O'Toole had a varied career as a furniture manufacturer, welder, machinist and storeman, travelling widely in Australia with 'rather lengthy working sorties in Sydney, Brisbane, and Cairns.' His enthusiasm for football goes back to his boyhood when his father, a leading country footballer, coached him. For many years he was a member of Riverside, a team in the Northern Tasmanian District League. In 1951 he enlisted in the Korean Volunteer Force and served for two years including front line service with the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment from 3 April 1952 to 24 March 1953. He started writing short stories in 1963 and their success in magazines led him to write novels. He later returned to Launceston.
