Born 1946 in Tomar in a post-war depressed Portugal. Father migrated to Mozambique in 1947 looking for work. 1948 my mother and I followed.
1954 moved to Nyasaland, now Malawi. Educated at Portuguese school. 1958 went to St Andrew’s school in Blantyre, aged 12 and not speaking a word of English.
1963 family moved to Northern Rhodesia (Zambia). Joined Cooper Brothers (auditors) as articled clerk. First day of work was in a six seater plane to Lobito Bay, Angola as one of a team of auditors. Work trips to Portugal, England, Congo, Rhodesia, Mozambique & Malawi followed.
Completed accounting qualifications as ACCA and ACMA after working and studies in UK.
1972 left Coopers and joined Malawi Hotels as Group Accountant for Malawi & Zambia
1974 moved to ...
… Botswana and joined Botswana Development Corporation as CFO reporting to Botswana Government and World Bank
1976 established Mancon Pty Ltd, a management consulting company.
My Botswana businesses included printing & publishing, ladies clothing manufacturer, building hardware merchants, security company, building construction, safari company.
In 1983 arrived in Australia. Owned businesses including Marine centre, Restaurants, vegetable processing, seafood processing. Also powder coating, jewellery display unit manufacturing and prawn trawlers.
I was first CEO (General Manager) of Underwater World and the Wharf Complex at Mooloolaba – hotels, restaurants, marina etc. from 1989 to 1993
1994 established EvaKool ice boxes, now an Australian icon in insulated “eskies” and low voltage refrigeration
Other ventures followed, including isotonic drink distribution (USA) and ultrasonic equipment manufacture.
Retirement is unlikely - too many ideas to develop!
My Service Club life started in 1966. Joined Junior Chamber International (JCI) in Zambia - a friend volunteered for a service project and I offered to help – the start of 52 years in service clubs. The project involved building a simple timber shed with a roof, surrounded by fly screen – a butchery. This replaced the traditional way of selling meat – on banana leaves by the roadside..
In 1970 joined Round Table in Malawi and then in Botswana. By 1983 I was Area Chairman (DG) with clubs in Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana – a round trip of 3,200km to visit them! Became involved with Rotary in assisting refugees in Botswana and providing medical equipment for rural hospitals.
Attended four World Council meetings in Hamburg (1976), Christchurch (1979), Anaheim (1981) and Cape Town (1982). During our visit to NZ in 1979 we stopped in Australia and the fellowship at pre-conference tours with Apex contributed to our decision to come and live in Australia.
I joined Apex Kawana in 1983 and eventually Mooloolaba Rotary in 1993. Transferred to Caloundra Rotary in 2016.
Family, two children and four grandchildren, together with travel, absorbs most of our time.