So as not to bore you all to death, I shall precis the rest of my fairly active life.

I left BEA after 15 years of dedicated service, having reached the lofty position of Terminal Controller in Terminal 1. During this perid I worked in all the various traffic departments at Heathrow Airport, and even flew on the Vanguard freighter aircraft as a temporary Route Inspector. I left when the airline merged.

I went into the freight forwarding industry as a novice salesman, initially selling 'space' to other freight agents. I was promoted to sales manager, but left the company after three years due to a disagreement over staffing. 

After a variety of other jobs, I finally settled down working in partnership with an Australian. He was good at the export side of the business, and I was good at the import side. We formed Ark Forwarding Ltd (which still operates today, although sadly I don't), and we worked together until I retired.

At the time I left the airline I became involved in theatre work, and I performed in most aspects of stage work. My speciality was comedy, and early on I came to the notice of a professional director. She encouraged me to try for the professional stage, but I had to forgo that ambition when my wife became ill with cancer and later died. I had three children to provide for, and theatre work was too risky.

After I retired I married a wonderful young woman, and we moved to Devon. While living there I joined a group known as The Waterfront Writers, who were attached to the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth. With them I wrote poetry and started on a pantomime play. I finished writing that after we moved to New Zealand. I had also written a comedy novel (Yesterday's Yuppies) and had received a good review from a publisher, but no offer to print it. His advice was that I should  write a thriller, as it would be easier to sell.

'DEATH IS A LOTTERY' is a figment of my imagination. But it could actually happen, and that is a frightening thought!
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