About Chris

Why He Writes

Chris Skelding was born in the Miners’ Hospital, Caerphilly in 1951 and spent his first fifteen years in the tiny mining village of Senghenydd. After studying at Caerphilly Grammar Technical School, he took up a student apprenticeship with the National Coal Board and studied mining engineering part-time at the Treforest School of Mines (now the University of Glamorgan). In 1982, Chris obtained a B Sc (Hons) at University College Cardiff leading to 40 years of international mining. He still works occasionally as a consultant mining engineer for the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum.

Chris has three adult children and three grandchildren. He lives on the Capricorn Coast of Queensland, Australia.

Hear Chris's life story on ABC Radio National's Conversations with Richard Fidler.