I was born in Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, but I am a mixture of Scots, English and Irish. I am very proud of having attended Dollar Academy in Scotland where one of my heroes, Spencer Chapman, once taught. If you don’t recognise the name Spencer Chapman, then look for my next book ‘Blind-Thinking’ due out next year. Alternatively, look for his own story in 'The Jungle is Neutral'.

 

My first career was in the British navy where I was a maritime helicopter pilot. My favourite aeroplane was the SEAKING and my most rewarding task was to fly in the FASTNET rescue of 1979. My second career was in regional, especially coastal, redevelopment – in Gloucestershire, UK, and in the mid-west of Ireland. One of my proudest moments was speaking for Ireland in an EU Conference in Galicia in 2012, on traditional wooden boat-building.

 

I have attended Manchester University, Cambridge University and the University of Limerick where I earned my Ph.D. Unfortunately, I suffered a very serious stroke in 2019 and, after 8 months in hospital, am now disabled. However, the mind stays active!