From Oceans to Embassies
Angrave Publications (Verlag)
978-1-9995838-6-6 (ISBN)
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From Oceans to Embassies
A Personal Memoir by
Gillian Angrave
Synopsis
Gillian Angrave's dream of seeing the world has led to a lifetime of unforgettable, sometimes dangerous, but always exhilarating, experiences and encounters, both sailing the Seven Seas as an Assistant Purser with P & O from 1967 to 1974, and as Ambassador's PA with the Diplomatic Service from 1976 to 2005, serving in the Philippines, Peru, Guatemala, Chile, Mexico and Hungary.
In "From Oceans to Embassies", she charts the course her life has taken and, with the help of more than two hundred stunning photographs, she re-lives her most memorable, as well as most perilous, moments, that have taken place beyond our shores.
In the first part of Gillian's book, she sets the scene as she writes about her background, school years and early working life.
The middle chapters are devoted to her six highly enjoyable, amusing and at times challenging years as an Assistant Purser on board P & O's ss CANBERRA and ss ORIANA.
After a brief resume of the history of that most illustrious company, Gillian goes on to describe what life on board was like in the 1960s and 1970s. so very different to what it is now. In those days the ship's company provided most of the entertainment, in addition to their normal duties. Versatility was the key word, and her love of dancing, in particular, proved invaluable as she demonstrated her skills at the Can-Can, the Charleston, and Hawaiian dancing.
On a more serious note, Gillian was fascinated by the technical side of sailing, and gained her Certificate of Efficiency as a Lifeboatman, as well as her Steering Certificate, recounting these challenges by way of amusing anecdotes. At the end of this section, she takes her readers on a tour of the more exotic and fascinating ports of call that she visited, again beautifully illustrated by her photographs, with snippets of interesting information added for good measure.
Gillian then goes on to relate her compelling, and at times traumatic, experiences as a member of the Diplomatic Service. Each of her postings presented their own particular problems and difficulties, and she found the ordeal of being expelled, along with her colleagues, from Guatemala in 1981 both extremely traumatic and distressing. Having had to return at short notice to the Foreign Office in London, she was just starting to recover from the effects of this nightmare when she was posted to Chile in time for the Falklands conflict, made all the more poignant and worrying for her as her beloved CANBERRA was playing a part in that dispute too.
In the final section of her book, despite the heartbreak of having to retire from the Diplomatic Service upon reaching the age of 60, Gillian sets out to prove that although one door closes, another one invariably opens, as she embarks on her third career as an author, and as a Registrar of Marriages in West Sussex. She loves this work and feels very privileged to be able to play a part in a new chapter of a couple's life together.
Her travelling days are not over either, and she ends on an upbeat note as she looks forward to yet another cruise, as a passenger this time, believing in her mantra: "Live your life like a butterfly: take a rest sometimes, but always remember to fly". The world is still her oyster!
Gillian's book can be obtained at present either through her website, gillangrave.co.uk, or by contacting her on her email info@gillianangrave.co.uk. It is also available on Amazon, at Waterstones on-line and Foyles.
Introducing the Author: Born in Leicester in 1945, Gillian was educated at Guthlaxton Grammar School and the Leicester College of Technology. After three years working in Leicester as a PA for an architect, an engineering company, and The Rank Organisation, she joined P&O as an Assistant Purser in 1967, sailing in CANBERRA and ORIANA until 1974. After a brief spell ashore, she again got itchy feet and in 1976 joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as Ambassador's PA, a position she held, and greatly enjoyed, for thirty years. Her postings took her to the Philippines, Peru, Guatemala, Chile, Mexico and Hungary. She retired from `The Office' on 16 April 2005, her 60th birthday. Single (her love of travel somehow always seemed to get in the way of marriage), upon retirement Gillian became, and still is, a Registrar of Marriages in West Sussex, a job she also loves. Now she marries everyone else! Hobbies: travel; photography; bell-ringing; modern languages; gardening; golf (1991 Hungarian Ladies Open Champion) - and, of course, writing! Throughout her life, Gillian has enjoyed photographing and writing about all the exotic places in which she has lived, and which she has visited, mainly in short articles for societies and other groups. "My life has been spent fulfilling my dream of travelling the world" she explains. "I count myself so lucky and privileged to have sailed the Seven Seas and been sent on postings with the Diplomatic Service to such exciting and interesting countries. Travel has been my constant companion and I wouldn't have missed the experience for the world. I intend to keep travelling for as long as I can."
Preface
Part One
How It All Began
Chapter 1 The Gypsy's Prophecy
Chapter 2 Meet the Family
chapter 3 School Days and Early Years
Chapter 4 For the Love of Sport
Chapter 5 Gillian's Wheels
Chapter 6 College, and My First Taste of Work
Part Two
A Life on the Ocean Waves
Chapter 1 The Start of a New Life
Chapter 2 My Pier Head Jump
Chapter 3 The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
Chapter 4 All At Sea
Chapter 5 Acquiring a Set of Sea Legs
Chapter 6 Passengers: Our Bread and Butter
Chapter 7 Treading the Boards
Chapter 8 Off Duty
Chapter 9 Ports of Call
Chapter 10 Down Memory Lane
Chapter 11 "Now is the House..."
Part Three
On Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service
Chapter 1 Setting the Scene
Chapter 2 Embassies and High Commissions
Chapter 3 My Introduction to the Diplomatic Service
Part Four The Philippines
Part Five Peru
Part Six Guatemala
Part Seven The Green, Green Grass of Home
Part Eight Chile
Part Nine Home Again - Temporarily
Part Ten Mexico
Part Eleven From Copenhagen to Budapest
Part Twelve Hungary
Part Thirteen
On Home Shores Once More
Chapter 1 A Testing Time
Chapter 2 Life After The Office
| Erscheinungsdatum | 04.06.2019 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 252 |
| Verlagsort | Chichester |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 175 x 250 mm |
| Gewicht | 1000 g |
| Themenwelt | Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte |
| Reisen ► Reiseberichte | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-9995838-6-8 / 1999583868 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-9995838-6-6 / 9781999583866 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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