DECADES
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost" J.R.R. Tolkien
Cycling on the Annapurna circuit in the Himalaya.
Purpose
The purpose of this site is really to showcase my conviction that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary achievements and that the power to realise dreams is more a product of sacrifice, hard work and careful planning than random bits of information contained within the twists and turns of a double helix.
About me
Originally I am from the Western Cape Province of South Africa where I worked for decades as a conservation manager for the Provincial Department of Nature Conservation now known as CapeNature.
I am currently working for the NGO Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as a technical advisor on protected areas management to the government of Lao PDR in South East Asia.
My Passions
Although I have a range of passions and interests, its really my inability to control the childish curiosity of wanting to know whats over that hill or around that next corner that has fuelled my cycling, hiking, caving, sailing, surfing, motorcycling activities over the years.
An important part of that childish curiosity is running home shouting "MOM! DAD! check what I found !" , so from an early age I found myself fiddling with my dads Kodak Retina film camera, and have been meddling with photography in some form or other ever since.
More recently, I managed to drown out the voices from my school days that told me “you could never be a writer” and have now written extensively about my life and the adventures of being a human. I intend to publish a few books before the coffin lid clangs shut.
While I may not possess the same skills as many of the photographers and writers I admire, I draw great inspiration from them, and try to place myself often enough in situations and environments where the equipment, skills and abilities don't matter all that much.