Michelle Simpson
“Of course, Michelle was also active in the Scouts, hot air ballooning, rowing, and surf boating. I’d helped Michelle crew hot air balloons in previous years, and through her connections was able to fly over Canberra in one during the 2000 balloon festival. Michelle also encouraged Andrea and me to try rowing for the first time: the three of us spent a sunny Saturday morning on Lake Tuggeranong learning how to stroke and trying not to catch a crab.
“We were all thinking about our lives. I spoke with Andrea and Michelle about Rory’s and my plans to travel to Madagascar in July 2000. In May, Rory and I found out that the house we were renting was being sold, and things cranked up a notch. We decided to use this unforeseen event as the trigger to move away from Canberra—‘going thermonuclear’, as we called it. Part of the plan was for me to stay with Michelle in Canberra after our Madagascar trip while Rory looked for work in San Francisco.
“Michelle met me at the airport when I returned. As we drove back to her house in Kambah, I tried to tell her about the adventures I’d had, and also that in all likelihood I’d brought a flea or two back with me.”
