Rob Collinge was born in Birmingham, England in 1943. At the age of seven, he accompanied his parents in their emigration to Australia, settling in Orange, a town in New South Wales.

Rob Collinge left home at 17 to attend Sydney University from which he graduated with degrees in Science (majoring in Mathematics) and Civil Engineering. He moved later into the computer industry, becoming a project manager and quality analyst. He retired in 2010 at age 66.

In 1970, Rob Collinge married Helen Butcher of Collie, Western Australia. They have three children and two grandchildren. Rob and Helen Collinge moved to the UK in retirement and now live in Herefordshire.

Rob Collinge’s grandfather, Lieutenant Wharton Rye Collinge, in his World War I uniform

Rob Collinge has always had an interest in the world outside Australia and, both before and after marriage to Helen, he travelled extensively, including Europe, Russia (including the Trans Siberia Railway), Japan and North America. A particular delight for Rob and Helen was an eight day raft trip down the Grand Canyon.

Rob Collinge began four years of investigations into his long-deceased father’s mysterious background in 2003 and his revelations eventually led to publication of Ancestors: A Tale of Two Worlds.

A second book, The Road to Salvation, is intended for future publication. It is a novel about the First Crusade of 1095-99. Rob Collinge has always taken a keen interest in history and, like Ancestors, the book is the result of considerable research.