For acclaimed Australian writer Debra Oswald, the most valuable inheritance from her father wasn't monetary, but a single, powerful piece of advice: "always follow your curious nose." This philosophy, instilled from childhood, has shaped her career, her parenting, and even her approach to personal adversity.
A Childhood Built on Inquiry
The seeds were sown early. In 1960, a family photograph captured a young Debra Oswald as a baby on her father Max's lap, alongside her four-year-old sister Karen. This image hints at the inquisitive family life to come. When an 11-year-old Debra expressed interest in playwriting, Max Oswald sprang into action, booking theatre trips, driving her to Parramatta Library for scripts, and gifting her a portable typewriter for her twelfth birthday.
He applied the same enthusiastic support to his elder daughter's mumbled interest in genetics, taking the whole family to a university lecture on the subject. Max was a self-confessed "stickybeak," exploring the world vicariously through his children's fascinations, aided by books and the family's Mind Alive encyclopaedias.
Curiosity as a Career and a Compass
As an adult, Debra Oswald turned this familial trait into a profession. "One of the joys of a writing career is the excuse to be nosy," she notes. Her research has taken her on police rescue truck rides, led to a TAFE certificate in asbestos removal, and involved deep conversations with everyone from peach farmers to coroners.
She has passed this mindset to her own children, delighting in learning about blues harmonica and Russian history through their interests. Now, as a grandmother, she revels in following a four-year-old's fascination with Egyptian mummies to museum visits, or exploring a baboon's anatomy to satisfy a toddler's storybook query.
The Power of a Curious Mind in Dark Times
This lifelong habit proved its profound value beyond creativity during a recent "skirmish with breast cancer." Facing a small, early-detected tumour, Oswald's trained curiosity kicked in. She found herself fascinated by the medical technology, her own physical sensations, and the emotional sequences in her mind.
She asked medical staff about their jobs and observed their professional rapport during procedures. "Taking an intense interest in what was happening, around me and inside me, has helped maintain my sanity," she reflects. While not diminishing the pain of hardship, she believes curiosity offers different perspectives, helping people endure.
Oswald champions curiosity as a superior alternative to entrenched opinion. "Ask people questions about themselves and what fascinates them," she advises, suggesting it leads to more interesting exchanges than the clash of opposing views.
Though the mouldy Mind Alive encyclopaedias were discarded after her father's death, his spirit endures. The family tradition of following a curious nose continues, proving that the greatest gifts are often the intangible philosophies that shape how we see the world.
