When he was in high school, a dare escalated a little too quickly and Robert made the state final in an interpretive dance competition. 

Thankfully, his teacher was okay with him chickening out of the main event, thus preserving his affection for education. 

Whilst not a direct consequence, Robert has since spent too much of his life studying and has just embarked upon his seventh university degree, a PhD in Education. Robert has degrees in psychology, sociology, biology and education, all of which inspire his writing. 

Robert studied karate for seventeen years and ran his own dojo in Perth, before taking a seven-year break, switching schools and becoming a student again. 

Robert is kosmemophobic, meaning he has a fear of jewellery. He has no idea why, it just freaks him out.