Thread: Employment Opportunities

fantastic set of photos , understand now about your love of the country.
well done.


john

Originally Posted by Bushwanderer

I'm sure that my partner, Erika, has read ALL the Tony Park books, but, off-hand, I don't remember that one.

As a child, Erika spent some years in Khartoum. She is in two minds about whether to make a return visit, as it will be sooo different from her childhood memories. However, I think that it will happen. We'll include it as a much longer trip to Africa in general. To be honest, I can't wait. Your photos have been very evocative - you bastard!

Regarding writing: I find your "pared down" descriptions that accompany your photos to be wonderful adjuncts. If you did sit down to write, I would love to read it (as I'm sure that many others would, also).

Thank You,

Bushwanderer,

The Sudan might be a question as a tourist just now. I know DFAT has put out a heightened warning, following the announcement from the Intl Criminal Court yesterday...it might be questionable from a travel insurance point of view. Khartoum is normally well out of the way but there were some recent 'up your nose' incidents made by southern militants into the city.

The Mines Advisory Group have been after me to go there and do some field management down in the Darfur Region....I probably would like a bit more coin than what they are currently offering.

You can get out of Africa but, it never leaves you. All your life, you are left making comparisons. It frightens many people but, it engages me. For many people, it is about the animals and doing safaris, for me, it is all about the people, and the cultures. The animals are beautiful and they have provided me with many hours of fascination too.

One day a young British zoologist came into our office seeking access to minefield maps. He was conducting research for his Masters which was all about the old elephant migration routes between Swaziland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. I went out with him for a long weekend in the Maputo Elephant Reserve south of Maputo. He and his team, with me along as a tourist tracked elephants on foot to tranquilize and collar them. Ever sat on an African efelump? To be on foot in the bush with them was an eerie experience....so big, and so silent.

'Far Horizon' was Tony Park's very first novel. He contacted me while I was in Maputo requesting some insight into my day to day. We corresponded and finally met after I got back.

Tony makes reference to a person who chose to remain un-named (because he was only one of a number of RAE Sappers who had undertaken the work there) in his acknowledegement in the front of the book.

Tony, and I still maintain constant contact. He too, is a sad example of an Africanphile...he and his partner, Nicola, can not keep away from the place and are always skiving and scheming to return. They have a SWB Series III they have decked out for camping, they leave on a friends farm in Zim.

Together, on average, they try to spend 6 mths a year, driving and camping in Southern Africa...and clever he...is trying to do what we would all love to do; work at what you love doing. We met up and with them while they were in Kruger in 06.

Cheers,

BBC

BBC,

This IS the best read by far on this Forum that I have seen.

From the photos and anecdotes of Afghanistan, to the beautiful and photogenic Mozambique streets and people, I am in awe.

I wish you all the best in your work and travels, and please be extra careful. You are very fortunate to have met and married such a strong and as you put it , brave woman, and your family no doubt worry about safety overseas in such dangerous places, surrounded by dangerous people and situations.

Please keep your head down, you have a lot to come home to.

JC and family.

Originally Posted by justinc

BBC,

This IS the best read by far on this Forum that I have seen.

From the photos and anecdotes of Afghanistan, to the beautiful and photogenic Mozambique streets and people, I am in awe.

I wish you all the best in your work and travels, and please be extra careful. You are very fortunate to have met and married such a strong and as you put it , brave woman, and your family no doubt worry about safety overseas in such dangerous places, surrounded by dangerous people and situations.

Please keep your head down, you have a lot to come home to.

JC and family.

Ditto from me

Awesome
Cheers

Originally Posted by p38arover

The money has gone up (or has it, in real terms?) since I was there. I was only on A$2000 per week in 1989 (tax free).

Well I've been speaking with him a bit, he builds aeroplanes, I build range rovers, he asked what I thought, I said, how much?, he said, 64.000 for 8 weeks..........plus O/T, I asked, "when you leaving?".

It pays for most of his next plane, the shed he's building and he'll shout the wife a holiday to China, to see the family

This is Bilene, some 200km north of Maputo, and it is one of the coastal interdune lagoons. It has long been a favourite South African holiday resort tough, it is soon to go upmarket. The Emirates have bought a chunk of it and are to construct a 5 star hotel, with 18 hole golf course, and an international airport....





This is Mr Eiffel's place...yes, the same bloke who built that telephone tower in Paris. It is steel, it was pre-fab'd in Paris, exported and constructed...in a hot tropical environment...has lasted but, the concept has not taken off.



Ambushers laying in wait for Loco Mlungus...Crazy White Guys

BBC, This has been a fantastic read, I spent a considerable time in PNG and I can understand what you mean about the people and the culture...get to know them and understand their problems and you are half way there to understanding their country.....I used to travel a couple of hundred k down the coast to a small island just off the mainland and would not see my girls for days...local people would take them and treat them like princesses.....I did not have any worries about their safety whatsoever.

OKay.....you got me.....scenery like that and the food...the food...the food ....I think the Queensland Government can do with out me for awhile.....where do I sign up? Missus wants to come too, wants to know can she bring her Glock.

Originally Posted by RobHay

BBC, This has been a fantastic read, I spent a considerable time in PNG and I can understand what you mean about the people and the culture...get to know them and understand their problems and you are half way there to understanding their country.....I used to travel a couple of hundred k down the coast to a small island just off the mainland and would not see my girls for days...local people would take them and treat them like princesses.....I did not have any worries about their safety whatsoever.

OKay.....you got me.....scenery like that and the food...the food...the food ....I think the Queensland Government can do with out me for awhile.....where do I sign up? Missus wants to come too, wants to know can she bring her Glock.

Rob,

Thanks for the comment. I am sure your kids will hold those memories forever. Their problems are generally poverty related questions but, I think our problems of affluence and the breakdown of our society is of growing concern...for goodness sake...we do not really understand what it means to be in a family...not the nuclear economic unit we have become divided into in our developed world. If the institutions we hold so dear ever fail us...and there are emerging issues such as the abuse of our childrens...we will fail faster than what we could believe.

In their country, there is nothing BUT family....and.... it has been like that
...forever.

Now...about that Glock...Caboolture? OK...things might have changed!!!

So, which scenery are we talking of? You can go to Afghanistan, and your Missus can go to Mozambique...and leave the Glock at home.

Mozambique, scenically, is similar toQueensland...but, uniquely African.