Ray Benjamin
These are the personal reflections of a lot of travelling, written well after the events. I accept that some of them may not be totally accurate, I have written the text, then looked up my photo collection and realised I had reordered events, remembered completely the wrong place and forgotten more names and places than I can recall. It is old age creeping on, and the fact I may not have taken the best notes at the time. So I apologise if I mixed things up, or my opinions are not what others think. There is inevitable subjectivity in it all.
The landscapes and events are important in my writings, but the shared experience with people is so much more important, so I’d like to thank
Ascension – Tara Pelembe, Brendan Godley, Annette Broderick, Stedson Stroud, Ray and Sandra Benjamin, Natasha Williams, Charles Williams, Greggy Lawrence, Anselmo Pelembe, Ash, Jolen Sim, Susannah Musick, Nathan Fowler, Peter Gillies, Graham and Margaret Cripps, Nicola and Sam Weber, Roy Drinkwater, Lawson Henry, Natalie and Fran? and the ladies of the former Tasty Tucker, The late Noddy , Pat Benjamin, Jacqui and Ray Ellick, Jonny Hobson and the staff at the Obsidian, Jonny Thomas, RAF Brize Norton and the Gateway Hotel, Ian , Alberta Knipe, Phil Lambdon, Colin Clubbe, Martin Hamilton , Simon Emson, the turtles of Long Beach, Nikki Chapman
BVI – Shaun Kadison, Bill Bailey, Damien, other fisherman. Neptune’s Treasure, Myetts
On the RMS – All the crews and officers on the RMS, especially Malcolm Bowers, Geoff Shallcross, Claude, and fellow passengers, Nigel Kirby,
St Helena – the National Trust, Legal and Lands, Agriculture and Natural Resources Division, Nature Conservation Group, Rebecca Cairns-Wickes, Barbara and Basil George, Cathy and Keith Hopkins, Eddy Duff, Len Coleman, Isobel Peters, Andrew Darnley, the Late Michael Clancy, the Thorpe Family, Vince Williams, Emma Bennet, Marj, Darren , Myra Young, Jonathan the Tortoise, Napoleon, Gina Henry, The Rock Club, Blue Hill Community Centre,
St Vincent and the Grenadines – Eduardo Mattenet, Dornet Hull, Tony Bowman, Kurt Cordice, dog,
Mauritius – Jeremy Hills, Clarel Camoin, Mike Smith, Paul Schoen, the birds of Calodyne
Lesotho – Harper Brown, Becky Banton
Zambia – Ian Cowx, Alphart Lungu, Mainza Kalonga, John and Chris Steele,
Haiti – Jean Pierre Reveille, Christophe Bene,
Cayman Islands – Wendy Nelson, URISA, Pat Francis, The UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum, The Cayman Islands National Trust,
Sierra Leone/Guinea – Kofi Yarboi, Matt Cushing, Annie , Stephanie Wear, The caretaker at Sumata school, Karim, The Acting Paramount Chief of Tambakha, Momo, Jan Broekhuis, John Stanturf, Mel Warren,
USA – Gray Tappan, Matt Cushing,
Montserrat – Matt , Lisa Kay-Lewis, Scriber,
Maldives – Jeremy Hills, Dave, Mohammed, Department of Environment, the People of Thulusdhoo
And of course, Edsel Daniel who shared a large number of these experiences as a colleague and dear friend.
When I Went To 