Gum Leaf Pipes

G’day. I’m Mark.

After forty years serving Australia — twenty in uniform and twenty in the public service — I was medically retired at the beginning of COVID. Like a lot of people, the work stopped suddenly, and the structure I’d lived with for decades disappeared.

This channel is about what came next.

Through pipe making, slow craft, and practical work, I found a way to rebuild structure and purpose. Gum Leaf Pipes reflects how I work now — patiently, deliberately, and with respect for the materials and the land.

I also share experience-based thoughts on Defence: leadership, culture, and capability — not politics or headlines, just what actually reaches people on the ground.

Motorbikes still play a role too. Riding has always been about clarity and staying present, not escape.

Gum Leaf Pipes is about starting again later in life — honestly, practically, and without pretending it’s easy.

If that resonates, you’re in the right place.