I started collecting stamps as a child in 1951 and by the time I was
in high school my main interest was in South and Central Africa.
I pursued the hobby into adulthood which meant I was hooked for life. In April 1979, after a fifteen year career in the marine industry, I changed my profession from being a Sea Captain to a full time stamp dealer. I opened a shop, above a furniture store, in St. Helen's Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire in England. Within six months I realized that collecting and dealing is essentially a conflict of interest, thus I made the decision to put my collection into stock. After all I could derive pleasure from the items I bought, many of which I could never have afforded as a collector.
In 1981 I produced my first Rhodesian price list and over the years expanded it and made it my speciality. Researching Rhodesian philately gradually became a hobby and I had the ambition to write a specialized handbook. I realized that such a project demands an immense amount of time and it seemed inevitable that this was never going to materialize.
Then in 1993 I decided to launch my own modest magazine in which to publish my research and chose to call it "The Rhodesian Philatelist". The British Library approved the title and allocated it an ISSN number.
Initially it was my intention to concentrate on the post 1924 period in my mistaken belief that the BSAC era had been well and truly covered. Soon I realized that many subjects lacked thorough research and that many articles were merely based on the work of previous authors. Thus the same errors, omissions and suppositions are repeated time and again. This trend still persists today often with an attitude that if 'such and such' a person said so, it has to be correct. In my 14th edition I wrote a short article entitled "A Review of Publishing Research".
I have never purported to be an expert on anything and regard my writing as hopefully a modest contribution to Rhodesian philately. Many subscribers have written to me with praise and encouragement, thus I must be getting something right!
There are numerous individuals who constantly provide help and support, without them my articles would not be possible. They are acknowledged in each issue with my sincere thanks. Finally a special thank you to my wife Gillian, who types all my work and assists with editing and proof reading.