When Graham Toulmin launched the memoirs that chronicle his path to decades of humanitarian work as a dentist in Africa last month it was a joyful occasion before a packed audience of family and friends in Springwood.
But it was a different story in 1985 when Dr Toulmin told his bank manager about his plans to sell his Springwood dental practice and move his young family to Zaire.
The bank manager's response was succinct: "Toulmin, you must have rocks in your head."
That fateful decision began a decades-long commitment to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) by the Toulmins, where they established dental clinics and set up systems to train the country's own dentists.
Long Road to Zaire describes the journey that led Graham and his wife Wendy to relocate their family to the small town of Butembo in the mountainous eastern region of the country. Published by Ark House Press, Dr Toulmin tells his story with compassion and humour - from his childhood in Wollongong to his university days, and meeting his wife of 49 years, Wendy.
The well-known Springwood resident can thank his sister for beginning him on his path to dentistry.
"I was in the Wollongong Steelworks Brass Band [as a kid] and was practicing the cornet when my sister banged on the end... It damaged my front tooth so I had to go to the dentist."
It was five years later at Wollongong High School's careers night when he locked in the idea of dentistry as a career.
"There were about 50 people queuing to see the doctor so I couldn't talk to him, but there was no-one talking to the dentist. I felt sorry for him so I went over... He was a fascinating guy."
When he finally arrived at Sydney University, the Wollongong teenager soon discovered that tertiary education was very different to his sheltered school days. Living on campus at Wesley College, the undergraduate failed his first year when the lure of university social life proved greater than lecture halls.
This early setback goes on to become one of the book's key themes: The idea that failure isn't final.
After graduating from dentistry, and meeting and marrying his Wendy, the couple moved to the Blue Mountains in 1980.
Their strong Christian faith led them to set up the pioneering African dental services after they saw a slide show presentation by the Church Missionary Society of Australia in 1985 highlighting the great needs in Zaire.
"Something just resonated with us," said Dr Toulmin.
A two-year training and application process followed before the family - including four boys aged between two and eight - finally arrived in Butembo.
"We were kind of led to believe there would be a house, a car and a clinic. When we got there, there was no house, there was no car, and the mud brick clinic was barely started", said Dr Toulmin.
But despite the arduous journey getting to Zaire, the true tests were only just beginning for the family.
"We didn't realise that that was the easy part," said Mrs Toulmin.
Year later, in 1991, the family would find themselves being evacuated by plane as a violent civil war raged around them.
But that's the subject for a second volume of memoirs. Until then, Long Road to Zaire is available locally at The Turning Page Bookshop in Springwood and The Wandering Bookseller in Katoomba.
