John Spencer has ‘rubbed shoulders with royalty and movie stars’
JOHN Spencer worked various jobs in the tourism industry for more than four decades, and has just published an autobiography
Alice Springs
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ALICE Springs resident John Spencer has worn many hats in his lifetime.
Orphaned at age nine, he has been a business owner, running the Ti-Tree Roadhouse as a teenager, and worked various jobs in the tourism industry for more than 4 decades, and now he can also say he is an author.
He’s “rubbed shoulders with royalty and movie stars” and showed the world the treasures of the Northern Territory.
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“I took the first Japanese group that ever came to Central Australia and took them to Ross River.”
From all over the world including Europe, the UK and America, John has “made many friends” in his day.
On Both Sides of the Fence details John’s memories of working in the tourism and transportation industries; details the obstacles he has faced and describes the satisfaction that he has derived from teaching people about his Country and Culture.
John Spencer was born in Alice Springs in 1941 and is of Arrernte and Scottish descent.
John has spent his life learning about the culture of his people and the flora, fauna and history of his homeland.
As a young man he was taught how to use spears and boomerangs, how to track kangaroos and identify birds and tracks of different animals by traditional owners.
John is well known for his work in the tourism industry in Central Australia, where he worked for more than 40 years, sharing this knowledge with visitors from around the world.
His initiation into the tourism industry is a funny one.
He picked up a bunch of tourists and took them out to Flynns Grave, and told them “you’ll read about it on the signpost”, being shy on leading a group on his own.
“Then we got to Simpson’s Gap I said, ‘Go have a look I’ll make the tea’.
“I went to put the billycan on the fire and the wind blew the fire in my face and singed all my eyebrows and eyelashes, I was a mess.”
He worked for a number of years as a tour guide in the Alice Springs Desert Park, where some of his best memories were made with his colleagues.
John started the concept of the book 17 years ago, but only started writing it five years ago.
“I’ve been through a hell of a lot and seen a lot of things happen. I’ve lost two very important people, I’ve had an old man die in my arms, I saw the first dead person I ever saw when I was 13.
“But I didn’t put anything bad in the book.”
To what John’s wife Liz said, “Well, it depends what you’d call bad.”
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