Brig writer Fraser Lundie obtained an exclusive interview with Benedict Allen which is available to listen to here:
There has been an age old tradition of explorers and adventurers touring the theatres and stages of Britain to talk about their expeditions . From the time of Shackleton and Scott until the present day. Benedict Allen is arguably the last of that great era of British explorers. On October 7 the world renowned explorer, TV presenter and writer gave an enthralling talk about his life and expeditions at the Macrobert Arts Centre.
Benedict provided an evening of great insight and excitement, detailing the highs and lows of exploration.
Speaking about how his father, a test pilot, inspired him from a young age to be a ‘pioneer’. Starting from humble beginnings, saving money from a day job, to travel to remote areas of the world to meet the indigenous people from the Amazon all the way to the Artic, learning vital skills he needed to survive along the way.
In November 2017, Benedict made national news when he went ‘missing’ in Papua Nau Guine.
Benedict gave the real ‘inside scoop’ of how an unfortune occurrences left him in a perilous position trapped in the rain forest ridden with Malaria and Dengue fever.
Waiting days in an abandoned missionary hut for help he was completely unaware that a personal, unpublicised expedition had become the focal point of national media attention.
The audience where treated to exclusive clips and images from that expedition, the aim of which was to reconnect with the Yaifo , an indigenous group who had had helped Benedict some thirty years previously.
Benedict encouraged the audience to realise their own potential as ‘explorers’ and that in an age of technology there is no better time to explore.
Rating: 5/5
