in an IM class (A Mild Intellectual Disability (IM) refers to students with an IQ below around 55). Nathan was the one who took me to the head teacher, allowing me to re-join regular society, and go from being the smartest in my class to your average high school slacker.

We had many adventures during our teenage years, and more post graduation. Eventually, wanting to progress his life he moved away to the state of Queensland, where he worked on tourism islands living a much more adventurous life than myself (maybe he should have the blog?)

The two of us have applied to be on adventure TV Shows together, such as 'The Amazing Race'. Eventually he moved to Brisbane, where he has done boating and other fun things, featuring in the background of The Australian Amazing Race and being interviewed and shown riding a Jet ski on 'The Today Show'. Every time we catch up we reminisce on funny stories, and I hope for future ones to be written down in my blog.

Steven

Image taken from Trip to Iceland blog

The writer and creator of 'Steventure'. Inspired by hearing tales of my Dad's youthful adventures and feeling writers block during my own attempts at 'creative writing', I started blogging as a attempt to write something, and to tell my stories and remember my adventures. Starting as a pseudo-trail-guide/travel blog it turned more journalistic, and I often find it interesting reading through old blogs to see how my writing style and blogging has developed over the years.

Born the second son of four male children, my homelife was incredibly chaotic, and I often complain about it being rather intense and sometimes traumatic. However my positive memories often revolve around camping, travel, bushwalks or things from multimedia (games, shows, movies, books). Once an inspiring actor, I've long since abandoned those dreams. This blog will often feature my nerdy pop-culture references, self deprecation, as well as struggles with my mental health, including anxiety and my multiple neuroses. 

A lover of adventure, travel, hiking, dinosaurs, food, history, and being a lusty horn bag. I was diagnosed with cancer (leukaemia) at the age of 28 (2020) during the covid-19 pandemic. I had 4 rounds of chemotherapy and then a Stem Cell Transplant in 2021, at the age of 29. So far there has been no trace of the cancer, but the treatment left me with numerous issues, including lung damage, the inability to hold my bladder, aches and pains, fucked tooth enamel and the destruction of my hair (though I since think I have now gone 'old man bald' like my Father). I am often distinguishable by my trademark green and brown beanie, (though I don't know what I will do when it eventually breaks) as you'll see in posts after September 2020 (although it does feature 'pre-cancer' in my Euro-Trip blog, written in 2019 but occurring in 2015, before getting engaged to my now Wife when she was 'My Girlfriend').

Of course, other people featuring to varying degrees in my blog, and if any move up from minor, to recurring to major they will be added here. I hope you enjoyed learning about the people who feature in 'Steventure' and hope you'll have a look through the rest of my blog posts, which are often self-referential, so my personal recommendation is chronological order! Happy to have engagement, so feel free to comment on posts you like or comment with different stylistic choice I may use that you enjoy, or just let me know which posts you enjoy.

Thanks for reading! You can stay updated by following my blog on here, or by liking the Facebook page: Steventure Facebook (I don't spam the crap out of you on this page, I literally just link to new blog posts).

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