Ian is the fourth generation in his family to become a published author. His maternal grandfather, Bernard Capes, and Bernard's son (Renalt) and uncle (John), preceding him.
Ian’s own writing began in secondary school, and extended into comedy sketches and lyrics for the stage in his early twenties. Later he found himself writing for the Education Department, and, after going into private practice, writing reports, proposals, and scripts for training videos and some television commercials.
The catalyst for fiction writing was a story a colleague told him one day about a bunch of kids riding home on the back of a huge horse, which insisted on walking through a dam!
This led to his first book, Scratcher published by Heinemann (1987),, with nearly 5,000 copies sold.
Since then he has written and self-published Lissie Pendle, The Search for Quong, Ranga Plays Australia, The Day and Night Machine, Possum and Python, Twevven and the horrible big bigger biggest baby burp, Twevven in a very dangerous situation, The Day and Night Machine, and The Package on the Tram for children and, for adults, Thomas Bulford’s English Companion, Thomas Bulford’s Essays on Life, Language & Love, Ranga Plays Australia, and The Alone Man.