As a ten year old child and then young teenager, Collyn’s circumstances were such that he had no choice but to cope alone in London throughout World War Two. He joined the Royal Air Force when 17, and trained as a ground radar engineer, later becoming a research engineer.

From 1959-1960, Collyn drove a 4WD truck (twice) the length and breadth of Africa, then migrated to Australia. There, he became a publisher and founded Electronics Today International and later, in 2000, moved with his Finnish-born psychologist wife (Maarit) to remote north-west Australia.

With only bore water to hand, they built a cyclone-proof solar-powered home that was virtually self-sufficient. Whilst there, they coped with the worst cyclone to hit the area in 100 years. In 2010, they moved to a (now all-solar) house in Church Point, Sydney.