For the next few weeks, we’re going to read some brilliant excerpts from OUT OF THE FOREST. Today we learn of one of the superpowers Gregory developed during his time in the wilderness.

Although I’d lost my grip on the passing of days I had gained an incredibly heightened sense of smell out there in the time warp.

Once a month or so I’d trek out of the forest and make my way into the nearest town which was Mullimbimby (northern New South Wales)

I had a special park bench in the middle of Australia’s premier hippie town I called the ‘smelling chair’.

I’d sit there with my eyes closed and inhale the scent of the people passsing by. It was amazing to me that I could smell individuals within the crowds.

I could tell the difference between female and male; between blokes who washed and blokes who didn’t. I could smell people who ate garlic the night before; frankincense, musk, different soaps, different colognes and perfumes; even the items people were carrying.

After a number of trips into ‘the big smoke’, there were three or four people I could identify by their odor. My favorite was a particular fragrant female whose perfume I loved. Since I kept my eyes closed I have no idea who she was or what she looked like.

There was a flipside, though: some blokes stank so badly it just about made me gag. Ironically, I knew I reeked as well but I couldn’t really smell me; it was lived in scent.

In our final instalment next week, we check out some of the crafty ways Gregory used to conceal himself in the forest.

For the next few weeks, we’re going to check out some brilliant excerpts from the book. Today we learn some of the methods he employed to stay hidden and undetected in the forest for so long. We also are introduced to the pet names he thought up for different parts of his leafy domain.

“Although I was going to be nice and dry on the lava rock, I’d have to fashion some kind of mattress or bedding. I also figured that preserving the vegetation around me, so as not to create any kind of footprint, would be crucial to remaining undetected in the forest. I vowed to always collect firewood from further afield. Ferns and grasses, for use as bedding, would also have to be gathered at least half an hour’s walk from camp.“

“Even though I’d removed myself a little way from the waterfall, I still considered the entire gully to be my domain.

I came to think of the creek and the cliff top as my lounge room, because that’s where I spent time just hanging out and relaxing. My camp up on the nearby shoulder of the waterfall was my kitchen and bedroom, because that’s where the fire and the bed were. My bathroom was quite a hike away – across the other side of the creek and down another little gully. Far away from my water supply.

We learn of the moment that prompted Gregory to go fully vegetarian while living in the forest.

OUT OF THE FOREST is one of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read.

It tells the beyond incredible true story of a man who dropped out of society and lived rough in the rainforests of Northern New South Wales for close on a decade.

Gregory Smith – pictured above – was that man. Today he is Dr Gregory Smith, senior lecturer in the Social Sciences department and chair of the faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University in NSW (Australia).

For the next few weeks, we’re going to check out some brilliant excerpts from the book. Prior to entering the forest, Dr Gregory was homeless for a number of years. Here he tells all about less-than-ideal sleeping arrangements –

My homeless life played out right up and down the east coast of Australia; from the harsh sidewalks of Darlinghurst, Kings Cross and Surry Hills in Sydney to Woolloongabba and Redhill in the back lanes of inner Brisbane.

I’ve slept on stinking, urine-splattered tiles in public toilets, inside grime-coated industrial rubbish bins, at railway platforms, in boiler rooms, on the verandahs of unsuspecting Australians, under country churches, in a big plastic bag on the side of a road, in a cardboard box, in cars, in police lockups.

Homeless life is a hard, hard slog. People stealing your things is always a possibility, I’ve had shoes ripped off my feet while sleeping. You’re always hungry, you’re always tired, and society always thinks the worst of you – especially cops and security guards.

We find out the unique, pet names Dr Gregory coined for various parts of his rainforest home.

In 1979, the body of High School English teacher Susan Reinert was found in the boot of her car, parked outside a hotel in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

The Principal at Susan’s school, a man by the name of Jay Smith, was convicted of her murder. Smith spent six years on death row awaiting execution. His conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1992. 

Three books and a 1987 TV mini-series ensured the case cemented itself in the public consciousness of the era.

The real killer turned out to be NOT Principal Smith but a fellow teacher at the school. 36-year-old victim Susan Reinhert had been having an affair with another married teacher in the English department, William Bradfield.

One month prior to her murder, teacher Susan Reinhert had declared Bradfield, who was President of his local branch of the Teacher’s Union, to be the sole beneficiary of a life insurance policy worth, in today’s money, $2.2 million USD.

He was also the sole beneficiary of her estate, valued in today’s money at $1.1 million USD. Impressive amounts on a teacher’s salary.

Bradfield was convicted of Susan’s murder and sentenced to three consecutive life terms. He was also found guilty of the murder of Susan’s two children, 11-year-old Karen and 10-year-old Michael, whose bodies have never been located.

William Bradfield died in 1998 while in prison. Principal Jay Smith passed away in 2009 and being also a full colonel in the Army Reserves, was buried with full military honors.