How Many of Your "Heroes" Have You Met?

[Stringmaker]

I use the term "Heroes" in the context of someone whom you greatly admire, and has in some way influenced your life. It needs to be someone appropriate to this forum, just to keep things relevant.

My offerings:

Ray Mears on the inaugural Woodlore Fire Lighting Techniques course. He was complimentary about my bow drill technique and my right hand is now a secondary relic after shaking hands with him.

Will Lord when he was working with our volunteer group on ancient living skills. It was using his set that I got my first bow drill ember. Same comment about my sacred relic hand.

Phil Harding at an archaeology conference in London. I asked him about flint knapping techniques. Guess what, the same sacred right hand was blessed by his touch.

Francis Pryor at the same conference a couple of years before. He and I were on the red wine and I discovered that he is an opera buff. Alas no secondary relic from this encounter.

Not a bad list I reckon but doubtless some of you can top it?

 

[copper_head]

I spent a week learning from Ray when I did the Woodlore Natural Awareness course. One of the best experiences of my life.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I met Rambo, well, the actor who played him anyway. Didn't like him much.
Richard Dawkins - Forget the atheist stuff which he's more famous for now and remember that he's a brilliant evolutionary biologist. Genius of a guy.

 

[Rod Paradise]

As a kid I met Jacques Cousteau when Calypso docked in St Georges, Bermuda & also David Wingate - who was THE wildilfe expert for Bermuda. Of course as a kid I didn't take in the magnitude of meeting those men.

When Gerald Durrell passed away I was doubly sad because he was the one guy I'd have named more than any other who I'd have liked to have met.

 

[Mesquite]

I spent time with Ray up in Scotland when I did the Journeyman course. Also met him several times after lectures.

I've also met several actors who I've liked and admired, Richard Todd, Michael Horden, Ronnie Corbet, Danny John-Jules

Under the banner of 'people I admire' there's several folks on here the forum whom I've had the privilege to spend time with and am even luckier to be able to call them friends.

There's also a lot of others on here as well I've yet to meet in person but I hope to as time goes past

When Gerald Durrell passed away I was doubly sad because he was the one guy I'd have named more than any other who I'd have liked to have met.

I felt the same... got all his books and have read them multiple times and watched a lot of his TV programs.

 

[HillBill]

I've not met any of my "heroes", as most of them are long dead.

None of them are bushcraft related per se.

Seems lots of folks have "tv heroes". I have one, but i like him not because of what he does on TV, but because of his spirit and what he does for others.

I suppose my "requirements" for a "hero" differ to a lot here. Being on TV isn't one of them, nor is being involved in "bushcraft" These to me are mundane things

 

[Fell Monkey]

Joss Naylor, fell runner. Some people know of him. Was lucky in some respects, but jealousy is a powerful state of mind. He's heroic to me for the efforts he puts into his life and in turn helps others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5zWUBS1VmY

 

[ReamviThantos]

Unfortunatly all my heroes are also all dead however i content myself with reading the books they wrote as a means to developing myself further.

 

[Stringmaker]

I've not met any of my "heroes", as most of them are long dead.

None of them are bushcraft related per se.

Seems lots of folks have "tv heroes". I have one, but i like him not because of what he does on TV, but because of his spirit and what he does for others.

I suppose my "requirements" for a "hero" differ to a lot here. Being on TV isn't one of them, nor is being involved in "bushcraft" These to me are mundane things

I didn't actually specify either TV or Bushcraft, I just said "relevant to the forum".

To use Ray as an example of why I admire him it is mainly because of his passion to communicate; telling us why it is important to learn from native communities before they die out; why it is important that we observe and act upon what the natural world is trying to tell us before it is too late.

His message is not new; I only know of him because of his early TV work and then his books. TV is simply the medium which brought him to my attention, not the reason I admire him.

 

[Chris the Cat]

One thus far.
Tony Benn.

 

[Chris the Cat]

Just read the 'relevent to the forum' bit, so scrub that.

da C.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Met uncle ray. Nice guy. Laughs a lot.
Met a few good folk from here and count them as friends now

 

[mikew]

I've met HillBill, does that count?

 

[HillBill]

I've met HillBill, does that count?

 

[Stringmaker]

If he has influenced your life then it sure does!

 

[British Red]

I've spent some time with Mors Kochanski, John Lord and a few more. Not sure they are "heroes" though - Stovie is my bushcraft hero and I've not met him . He's the real deal - out there, instructing youngsters for free in the face of a world that wants to regulate and risk assess everything. John Fenna likewise - out there doing it and helping others, living it. Much more important.

 

[Paul_B]

I was once in the same pub and carpark as Sir Chris Bonnington. I have to say I admire and respect him greatly but don't have heroes so he doesn't count. He is a totally miserable sod though so if he had been a hero I would have been disappointed.

 

[Paul_B]

Did meet the Queen and duke of Edinburgh once. Not bushcraft related but the Duke is heavily involved in the management of the Great Parks I believe so sort of related. We were only school kids so we were looking forward to meeting him if only to try and get a gaffe out of him. Think he only put his foot in it once that visit. Also theyre3 not heroes neither.

 

[John Fenna]

Most of them
Sometimes it pays to be an outdoor journalist

 

[Stringmaker]

Did any of them disappoint you?