Adventure

Final email SABMiller to the team:

“I read a quote the other day that really struck a particular chord with me:

“dream big, start small, act now”

That’s where we are now, off to work on a dream some years in the making. I would like to thank all of you for the challenge, support and fun in the last 2 and a half years in Asia. We have managed to wade through a ton of work, achieve a fair amount and had a lot of fun in the process and I think we leave Asia Brands in good hands with the brands growing, particularly Peroni and a few trees planted that will I am sure grow into mighty oaks. I hope the Star Wars budget presentation will live long in the memory

I will give back my Hong Kong mobile today so it will no longer work, and for Asia Brands related stuff, best directed to the ever present Carman in the first instance, she will see you get to the right person. If you are in the beautiful West Coast of Ireland, don’t be a stranger there will always be a welcome, a warm cup of tea and perhaps something stronger for you with us.”

So the adventure then…

Moira and I have together travelled a bit, grown coffee in Zimbabwe, Tea in Malawi, Beer in Fiji, more Beer in Asia and Whisk(e)y and gin galore. Moira has supported my wanderlust as I went on to sell whisky into the Balkans at the break-up of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, innovated with 64 year old Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whisky (if you can do such a thing), created a Cuban Rum finish for Glenfiddich so authentic it couldn’t be sold in the USA and then reshaped a commercial unit covering Central and Eastern Europe, The Middle East, Africa and Latin America, come to think of it perhaps it’s all just a quest to do make things better.

Moira is compassion – nursing friends, wounded in an ugly civil war in Zimbabwe before becoming a midwife and delivering babies (even at knife point) in some of the townships of Cape town and latterly as a ward sister in an paediatric unit. You need a big heart to do keep going and drawing from your own well of compassion and just give without fear, without condition and in the knowledge that recognition for the most noble of vocations will always be thin. She is special. My rock.

All our experiences leave you changed, you can’t be untouched by some of the things we have seen or experienced, but more significantly you are always shaped by the people you meet, and we have met some corkers.

That’ll be us…. embarking on another adventure, come with us ….

Its going to be emotional.