I am what is known as an English speaking South African and have lived in Johannesburg, South Africa all of my life, miles from the closest port, not a ship in sight. I was one of the co-founders of the Titanic Society of South Africa and am still a total ship enthusiast. I have been fortunate in sailing on 11 ships and have not been sunk yet! Alas, my voyaging days have come to a close as I grapple with the usual problems of employment uncertainty and non-existent finances. Nowadays I pursue steam engines and trains, because not only are they are much closer to where I live, but I have always enjoyed traveling on them and admiring them

I love all things ridiculous, crazy and obscure. Reading is still a preferred occupation and naturally I am a Goon Show, Monty Python, Mr Bean and Black Adder fan. I also enjoy science fiction, vintage radio, animated, Godzilla and other bad "B" rated movies. I am a typical Gemini and while I do not profess to be religious I do believe in the universe and all that is contained therein. I love to tinker around with things and learning about new discoveries and technology. I have no interest in sport, on the contrary, I would rather avoid it like the plague. I collect books, cartoon characters, My Twinn dolls, British War Movies, anime and manga, Science Fiction and Rubber Monster movies, as well as toys, "N" Gauge trains, and shipping memorabilia and empherema. I dabble in genealogy and have an interest in cemeteries, memorials and war graves.

I have not travelled the world flat, but am pretty happy to report that I have 11 cruises under my belt, have sailed in 2 Oceans, stopped on 4 continents, been to the USA twice and seen 9 states, visited all the ports in South Africa, visited 2 of the Indian Ocean Islands and the Loneliest Isle, flown in at least 13 different types of aircraft, driven a tugboat, travelled on 3 ferries, been on steam trains on countless occasions, been in snow, seen a desert, visited over 40 ships, sailed on a cargo ship, photographed over 30 cemeteries, eaten heaps of tasteless airline food, been treated like dirt by immigration officials in at least 2 countries, seen 2 active volcanos and almost lost my luggage in Ohio. I have however seen very little of South Africa.

For those interested in such trivia, I originally trained and qualified as a telecommunications electrician way back in '85, I am also an A+ qualified computer technician but now I work as an electronics technician. Had the opportunity arisen all of those years ago I would have gone to sea instead. Nowadays I spend my days repairing money validation equipment for a local vending and airtime technology company. I used to dabble a bit with designing really bad pages like this when the need grabs me, and as you can see I am not an artistic sort of fellow at all. In fact, parts of this website still use pages I wrote in 1998!

I served 2 years (1980/81) as a national serviceman in the SADF, doing basics in 3 SAI and 11 Commando. I spent 4 months in Jan Kemp Dorp and eventually ended up in 1 SAI in Tempe before going to the border at the end of 1980, serving with 61 Mechanised Battalion Group. I was given a medical discharge in the late 1980's after only doing 1 camp with 1st Bn Transvaaal Scottish. To say that my military experience did not affect me would be a lie and I will say that it made me what/who I am today.

Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons Project, Moody Blues, Kim Wilde, Styx, Bee Gees, Belinda Carlisle, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, 70's and 80's pop.

Favourite Movies:

Titanic, all Star Wars, Star Trek and Alien movies, Godzilla movies, Watership Down, Saving Private Ryan, Schindlers List, The Green Mile, The Poseidon Adventure, Caspar, Coneheads, Twice Upon a Time, The Wall, A Night to Remember, The Cruel Sea, The Fly, Frankenstein, Run Lola Run, Toy Story 1 & 2, Chicken Run, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Apocalypse Now, Monty Python; Search for the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Mystery Science Theatre 3000, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Flushed Away, and so many others whose names escape me momentarily.

Favourite Food:

I believe in indulging in the basic food groups: Pizza, milkshake, toasted cheese sandwiches, cheese burgers, milk tart, tea. I went on a rather nasty diet last year and lost 20 kilo's but now I tend to watch what I eat, sadly its coming back and that crummy diet is looming in the near future once again.

Favourite Authors:

There are just so many of these, but here are a few: John Wainwright, Brian Callison, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sue Grafton, William Miller, John Maxtone Graham, Leslie Thomas, James Herriot, Erle Stanley Gardner, HRF Keating, Nicholas Meyer, MJ Trow, Terry Pratchett, Kathy Reichs, Tom Holt, Robert Rankin, Ian Rankin, Herge, Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Donna Leon, Jeffrey Deaver, Mo Hayder, Henning Mankell, Nicci French, Ben Sherwood, William Kowalski and so many more who's names escape me.

Qualities I Like/Dislike in Others:

I admire people who are honest and have the courage to be themselves, and to express themselves no matter how "different" they might be, and who are not scared to speak their mind. Honesty, loyalty, and unconditional acceptance are very important to me. I like creative people, and admire those who can make a difference. Prejudice gets me down, as does machoism, bling, snobbism and trendyness.

My needs and wants and who I am: