Mark Dixon: A biography.

This is a peice I wrote for my good friend Mark Dixon several years ago. My brief was to write something amusing which was in some tangential sense a biography of Mark, yet managed not to give away too many personal/private details. I still like the way it turned out so, though dated, here it is...

The following is a short extract from an otherwise very funny biography written by M.Head Esq.

Mark Dixon was born in Australia after flares had gone out of style but before Gough Whitlam (former Australian Prime Minister) was dismissed from office. Somehow, despite living in these wild and dangerous times, Mark has managed (as far as anyone is aware) to avoid becoming a serial killer - a move which shows a strength of character which should be applauded by all and sundry.

Mark overcame many social handicaps before becoming the well rounded human being he is today (unless of couse, today is a Thursday - but thats another matter). As a baby, Mark was left on the doorstep of Mr and Mrs Dixon. However, when they discovered that he was still there the next morning, they took him back into the house and decided to keep him after all.

At the age of three he was 'mislaid' on a trip into the harsh West Australian wilderness. Left alone, he was raised first by a pack of wild dogs, and later (some say more successfully) by a ruthless gang of wild flowers. He was later returned to his parents after being found on a street corner in Perth while simultaneously peeing on a fire hydrant and leaning towards the sun, an artefact of his strange upbringing which has never truly left him.

The Mark Dixon story became known to me in 1983, when he began attending Kinlock Primary School (elementary school for non-Aussie readers), an educational institution beyond repute which was also attended by my good self. Even at this tender age (8yo) Mark showed an aptitude for dealing with computers and all things electronic which my "good, sharp thump" philosophy (learnt from a childhood watching 'Happy Days') was hard pressed to match.

In 1987 we parted company when my parents and I selfishly moved, leaving the still young Mark to fend for himself. We remained in contact however by means of the now outdated art of letter writing - yes kids, 'back when I was a lad' the Internet was just a twinkle in the US Defence Force's eye.

Through regular progress reports, I was pleased (if slightly shattered) to discover that Mark was doing quite well all by himself - his parents doing a stirling job of which they may be justly proud.

By the time the lure of university and the big city had stirred me to return to Perth (in 1993), Mark was embarking upon a business degree (in Computer Science) at Curtin University. The lure of the fine architecture of this institution was not enough, however, as in 1994 (following the birth of his sister's first child) he and his parents packed up and moved to the Canberra, the nation's capital (no, overseas readers, Sydney is not Australia's capital city).

Since arriving in Canberra, Mark has survived a change of university, a change of government and, I am informed, several changes of underwear. I am given to understand that he has etched a place in the hearts and minds of the Information Technology department, just as he tried to etch his initials into the back of my car those many years ago.

Murray