This paper is organized around two main themes: exotic nuclei and direct reactions. The structure of exotic nuclei has been studied only from around 1985, because they are very short lived and before that it was not possible to produce and deliver them as beams on a target. They have large N/Z or Z/N ratios, are weakly bound and quite extended most of the times. Thus breakup, transfer and/or inelastic excitations of the surface are some of their most common reaction mechanisms. On the other hand direct reactions have been studied and understood for a much longer time, starting with the pioneering experiments in the early '50 on deuteron induced reactions and the reaction models developed by S.T. Butler and collaborators. Clearly direct reaction theory began thanks to the contribution of several Australian physicists and it is very appropriate to discuss it in the present context, together with its most recent developments in the field of exotic nuclei. Both subjects are extremely vast and I will discuss here only a few examples of the many interesting problems that have been encountered and solved in all those years. The choice is very personal and it is based solely on my research experience.