Meet Real Life “Cast Away” Brendon Grimshaw!
As someone who suffers from #wanderlust, I read a lot of books about real life castaways…and will be sharing all of them with you in a moment….but first, some social media browsing revealed a fascinating story to me!
I have to credit the Facebook page “David Attenborough Fans” for sharing this image:
I love this story, which I knew nothing about! Grimshaw was a British citizen who bought an uninhabited island in the Seychelles Archipelago in 1962 – for $13,000! Here’s what he bought:
WOW!
Talk about a slice of paradise!
At just under 40 years old, Grimshaw left his position as a newspaper editor to begin a new life on this island, where no one had set foot for 50 years.
Like a modern-day Robinson Crusoe, Brendon met René Lafortin, a resident of a nearby island, and together, they transformed the island.
Over the course of 39 years, they planted 16,000 trees, created nearly 5 kilometers of trails, and reintroduced over 100 giant tortoises, helping to save the species from extinction. Brendon also attracted 2,000 new species of birds to the island, turning what was once a barren piece of land into a true paradise for wildlife. Today, the island is home to two-thirds of the wildlife in the Seychelles.
In 2007, René Lafortin passed away, leaving Brendon alone on the island. Despite receiving a $50 million offer from a Saudi prince to buy the island, Brendon refused, preferring that his island become a national park open to all.
“I don’t want the island to become an exclusive resort for the wealthy. It’s better for it to be a national park that everyone can enjoy.”
Thanks to his efforts, the island was declared a national park in 2008. Brendon passed away on his island in 2012 at the age of 87.
Because of his work, this is now a national park – bravo to Grimshaw…what a life in paradise…
Could you imagine living like this? Well, one woman did and wrote about her adventures there:
Lucy Irvine’s terrific memoir was a best seller and led to a movie as well…see the story here:
Irvine wrote two more bestselling memoirs: “Runaway” and “Faraway” – they are both incredible and you can see more about them here:
I also shared the story of a woman who moved to Pitcairn Island, known as the real life “Mutiny On The Bounty” island….it’s a terrific book but quite a shocking one as well…see more here:
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Categories: Books / Media, Exotic Travel, Memoirs, nature, Pop Culture, Real Estate, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir
johnrieber 
HI John, this is a fantastic story.
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Thank you for reading and commenting – much appreciated!
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My pleasure
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The best part of this story is that the guy turned down a $50 million offer. Maybe Ginger and Mary Ann were there. 😊
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HA! I love that he turned it down and if “Gilligan” and the gang shipwrecked there they’d never want to be found! Thanks for the comment!
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What an exciting life
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Look, when all the news here in the US is bad, I imagine what it would be like to live that life…takes my mind off of politics for a bit – thanks for reading and commenting!
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love the castaway stories! Great Blog as always!
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Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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“At just under 40 years old, Grimshaw left his position as a newspaper editor to begin a new life on this island, where no one had set foot for 50 years.” Sounds amazing. Yea, I would miss a few things, but definitely an exciting mission!
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