My name is Johann de Boer. I was born in 1979 in a small town called Levin on the North Island of New Zealand near the capital city of Wellington. Levin is where I spent the first 18 years of my life. I then moved to Palmerston North City just north of Levin for the next four and a half years to study Computer Systems Engineering at Massey University.

In my family I am the second oldest of five children, two girls, and three boys. Both of my parents are veterinarians but their interests are quite different - my mother is artistic, and my father scientific. Since as a very young child I have always had a fascination with technology such as machinery and electronics, and always dreamed of becoming an inventor. I also had a strong passion for drawing and music since a young age, and I hope to involve these in my career in someway.

Living away from home while attending university accelerated my personal development. I enjoyed independence, and met many interesting people. Sharing rental accomodation with new friends helped me learn to cook while also studying for my profession. One of the most important things I did at university was learn to become comfortable with who I am. The support of groups such as UniQ was highly valued, and it was also very fun getting involved in their work.

I travelling around New Zealand and Australia while I was a student, streghening my independence. At age 23, I was ready to leave Palmerston North, and decided to complete the final part of my degree in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city of more than 1.2 million people. Living in Auckland was lonely for me, and the city is not well suited to people who have low vision; it was not the place for me. After living in Auckland for 10 months I then moved to Melbourne.

I had only visited Melbourne once before, for one week to attend a student conference. The photo on this page was taken during that visit. I fell in love with Melbourne very quickly during that trip and looked forward to returning. So I did, and have now been living in Melbourne for three years.

Please learn more about me by reading over my Resume, and looking through my Interests page. My latest contact details are available on my Contacts page.

Sincerely,

Johann de Boer.

Photograph of me in January 2002 during my time in Melbourne.