David (Young Jack) Roberts

David (Young Jack) Roberts is a late beginner in his writing journey, learning ways to tell written stories, for his own personal growth, and get past the gatekeepers to share them – gift them into the world. He lived his life avoiding his love of creativity through poetics, for conventional thinking of a following a ‘career path’, wanting to be ‘magician’. He wanted to be part of building things, which changed to wanting to help people, and then help the community, shifting to working with business toward helping people, but he discovered business has only self-interest with limited knowledge of risk management. He had no notion that the work involved exceeded his capacity. Now, he chooses to value the use and order of his time to find freedom enjoying and taking care of what he loves. Dedicated to truth, exploration of the nature of love and human spiritual development, Young Jack is committed to the exercise of wisdom, and takes opportunities with whatever artistry is available to teach what he knows. Even so he seems to be on the fringe of maintream.
Young Jack was born and raised in Victoria, on farms in the Western District and Wimmera before moving to the Mid-Murray. He jumped into adulthood early in life – independent and self-directed. His working life has taken him from ‘the bush’ to civil construction projects on the outskirts of Melbourne, to nursing in regional hospitals and managerial roles in a ‘meat works’ in Altona, a short period in the Pilbara in W.A. and to senior positions in Adelaide, S.A. He currently resides in Central Victoria, and is studying (part-time) writing at Bendigo TAFE, devoting his time researching, to produce creative work, with the view to helping young people who are in some way struggling on life’s path.
This script is a brief account of Young Jack’s life. It tells a story of a lifelong learner, juggling many projects, interests, plans, ideas, objects and stories, the preservation of ‘traditions’, and humanitarianism that comes from generations that precede us, in his own space. In our teen years we are so involved with our own concerns and we lose touch with what is going on in our family. This can transfer to adult life; not knowing the difficulties, opportunities, burdens carried and disappointments of our parents or siblings. For Young Jack the next ‘growth spurt’ has already begun, now that he is in some way attuned to his mental and spiritual health.
From a rational viewpoint bringing this work into existence must be in some way useful? Much has to be left to the readers own response – imagination – for it is unlikely they can provide the emotional background of times, which the work is written. Possibly a reinterpretation of a song that played on the radio in 1958, “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town”, by Johnny Cash, or the “Soldiers Farm” a poem by Judith Wright.
Life’s journey is a learning adventure, going to unpredictable places, not within the education system, medical science, religion, even digital media. Somehow the child who constantly asked “why” gets lost in translation, and parents don’t often ask “tell me your amazing story”! This can be replaced with a lasting heritage of sadness and infertile ground for growth.
Trust the mystery and accept uncertainty, because we don’t have a clue sometimes; recognising what is happening is beyond our mind’s understanding and predicting major changes is almost impossible.


People who are in some way troubled, rarely, if ever get the opportunity to tell their true story. No one in their family listens. They cannot tell the G.P. or ‘counselor’ who can only spare a few minutes of their precious spare time, and ask about what is important to them, not what is important to the person suffering; with a bias toward the tangible and measurable in ‘scientific medicine’, offering confusing advice and no help. Telling our story in our own way and in our own time, turning our thoughts and feelings, and comparing interpretations into language, can be the beginning to finding clarity in our direction on life’s journey. Though, nothing is gained by going over the events of past years, looking at what is happening in the present can provide an explanation and meaning to another’s understanding – if someone is willing to listen and hear what we say.
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