Robert Collinson spent his early years in his home town of Edinburgh and had many different jobs before finally, at the age of 22, he moved north to Aberdeenshire to pursue a career in the oil industry.​

After many years of working on and offshore, for various operators and service companies alike, he began consulting on an international basis, travelling extensively to work and fulfil his contractual requirements, gain a broader understanding of the operations that would increase his knowledge of oilfield operations, and ultimately diversify his experience.​

Forty years later, he retired and decided to recall the memories of his adventures at home and abroad, and began to document some of the stories that had formed part of his career.

Zhetybay is but one; his first novel and the first oilfield adventure that emerged as he remembered his time in Kazakhstan, the desert environment, and the various characters and events that contributed to form the story.