Hello, I’m Rob Keating, and welcome to my story.

I was born in 1966 at Canberra Hospital, which at the time stood beside Lake Burley Griffin before being demolished in the late 1990s. After coming home from hospital, my family lived in Ainslie for about six months before moving to Macquarie, a new suburb in Canberra at the time.

A few years later, my parents separated, and my time was divided between my father in Macquarie and my mother, who later moved from Lyons to Weston Creek, and eventually built a home in Tuggeranong. In 1975, just before Christmas, we moved there. That same year, my mother surprised me with a holiday to New Zealand, where we spent six weeks traveling and visiting her friends. I was just ten years old and it was an unforgettable experience.

As a child, I played rugby union for the Falcons and briefly for Eastern Suburbs. I returned to rugby and played juniors until under-15s. At 14, I started playing basketball for Woden Valley High School, where I also began my volleyball journey. I played for the Tuggeranong Panthers, Canberra’s top team, and represented the ACT at Australian schools championships. My representative volleyball career continued, including in junior national championships in Launceston, Canberra, and Sydney.

In 1987, I was introduced to outdoor volleyball at a grass court tournament in Canberra, which led me to beach volleyball in Sydney. I competed in the Pro Beach Volleyball Australia tour from around 1988 until 1996, when the tour folded due to sponsorship issues. My goal was to qualify for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but my partner’s knee injury ended that dream.

Professionally, I started at the Commonwealth Bank before joining DFAT in 1987. I worked at DFAT until 2010, with a stint in Beijing and roles in payroll and intranet teams. My career there ended after challenges with security clearance and job availability. In between, I worked in payroll and internet support for private companies.

After leaving DFAT, I started a web design and marketing business in Canberra, which was successful until I neglected ongoing marketing and lost clients. I then took temporary positions in the Australian public service, including at AusAID, where I eventually joined the internet and multimedia teams. My contract ended in 2013 due to policy changes under a new government.

For about ten years, I worked part-time for my brother’s political newsletter in Canberra, taking over briefly in 2023 before stepping back. By 2024, the newsletter had ceased publication.

Today, I run a pet services business with my daughter, Strictly Paws, offering doggy daycare, boarding, grooming, and pet photography. I also photograph tennis tournaments and do portrait work, mainly focusing on dogs.

Recently, I’ve become involved in promoting Texit Coin mining. My interest in cryptocurrency began in 2010 when I tried to buy Bitcoin, but missed out due to a failed transaction. I also missed opportunities in Bitcoin mining due to financial constraints and later lost investments in other crypto ventures. Despite these setbacks, I’m now actively mining Texit Coin and helping others get started.

That’s my journey so far—balancing pet services with new opportunities in cryptocurrency.