Friday 4 July 2014

Who I am

My name is Peter Gort, and I'm a Database Programmer with Denbigh International, http://www.denbigh.com.au.  I've been working for Denbigh since 2002, mostly working with FileMaker Pro databases, with a smattering of various SQL systems integration occasionally.  The vast majority of our work is in custom administration and reporting systems for educational institutions.  Given the time I have been working for Denbigh now, I must really love the job!

Before that I was Tier 2.5 Helpdesk with Apple Australia, I worked for Apple for 4 years... and a roller coaster ride it was.  I started just as Steve Jobs started turning the company around, and brother it was a ride.

Before that I wasn't in I.T. at all, I was a Diesel Mechanic, Allison Guild Craftsman, and truck and bus driver.  Something that most of the people did not realise when I applied for jobs with them, is that Tech Support and Diesel Mechanic are almost the same job.  The skill set is the same, just the machines and tools are different.

In 2004, I moved my family from Western Sydney, to Gunnedah in New South Wales.  Non-Australians will not comprehend the enormity of the move, in fact a surprising number of Australians don't know where Gunnedah is either, in spite of one of our most famous national poems being about the place.  Dorothea Mackellar's "My Country" http://www.dorotheamackellar.com.au/archive/mycountry.htm

While the job opportunities for the rest of my family are not that great out in the country, the neighbourhood is friendly, the scenery magnificent, the air is clear, and the climate easy to cope with. Not to mention that buying a home is 1/5th the price of Sydney!  I get to work from home most of the time, but I get some good travelling in when customers want me to show up and prove I'm a real person.

This blog is mostly going to deal with technical stuff, usually experiences and techniques working with FileMaker Pro databases, but occasionally I'll diverge a bit.