Hi Mark. Tell us a bit about your early life and how you came to own Lot19.
I studied nursing, which was such a privilege. I did some work in communities up north. I also studied prosthetics after a friend lost a leg. Back then prosthetics were very different and I learnt a lot about making things.
I finished nursing after I hurt my back and I started making furniture and timber boats. I still make furniture, mostly high end fit outs.
All the best decisions I’ve ever made were made in the shed. It’s like another room in your brain. Moving and doing stuff triggers priorities and is a direct line to sanity.
My folks moved here when I was in my early 20s and eventually I decided to come and look after my folks. And they’ve looked after me really well since!” Mark laughs.
I’m a ministers son, so I’ve always wanted to save the world, and Lot19 seemed like a great way to do that – providing a nurturing place for music and art. Plus I’ve always been a musician and my friends are all musicians.
I bought the place in 2001. It was just a bare paddock with a rundown old house on it and now there are 22 artists permanently working here.
At the moment I’m in the process of setting up a company for this place, which will essentially give it back to the community.
You’ve achieved a lot over the years, how have you managed to fit so much in?
I remember when I was 11 years old, thinking we miss out on so much being lazy, so I started making beds. I learnt the trumpet and spent a lot of time doing mono’s on my bike.
Not drinking helps too, it buys you time and clarity.
I’m learning French at the moment, watching the news while using duo lingo- it’s like mental gymnastics. I’m loving gardening at the moment too. I kind of think, ‘why do you want to stop at the end of the day? It’s so amazing to be alive at all’.
You’ve travelled a lot over the years. What’s that looked like for you?
I started travelling as soon as I could, before I was in my 20s. The first place I went was South Korea, where I taught English for three months while saving money to travel more.
I’m currently travelling around Africa (Sierra Leone, Uganda and Kenia) regularly, with a volunteer agency called ‘I Am Someone’. We work with the most vulnerable kids (the one’s that are completely on their own). We provide housing, clothing, healthcare and get to know them. When I first went there 10 years ago I had low expectations, but those expectations were blown. It’s just amazing. We’ve just clocked over 10,000 kids we’ve helped. These kids are taken from the tip face to studying surgical degrees. Its amazing seeing these broken four year old faces and watching them change into the person they become. The kids are getting older now and a lot of them are involved in helping run the charity. That’s really where my heart is. We (Australians) don’t realise how fortunate we are and how blind we are to that fortune.
I’m going back in May, we haven’t been to for a long time due to COVID, so it’s pretty scary and unknown.
Then we’re going back with a group of eight friends which means we’ll get a lot done. They’re builders, musicians and artists.
What are you reading at the moment?
Us by an American psychiatrist Terrence Real. It’s about redefining relationships in a much less individualistic way.
What music do you enjoy?
Classic FM is the only thing that stands in the way between me and road rage. And I just found my old MP3 player, listening to Enya and Esquivel (who reinvented music). The most amazing musicians we’ve had (at Lot19) recently were King Stingray. It was great to have those ancient voices on this land.
What are your pet peeves?
Selfishness.
What do you love about the place you call home?
The community. There’s all sorts here, with different ideas that we can talk about without too much judgment.