ðɪs bˈɔɪhʊd hˈɑːbi dɪvˈɛləpt ˌɪntʊ ɐ sˈɪɹiəs ˈɪntɹɛst ɪn dʒɪˈɑːlədʒi, wˌɪtʃ bɹˈɔːt hˌɪm ˌɪntʊ kˈɑːntækt wɪððə dʒˌiːoʊsˈaɪəntɪsts æt ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv ˈædəlˌeɪd tə hˈuːm hiː tˈʊk kəlˈɛktᵻd sˈæmpəlz fɔːɹ aɪdˈɛntɪfɪkˈeɪʃən.
This boyhood hobby developed into a serious interest in geology, which brought him into contact with the geoscientists at the University of Adelaide to whom he took collected samples for identification.