Adrian served with the Australian Army in the early 1970s. He then travelled widely in Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia. In 1982 he joined the Australian Department of Defence and was Liaison Officer to New Zealand at a time when Australia was trying to steer an even-handed course in its relations with US and NZ despite diplomatic friction between the two over access to New Zealand ports by nuclear-armed or powered warships. In 1994 he worked as Tourism Advisor in the Solomon Islands. He was based in Gizo, the capital of Western Province, and actively assisted many local villages to embark upon eco-tourism enterprises. In 1996 he worked as Associate Lecturer with Southern Cross University. He taught two units: International Tourism Perspectives and Tourism Research Methods. In 1997 he accepted a contract to update and rewrite the Lonely Planet Guide to Papua New Guinea. In 2002 he was admitted as a Legal Practitioner. He retired in 2014.