Wiradjuri man, Stan Grant spent his first year living in the wreck of a Model T Ford with his mother, father and aunt on a NSW mission.
His father was a hard man and an itinerant sawmiller who taught Stan the lessons he would need to survive and thrive as he grew older.
On the surface, Stan seemed disinterested in his studies, but he memorised everything he was reading and gathered his knowledge.
The family moved to Canberra when Stan was a teenager and suddenly the world opened up for him.
He became a journalist and in his career he has reported from China and North Korea, covered Nelson Mandela’s release, the death of Princess Diana, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and reported from outside Osama bin Laden’s house after he was killed.
Further information
Originally broadcast May 2013.
You can read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website.
