Born in Dalby in 1947, David Wilson grew up on Mount Oscar Station just outside Clermont. Having matriculated, his initial instinct was to study medicine but when offered a scholarship in civil engineering his future path was decided. His early years as a graduate engineer were spent on projects around Australia but faced with losing his driver's licence for driving dangerously, he accepted a job in Singapore in the oil and gas industry. Later, David established an engineering office in London where he spent much of his time improving the written English of his colleagues, but Never Fear the Spills is his first published book. The book was spawned by a desire to impart some of his wisdom to younger generations of engineers. David now spends his days in retirement on the Sunshine Coast.