Amos O'Henry
The writer has done many things in this life including postie, steel worker, soldier, emergency services professional, trainer, cartoonist, father, husband, you name it.
His latest book Eat Beat Sleep Repeat: a FIFO Life describes life and experiences as a Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) worker in the oil and gas industry, from trainee to fifteen-year veteran. His career - so far - has included stints on four offshore facilities and one major onshore LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) project. He currently work on the World's largest floating object which was constructed in South Korea over a three year period. These experiences have been unique in many ways, but are conveyed in a very human way; the writer was not interested in writing a technical book, a history of the industry, or an environmental tome of monumental importance. This is just a story of his life as a FIFO worker during one of the busiest and most interesting times in the industry, particularly Australia.
“I believe that a large amount of "normal" people are very interested in this lifestyle, apart from the 150,000 plus FIFO workers based in Australia, Canada and elsewhere. It also openly and honestly describes my descent into depression, sometimes so bad I wanted to suicide. FIFO can be hard. FIFO is a different life altogether, it comes with its own issues and problems, from distances travelled, the method of getting there, fatigue, dangerous conditions, depression, anxiety, separation from family and The World, huge relationship hurdles, as well as the concept of being trapped by the lifestyle and the large salaries, the Golden Handcuffs as we call it. In fact, this book is a study of Australian working culture in many ways with all its blemishes.
The lifestyle is not for everyone, especially offshore, and many people have crashed and burned in the time I have been in the job. We do a minimum of 12 hour days, 7 days a week, up to 28 days straight, sometimes longer when storms hit or choppers fail. At the same time a lot of us get paid well and we get decent breaks where we spend that money we earn. And we work with some of the best people on the planet, even if the Companies and their management structures leave a lot to be desired.”
The writer have also written and illustrated two childrens’ picture books, Bushy Park and A Drink for Alice, but under another name. The latter can also be found on this site.
