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‘I used to be a high school teacher in maths and geography. 30 odd years ago I went to England and I was teaching over there for a long time – long enough to get married, have a daughter, get divorced. You know…the usual story. When I came back they’ve changed the rules on me. I’m no longer qualified. They consider me a new starter. I haven’t got a specialist teaching qualification so despite the fact that I’ve got 30 years’ experience including head of department I can’t teach without going back to uni for another year. I can’t afford that so I’m making scarves to keep myself above the streets rather than below them.’

‘If I sell a few scarves a week, I’m happy. The first couple of scarves buys all the wool I need. The next one buys me food for the week and the next one puts some petrol in my home.’

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‘The micro-brewery industry is flourishing across Australia and we’re going to see a lot more of it but I put the caveat on that in terms of research. We are dependent on these high quality grains and hops that are suitable. Unless we have a strategy that supports agriculture to grow the crops and not have to import both the grain and the hops, then we don’t have an industry. I see it as a flourishing industry but it needs support at a bigger picture level than it’s getting at the moment.’

There are a number of microbreweries in the Inner West, what would be your message to them?

‘Keep going – it’s fabulous! Keep making more beer!’

Greens Leader & Craft Beer Industry Association No. 1 Beer Enthusiast, Christine Milne

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What’s been your biggest challenge in life?

‘Doing my first degree when I was 38 which I loved and sailed through and I got a first. I studied Drama.’

What advice would you give to your 20 year old self?

‘Aim for RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London) – do the degree early! That is where I wanted to go but my parents wouldn’t let me. I became a registered nurse when I was 18 instead.

‘I’ve only stopped performing on stage in the last five years because I’ve had a lot of problems with my teeth and I won’t go on stage with no teeth. I can’t annunciate properly but I’ll have new teeth in soon.’

Will you go back to stage then?

‘Only to do cabaret – I love cabaret. I didn’t find cabaret until I was actually doing my finals project. I love singing and dancing. I shall return!’

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What’s the best thing you’ve learnt about yourself while you’ve been studying psychology?

‘I’m not that different to everyone else. When I was young I had traumatic experiences. I have a complex traumatic disorder and so for a long time I was such a depressed person. I’d get anxious and feel like I was so weird and so different and didn’t fit in.

‘But just about everyone has their own issues and problems. It’s just about how those problems combine together and that means that some people are depressed and some people are just sad sometimes.

‘I think everyone’s a little socially anxious. I’m probably more socially anxious than a lot of people I know. In the same way I would reserve judgement when meeting someone else, I try to reserve judgement about their judgement. I try to assume they’re not judging.’

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How appropriate that we should bump in to these wonderful Humans of Newtown on Father’s Day. Adam featured on our page on Friday crossing King Street with both twins strapped to him – daddying like a boss! Join me in wishing him and all the dads (and dad role models) out there a wonderful Father’s Day.