Charles has been inspired by the study of our natural/urban environments and in particular the water cycle since his late teens. Born in Belfast, he emigrated to Australia in 1990 as a young academic to work on the integration of hydrology into the then ‘embryonic climate models’ and how climate change might affect the water cycle.

Within 2 years, he decided to broaden his perspective side-stepping into the real world of the water industry and in 1999 government regulation, when he held the statuary SES position of Chief Water and Sewerage Engineer for NSW. In 2003, he set up his own consultancy (Sustainable Water Solutions P/L) to pursue challenges in sustainable water cycle management (SWCM), that government was not ready to engage with. Charles now enjoys consulting, researching, educating, informing and writing about SWCM.