GENERAL NAVIGATION LINKS:
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FOCUSSING ON THE PROBLEMS:
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Born 1934, Hertford, England. Government school education at eight different schools during the troubled
and unsettling World War II period (1939-1945).
Joined the Royal Navy in 1949 at the age of 15½ as a boy radio telegraphist.
Eight years general service duties during which he was aboard H.M.S."Campania"* at the Monte Bello Islands off Western Australia for the explosion of
Britain's first atomic bomb October 1952, code named "Operation Hurricane"**. The bomb was carried for the total voyage and eventually exploded aboard H.M.S."Plym".
(Website details: *Campania; **
Detonation video; and Operation Hurricane)
Two years (1953-1955) land-based duties in South Africa at (what was) Cape Town Radio Station at Slangkop,
Kommetjie.
Back to the UK for a one year posting aboard H.M.S. "Truelove" on fishery protection duties in the North Sea and
Arctic Circle, aboard which a mutiny occurred. (No-one was hanged at the yardarm!)
Duties at Combined Military Head Quarters in Nicosia, Cyprus, (1955-1956), during the Greek/Turkish conflict.
Got his ‘wings’ for aircrew duties in the Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm in 1956, and spent three years on land
and aircraft carrier (H.M.S.Bulwark) flying duties. Married 1957, and was privileged to spend almost fifty wonderful years with his
wife Yvonne who sadly died in 2006.
His five children now live in various parts of the world.
Left the Navy and joined London-based family shipping business in 1960.
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Emigrated to South Africa in June 1969, and is still there.
A number of interesting shipping related jobs during the early years in his new country, including the
Moçambique Cahora Bassa Dam project organising equipment logistics; the design and development of aligned shipping documentation;
export development services and early preparation for containerisation.
Joined the executive management team of South African Foreign Trade Organisation (SAFTO) in 1971, assisting existing and prospective
exporters to establish international markets.
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Went solo in February 1972 and formed South Africa's first container shipping line Enterprise Container Lines (ECL)
four years ahead of the country's planned introduction of containerisation.
Delivered a number of corporate sponsored addresses to members of the shipping and related industries over a five year period.
The shipping line was sold to the national flag carrier South African Marine Corp. (Safmarine) in 1976.
Remaining on the peripherals of shipping he formed his own specialised newspaper company for the shipping
industry in 1980 and produced two weekly titles.
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The titles were eventually purchased by Lloyd's of London Press, by which time he had moved into the new and rapidly growing
electronic media industry.
Became a founding member of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), an opposition party in South African politics and was chairman
of the Gauteng Province Finance Committee for a while.
Sold his business in 1999, resigned from the UDM and slipped into retirement in 2000, at which time he began researching material
for his book.
With many years of world travel behind him (34 countries) and experiences gained while in the international shipping industry,
talking with people from all walks of life in various parts of the world, his long-felt belief that mankind desperately needs to
actively and boldly campaign for a complete overhaul of the present world order became reinforced.
In simple terms, he saw the world on an upward spiral of turmoil and the rapidly approaching catastrophes related to climate
change were going to make life desperately unbearable for millions of people worldwide, particularly the greatly disadvantaged
poor and starving masses.
The book was originally intended for a South African readership but climate change moved the goal posts to make it
a book appropriate for a much wider global readership.
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Monte Bello
