My Wife Jilly and I have lived by choice on The West Coast for more than 40 years and I have been
writing the column for some 16 of those. I base each piece on experiences and reflections from trips
out onto the waters of the West. Preference is given to floating stalks with a fly around the margins
of West Coast lakes, either on solo trips or with a mate in the 4 metre Osprey I call The Silver Frog.
Currently in retirement after careers in Broadcasting, then Driver Education & Road Safety, there are
plenty of activities to keep me occupied. A book was completed during the second lockdown called
“Fishing, a Thread,” which was put out through The Copy Press in Nelson. It’s a memoir thats not completely
about piscatorial activities, but again the experiences and reflections relating to life here, there
and everywhere I have worked, travelled and fished. Hopefully it demonstrates how fishing has been a
continuing thread through my life. A children’s book has followed and that is in the market place at the
moment. Other interests include being the West Coast representative on the Canterbury West Coast
Automoble Association Council, playing music with friends on my upright bass and I’ve played in a covers
band on keyboard. Domestically there’s the kitchen garden to tend, while an ageing Jack Russell
and a much younger Scottish Terrier demand attention on a daily basis. I can now attest to the concept
of retirement being busier than working.
