Username - ChefOccupations - ( 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.
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.
