Hi everyone,
How are you today?
So, welcome to the first "People at Rainham Marshes" blog post! You know, there is more to a nature reserve than just the nature! There are more than 100 volunteers and staff that keep this fantastic nature reserve in shape! So this is where you come to find out more!
Tony
Our first "People at Rainham Marshes" is an interview with one of the reserve's fabulous volunteers, Tony Houston! Here we go - let's hand it over to Tony:
The year 1953 was an eventful one with the Queens coronation and of course my birth on May the eleventh.At school my inability to write became obvious which confused the teachers because I could read so well.I was in my early forties when I was diagnosed as being Dyslectic.
Though it took me seven and a half years of day release and night classes I eventually got my degree in Analytical Chemistry. Which allowed me to put letters after my name, becoming a member and professor of the Institute of Science Technologists, but you'll see why I don't use them. M.I.S.T and P.I.S.T After working at the same company for 39 years 1 month 4 days 7 hrs 28 minutes and 36 seconds I was made redundant. (But I'm not bitter though!)Unable to find a job and finding we could manage on my pension I took early retirement.
I looked around to do some voluntary work and came across the Rainham Marshes who were daft enough to take me on.I had caught the birding bug from a special friend some ten years previously so came to the marsh thinking I knew my woodland species but how wrong I was.This is my fifth year on the marsh and I'm loving it as much as I did at the start.I love helping people see the birds, insects and flowers around the site as as much as learning from them. I've started taking pictures too - here's some of my recent shots:
Tony even submitted these shots for the Children in Need Countryfile calendar, 'Animal Magic'!
I have risen through the ranks to become Trail Walker and Roving Information Ranger unpaid, the important bit is the unpaid bit. (If you want to help out at a reserve you can find out about volunteers www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering )
Over the last five years I have been able to fulfil a dream of mine and have a novel printed. Well more than one.My first book Bard's Tale is on Kindle and is being printed as three separate volumes in paperback. There it will join Assassins Tale and Druid's Tale. (You can buy these from various good book shops and on Amazon - click here to have a look). I am working on a couple more novels as we speak not bad for a dyslectic, mind you the word processor sometimes thinks I've misspelt a word in Norwegian.I find I'm to busy to go to work.What a hard life.YoursTony