On this page I would like to tell you a little about myself.  I felt it would be nice if you knew about the author of this website.

Well firstly my real name is Gavin, 'Scaramouche' is just a pen name that I chose to use.  The choice of this 'Nom De Plume' was not picked at random, it does have meaning and I will explain it to you a little later on.

Where does this word come from?
Most people believe that the word "Scaramouche" originated from the Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody. This is most likely because it is the only time people have heard the word used. This is not the case as the word actually originated from the Commedia Dell'Arte (French Pantomime).

"Scaramouche" was the name given to an actor that played a particular part in the play being performed.

This is what the Webster Dictionary has this to say about the word Scaramouche:

The Commedia Dell'Arte was similar to the modern day Pantomime where actors would wear masks to hide their true identity.

The part played by Scaramouche is the exact opposite of the true me. He generally portrays what we Australians would call a "Scallywag" or a "Ratbag". These are not in any way derogatory terms, they are words used to describe someone that takes nothing seriously and just loves to live life and enjoy every second of it.

I would dearly love to have the ability to treat life exactly like that. Deep down I really do believe that life is far too short to spend it worrying or to waste it being miserable. But unfortunately I sometimes, well nearly all the time, I tend to take life far too seriously.

I am very conscious of this fact and so I adopted this nick. I wanted to break out of the mould that I had cast for myself.

I was born in a little town called Crookwell in New South Wales in Australia in 1951.  
If you want to know where it is then use this link:  Location Of Crookwell (opens in a new window)

Because my father was a member of the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) I spent a lot of my childhood moving around.   In fact I had spent time in most states of Australia and spent 2½ years in Malaysia before I turned 11.   All this moving around did not do much for my formal education but it did teach me a lot about life, people & cultures.   This, in my opinion, is a lot more valuable.

After leaving school I worked in a lot of different fields until I finally followed my father's footsteps and joined the RAAF in 1970.  I had my heart set on being a chef.

I qualified in 1971 and have been cooking ever since. During my service career I travelled all over Australia.  I was lucky enough to go back to Malaysia for three years commencing in July 1982.  I also spent a month in Singapore in 1984.  It was great being a tourist but getting paid to do it.

In the year 2000 I was posted to HMAS Cerberus.   This is a Naval base on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and I worked there in an administrative / instructional capacity. At the end of 2002 I was placed on permanent convalescent leave awaiting discharge.  I had developed a medical problem that stopped me from working.

Computing Interests
I first became interested in computers in 1982 when I was based in Malaysia beteeen '82 and '85 and I have "dabbled" with them ever since. My first computer was old Apple ][e, back in the days of DOS 2.2 and 20meg Hard Drives. Since then I have progressed to using something a bit better (grin) IBM type machines.

My interests in computing include creating Databases and Spreadsheets, dabbling with graphics, making Web pages and helping others with computer based problems. It is the design of Web pages and the helping of others that I most enjoy. This site is just my little contribution to the web so browse around.

My Ideals & Philosophies
We all live by certain Ideals and Philosophies. These are the things that control the way in which we think, live and behave. They indirectly control our outlook on life as a whole. Listed below are some of my favourites: