Tony 1943-
Tony, picking
At university I got a degree in Geography, but the last thing I wanted to do was become a geography teacher, so I stayed on to learn agricultural economics, because I wanted to enter the overseas development effort. My first job was with the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture, “advising” (at the tender inexperienced age of 24) poor Tanzanians on how to grow cotton, tea, coffee, tobacco and maize.
That was followed by working for the Danish aid organisation for 6 years in
Persuading the British donor that their money was well spent
Kenya and Tanzania, the Commonwealth Secretariat in London advising in West and Southern Africa and the Caribbean and ending up in Kenya as co-ordinator of British agricultural aid – before my wife suggested I get a real life, and return to Australia.
Since then I have worked for NSW Dept of Agriculture (and its successors) and when I moved to Orange, I vowed to plant a vineyard and fulfil two duties:
- To be honest and finally practice agriculture, after advising so many poor people, purely on theory.
- Resurrect the family company, and complete the circle, by growing wine.
Tony
Was there not a younger brother that, for a time, continued the wine trade tradition? I hear tell that once failed to insure a shipment of 20,000 gallons of Emva Cream from Limassol to Shoreham which sank to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea and smashed an antique bottle in the George Sandeman collection.
Whatever became of him?
Nice to hear/see that Tony is still going strong and wines are maturing parallel with the producer! Interesting coincidence/some telepathy: only early this week I was organising our storeroom in Joensuu house and found one empty bottle of Emu Swamp wine which I carried to Finland when visiting you so long time ago (was it 2004?).
Anyway, this web page is a very good idea to keep contact and know about your life and acitivities!
Greetings!
Heikki