He retired in 1992 so that he, and wife Dawn, could start a "Host Farm" on their four-acre property at Portarlington, on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong. They ran colored sheep, Silky Bantam chooks and Khaki Campbell ducks for some years, showing city kids how animals live. During that time, he ran a series of photography and video making courses for adults, and designed two darkrooms for local schools.

They retired again in 2000 down the road a few miles, to Clifton Springs on the bay, where he now enjoys Lawn Bowls, watching movies and writing his novels. "The writing is easy," he says. "I just write down what I see and hear in my head. I have to thank my training in film-making for that. It's the research that's so damn hard."

Dawn and Rob have two grown-up children, Michelle and Glenn who both own their own businesses, three grandchildren and counting, and a cocker spaniel named Tammy. Rob is a mad keen lawn bowler. Still an avid photographer, Rob is a member of the Geelong Camera Club.

Rob's father was a Science Fiction fan and started the Melbourne Science Fiction Club which ran for over 20 years, hosting authors such as A. Bertram Chandler at conventions.

Rob hated history in school. It was filled with Kings and Queens, and their dates, learned by rote, taught by people who had learned the same facts by rote. Not until he started to read historical novels was he transported into other times and places where history came alive and the players breathed.

He believes strongly that by writing his novels which are (quite loosely) based on the family history, his descendants will better understand the lifestyles and times that their ancestors lived through. The novels do not replace his careful family tree research, but add to it. And a bit of excitement never goes astray, does it.