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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > General
Steve Joubert had always wanted to be a pilot and the only way he could afford to do so, was to join the South African Air Force in the late 1970s.
As an adventurous young man with a wicked sense of humour, he tells of the many amusing escapades he had as a trainee pilot. But soon he is sent to fight in the Border War in northern Namibia (then South West Africa) where he is exposed to the carnage of war. The pilots of the Alouette helicopters were witness to some of the worst scenes of the Border War. Often, they were the first to arrive after a deadly landmine accident.
In the fiercest battles their gunships regularly supplied life-saving air cover to troops on the ground.
"As I sat on the side of Hamnafield on Foula in the Shetland
Islands, looking down at my 'enormous' 38-foot ferry stowed in its
cradle on the quay in Ham Voe, over 1,000 feet below me, I
reflected on a moderately successful career to date, and wondered
how on Earth I had ended up driving what was, in effect, a floating
dust cart" After 42 years at or connected with the sea, Jeremy
Walker ended up on the Shetland Island of Foula commanding and
running a small ferry to the mainland of Shetland. Throughout the
course of his career, firstly as a seagoing deck officer with a
large, but now defunct, British shipping company, then as a
Hovercraft Commander for four years, returning to sea for a brief
period as Master of two small coastal tankers and then for the
majority of his career as a Pilot on the River Humber, he
encountered many amusing situations. In this book he attempts to
relate these stories and to illustrate the lighter side of what was
a very difficult, responsible and, at times, incredibly stressful
job. And little did he know that his career was far from over and
new opportunities and challenges would take him on for a further 13
years to eventual retirement.
Kabelo Mabalane, South Africa's number one self-proclaimed
'pantsula for life' shares his journey and insights, from being a
multi-platinum-selling musician, through the highs and lows of drug
addiction, to finding hope and life again through running (eight
Comrades marathons and counting) and his faith. In I Ran for My
Life, this ten-time SAMA award-winner, TV presenter, athlete and
entrepreneur talks about growing between Soweto and the suburbs,
the back story behind his phenomenal music career, and how getting
into running literally saved his life. Along with his lessons for
life, Kabelo shares his thoughts and advice on staying in shape,
being prepared for anything, and how to build a spirit of endurance
in everything you do.
An exercise in self examination. I hope it delves more deeply into
my life than those of whom I have written. Discretion is not the
better part of an autobiography, someone once wrote, but
identification where it is not necessary, has been my watchword.
Someone else wrote a Only when one has lost all curiosity about the
future has one reached the age to write an autobiographya . Curious
a " yes. But as I age the curiosity becomes less important. Only
today matters and the ones I love and have loved. Will there be
more? a | Ia d like to think so.
On February 28, 2009, Nick Schuyler went on a deep-sea fishing
trip with three friends: NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey
Smith, and Will Bleakley, former University of South Florida
football player and Nick's best friend. What was supposed to be a
day of fun and relaxation aboard Cooper's twenty-one-foot vessel
turned nightmarish in the Gulf of Mexico, seventy miles west of
Tampa, Florida, when a tragic mistake caused their boat to capsize.
With no food or water, no emergency beacon to alert authorities,
the four athletes clung to the overturned hull through the
night--battling hypothermia, hallucinations, hunger, dehydration,
and huge pounding waves, as they prayed, spoke of their loved ones,
and shared what they would have done differently with their lives.
In the end, only one would reach dry land alive.
Much more than a riveting true account of survival, Not Without
Hope is Nick Schuyler's inspiring story of courage, resolve, and
friendship.
Maverick. Leadership genius. Self-made millionaire. Dragon. The rock star of
public speaking. Vusi Thembekwayo has been called many things.
Join him in his inspiring journey from the township to the top echelons of South
African business, to becoming one of the youngest directors of a listed company
and CEO of a boutique investment firm. As a Dragons' Den judge and a sought-
after public speaker across the globe, Vusi doesn't just talk business – he lives it.
Now you can learn the secret of his success and how to shape your own destiny.
J. Michael Wilson (1916-1999), Soldier, Medical Doctor, Priest and
Academic, may be best known for his often ground-breaking
professional achievement, from working with lepers in Ghana to his
seminal work in Pastoral Studies. For all his successful
accomplishments, however, he thought accolades, titles and
qualifications were no more than vain baubles for obituary columns.
Becoming a fully human being was, he believed, best manifested in
community, through art, poetry, prayer and revelling in the wonders
of Nature. Here, finally, is your chance to share a merry dance
through his creative life and works...
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