David Conway Hopkins

David Conway Hopkins is an almost retired consulting engineer living in Auckland. He grew up in Christchurch earning Civil Engineering degrees and playing cricket with Dowling and Hastings - and against the Hadlees. David's work has taken him to many countries including England, Thailand, Philippines, Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia, USA, Canada, and Fiji. In NZ and overseas he worked on a wide variety of projects in both the private and public sector - in technical, management and company director roles. He has lived in London, Wellington, and Auckland where he, his wife of 50 + years and his three married children now live. His seven grandchildren went or go to school there.

David has had a life-long inclination to write simple rhymes about occasions and people, particularly work colleagues and family members. A secretary once started a file labelled "David's Ditties". Hence these "Rhymes of our times", prompted by items in the hard copy of the NZ Herald, became "Down Under Ditties". Each one usually starts as hand-written notes in the margins of the newspaper.