DetectingWales.com

Username - Chef

Occupations -  ( In order from leaving school Because this has always intrigued me with you)


Chef (Laughs) Well I started off working as a photographic studio assistant in Cwmbran, which is my home town. I attended Art College in Cardiff one day a week to study for a City & Guilds in photography. 
 
I've always suffered from a childish impatience and I was no different with College. A new degree course had just been started in this country at both the Central London Poly and at Salisbury.  Salisbury wouldn't have me and London didn't know any better, so after just one year at Art College I moved to the Big Smoke and that's where I spent the next 5 years.

In my 3rd year I was lucky enough to land a job (in between lectures) with a photographer called Sam Haskins, who had been a big name in the late 60's and early 70's and I 'll be ever grateful too him for getting me through my finals.

Well that old impatience kicked in again here and I wanted to be a Photographer in my own right, so what did I do?...........................I joined the bleeding army (laughs).

Well it's not as weird as it seems, as for two of my four and a half years I was a photographer with the SIB in the Royal Military Police.
My army career was cut short as a result of the incident with me, a helicopter and a shattered knee cap, don't ask.
So I found myself back in civvy street again, and after getting a state of the art knee cap from the NHS, I started freelancing for the Bristol United Press newspapers, after 2 years I was taken on as a staffer at one of their “rural” newspapers. Well my God, do you know how boring flower shows, village fetes and school sports days can be, urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I had during this last employ, opened my own studio, doing mainly social stuff (wedding's and portraits) but this didn't seem to be enough for me and once again I changed horses in mid stream.

One of my old officers from the army had opened a company supplying armed security to film crews abroad, so this is what I did for 3 years. It wasn't exactly Rambo stuff but it did keep the adrenalin pumping, as most of the places we went, we shouldn't of been (laughs) or people didn't want us to be. While the money was pretty good, the wear on a young family was I guess... selfish and my wife at the time felt a bit isolated while I was away working. We were living in France by now and I guess she was lonely.

So it was back to behind the camera, with a new studio in Clevedon in Somerset...

Well this could run and run so to cut a long story short, when I was in my early teens I had wanted to be a chef, the reason probably being that my farther had been a trained chef and he passed away when I was only 8 and a part of me wanted to emulate him. But my mother knowing more about catering than my tender years could either know or guess, beat it out of me (not literally). So the urge was still with me and it is strangely very similar to photography, with the same mix of creativity and technical know how.
So I put myself though college then went to work at a friends restaurant in New York and the rest as they say is history.

Metal Detectors owned -  (Oldest to Current)
Micronta, Whites Beachcomber 5, Whites coinmaster, Fieldmaster 7, Tesoro Silver sabre, Tesoro Elderado, Whites Eagle Spectrum, Minelab Sovereign x 3, Compass coinscanner, Fisher 12?, Minelab Explorer xs, Tesoro Tejon,XP goldy, Laser Trident II, T2, Xterra 70, 705, Etrac. 
And there are a few Pi's and some I've probably forgotten. Now I'm having a retro love affair with a Minelab XS and we are getting on fantastically.


Favourite Find:-
Oh god? I always feel that finds are a bit like sex. The best one is the one your having at the time (laughs.)
Ummm? I suppose it would have to be the Bronze age spearhead I found in 2010, only because It had been at the top of my wish list since I started in the hobby.
(http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv294/Chef_02/SOM-D83264.jpg)


Tafflaff  - Easy one to start . What got you into Metal Detecting ?

Chef:- My Mother. Yep she had put the thought in my head when I was a little boy and I remember we used to look through the Exchange and Mart (Remember that) and I think she even sent for some brochures. Back then they were huge things and I think some were ex forces mine detectors.
Anyway she had been away on a weekend break to Devon when I was about 17 and she brought me back a micronta metal detector, God that thing couldn't find a car from the inside, but it was enough to get me hooked and within a couple of months I'd been to Newport and bought the Whites Beachcomber.

Tafflaff:- Has your motivation changed over the time you've been detecting - whats your biggest motivation now ?

Chef:- No I don't think  that if we're truthful, our main motivation ever goes away. Mine was or is the allure of treasure, but maybe the reasons for the motivation changes. From riches gained to knowledge gained.

Tafflaff :- You've always said that there's a certain romanticism attached to Metal Detecting, do you think that's born from boyhood dreams of Treasure or a  wish to have almost a personal connection to times gone ?

Chef :-Well the answer is a bit like the last, but yes there is a romance in detecting for me, if only in the questions each find can ask and the multitude of scenarios that your mind conjures up to answer them.
That's why I honestly don't like finding rings because I have empathy with the person and the emotions they must have experienced when they lost it.

Tafflaff :- You record your finds impeccably, but also believe that it should be a personal choice - Why do you personally record ?

Chef :- My recording regime is fairly thorough, but this has got a lot to do with wanting to map my local area. If I were travelling miles, and I do mean miles, to detect I may not have the same connection. But I personally feel that we can all help paint our own little bit of the bigger picture of history.

I'm not a “must record” person though, as it's for everyone to decide for themselves. Nor do I sign up to the “Our heritage” fraternity, as I'm afraid it's the land owners heritage, unless he says different.

While I am fascinated by archaeology, and if I was to start again, it may be the career path I would choose, but I do have a problem with the importance that is placed upon it.

It is an academic subject pure and simple and because of that, any and all ideas and discoveries go into the the big box which is academia and that's where they stay, sure you can get in and have a look if you want, but nothing is ever going to come out of that box and help the world.

Archaeology is never going to stop global warming or pay off third world debt or feed the starving, it's only there for those who are interested.

Tafflaff :- What find would be  top of your wish list for 2012  ?

Chef :-Well I did lose a Triang bubble car when I was 5 so that would be neat but I guess that now I've been lucky enough to cross the Stater off the list then the gold hammered coin get shunted up to the top slot.

Oh and waist 30 and inside leg 32, anything else

Tafflaff :- Many thanks Chef for kicking back off the members interview thread, its much appreciated.

That was good read well done only trouble is now now chef better than me Mrs pmsl and chef I think had maybe. cone two detectors more thoan ya LOL

When`s the sequal ?  Come on ! i`m getting rather impatient.  ;D ;D ;D

enjoyed that!!! excellent!!

Great read Rob. Big respect to Geoff as well a man who has forgot more about detecting and detectors than most of us will ever learn. Don,t forget his Chef Headphones as well. Best pair I have had by a mile.

Great read Chef - thoroughly enjoyed that and well done Rob on the questions - absolutely loved it.

Great post
Neil

Well that was different and well enjoyed.
Puts a bit more gloss on the man we all turn to for help and quidance.

Very brave of you to volunteer Geoff and well written Rob.

Val

nice to see the interview topic back on D.W. hope some of the new members can have a go at the interview with good old Taff, very interesting Chef that interview and well done Taff. ;)

No mention of the Chef Phones  ???

...................so good they don't need advertising!  ;D

Chef phones are brill. best I've had.

Loved it, ;) well done both

Definitely a classic article about one of the pivotal figures in DW. Well done Rob and Geoff.

i must admit im impressed old geoff seems to have a rich and varied life with many experiances,which is great and it goes to show that if you really want to do something as long as you apply yourself it can be done ...im 41 and just took up a open university course on arts past n present,simply beacuse its something i want to do ....well done to geoff and rob for putting this new topic together.

OU ?  Same here I start in January fella

nice i rob,i start feb,,,,we are a clever bunch on here ;D ;D

fascinating read,insight into other detectorists perception on the hobby.

What a guy!, I was just going to ask on this Forum how you got the name "Chef", as everyone knows that is what your headphones are also named, I thought it must be explained somewhere?, I found this thread and so it was explained, now I know the answer!.

Cool.  :)

I realise now how dumb iam after reading your interview now..  :(  Nice One.

Don't worry Johnboy  by the time you've detected for 30 years you'll know just as much as Geoff. ;) ;D

Val

In fact you'll probably know a lot more. Information is so much more readily available with the internet, I used to be on a first name basis with the staff in Brsitol reference library :D

 Good read Geoff, you have achieved a lot in your life and I am sure it was all very interesting, but you forgot to mention your horse riding, and wearing a basque in the Rocky Horror Show. ;D ;D
 Geoff

Great Read, impressive, I got a 11 plus and thats it lol  ::)

Geoff it could be worse, just imagine me in the basque on the horse lol

More worryingly - I think I may have eaten that horse! :o

 :D :D :D :D

Thanks for sharing - there's such a wide range of people who have different interests and life stories on here - it's good to see how they got where.

and there was I thinking that I had an interesting career path.......

I'll let you into a little know bit of info.  I was a Butcher for 20 years. We didn't sell Horse, I was too busy riding it. ;D

Val

Ahh but you had a career path, I just had crazy paving with muddy patches in between ;D

AHHHHHHHH !!! ITS TAKEN  ME AGES TO GET THAT IMAGE OF CHEF IN A BASQUE OUT OF MY HEAD.......BACK TO SQUARE 1  :D :D :D :D :D

And those red gloves from Ray worked a treat Nobby ;D Sweet dreams

What a great interview and interesting read that was, How on earth
can one person fit so much into one lifetime,

well fickleness and a lack of ambition helps a lot :D

Well - I'm on job 17 at the moment (although I've been in that one for 6 years :) )

I was reading about that woman who got some work experience she didn't want in Poundland - and with a geology degree as well - when you've got a house and children you take what you can at the time - and the stick off people who laugh at you because you have a fancy degree but are earning £7k a year (thankfully not anymore).

Very true..When I left school if you had 6 O'levels you could get in to most jobs, then it was A levels and now it's degrees. I know so many people with a Phd these days, I feel inadequate. When I left Poly the only people that did Phd's were either going to lecture or write a book. You'll need a Doctorate soon to work in MacDonalds lol

or a saddle and a whip  ;D

i cant wait for the book  ;)