Farm beauty for geek

If you've been watching the TV reality show Beauty and the Geek, you'll surely recognise WA's Dylan Swinburne.

After narrowly missing out on the grand finals a fortnight ago, Dylan has returned to living with his nanna and her long-term fiance on a 10-acre block at Piawaning.

He earns his money by labouring for farmers around the district.

But while there's plenty of available farm work, Dylan doesn't particularly enjoy the severe sunburn he gets on his pasty white skin, which he says is an inevitable part of the job.

"When I go outdoors, I put sunscreen on an inch thick, and I still burn," he said.

"I don't know anyone whiter than me - I'm a pasty white git.

"I still get burnt despite the sunscreen. I get burnt through my clothes and I get burnt if I stand in the kitchen too long.

"But I don't use this as an excuse not to do anything. The work needs to be done and someone pays me to do it so I can't let the sunburn get in the way."

Dylan has spent his 19 years at Piawaning, attending school at Central Midlands Senior High in Moora.

Starting farm work just a few months before appearing on the show, in the past Dylan has also held jobs as a delivery driver and has worked at a Moora cafe.

"I really enjoy the farm work. My nanna's fiance has taught me that if someone needs a hand you don't just sit back there and watch. I love getting out there," he said.

But Dylan's real passion lies in developing apps. His current project - which consumes most of his evenings - is based on enabling amateur musicians or singers to download their works to the cloud in order to share with an audience around the world.

"The app is similar to the professional version called Pandora, and Google are doing something called Soundcloud, but they're not really aimed at the independent," he said.

"There is currently nothing for the independent.

"There is no platform to compose a song then put it up to the cloud and have someone like me listen to it and then download it if it appealed.

"I'm aiming to produce something that meets this need."

Coming from a small town, Dylan was already well known.

Despite his makeover, Dylan is recognised wherever he goes, and a lot of locals ask him now about the show.

"It's more surreal being in Perth or Sydney, that's when it seems bizarre that people you don't know recognise you," he said.

Whilst he's loved his country upbringing, Dylan says it's been hard to find like-minded people.

"I think I'm the only person in the country I know who would choose a computer over a football," he said.

"I am glad I grew up in the country, but I really am an endangered species where I live."

Going on the Beauty and Geek show opened doors in terms of meeting like-minded people and making good friends.

"Us geeks all got on together so well," he said.

"When we met each other for the very first time, it was like we had known each other for ages. We had so much to talk about as we share so much in common."

Two of Dylan's geek friends are planning to stay with him in Piawaning.

"James, who is from Adelaide, is in Perth right now. I'm off to Perth when harvest is over to pick him up and bring him up to Piawaning," he said. "He is so excited to come here and experience a country area and look at the fields of nothing."

Another geek from the show, Alexander, also speaks daily to Dylan about a trip to Piawaning.

Longer term, Dylan is tempted to try out Sydney, but would like to line up a place to stay and a job.

"In the meantime, I expect for me it will be farm work in the foreground and developing apps in the background," he said.