Tom was born in Holland and migrated to Australia when 16 years old. He worked in metallurgy until he joined the Methodist Ministry
(later Uniting Church) in 1960.
He and his wife Bev worked for 4 years as fraternal workers in Fiji with the Indian population. He has a variety of interests including 6 languages, statistics, and sport. He is also a keen woodcarver.
From 1975 till 1989 he worked as a senior public servant in the Commonwealth Public Service and was the State Commissioner for Workers Compensation for 5 years.
When re-entering the ministry in 1989 he completed his doctoral thesis on The Place of Creativity, Fun and Play in Life and in the
Church. He believes that laughter is an essential necessity in life but particularly in difficult times.
Tom and his wife Bev are now retired and live in Wentworth Falls.