All his life, Richard has been a non-conformer: a bit of a risk-taker, but not in a reckless way. This is one of the reasons that Richard feels so comfortable in Thailand, because while there are rules, they are not always strictly applied, there may be work-arounds in place and anyway, everything is open to negotiation. Richard has his own rules and his own moral compass, preferring to live and let live. He is British but was actually born in Egypt. Richard’s father worked on a minesweeper on the Suez Canal during WWII, and became a Suez Canal pilot after the war, which is where he met Richard’s mother whose father shared the same occupation. Richard was the second child in the family of four children, with an elder sister who he found bossy and two younger brothers, the elder of whom died tragically in a motor-racing accident on the Isle of Man TT.

Richard wouldn’t choose to call his childhood happy. Because of his father’s job, from the ages of 8 to 17, Richard was packed off to boarding school, initially to Sherborne School in Dorset. The regulated environment of boarding school did not suit Richard at all. The only long-term benefit to Richard that came from all the money spent on his education was the ability he developed to engage anyone in conversation. Richard recounts the trials of meal times, nine boys and a Master seated at each table, on a strict rotating roster. The four nearest the teacher were tasked with making pleasant conversation throughout the meal with the teacher, without any mention of the topic area in which he taught. Richard divulged that the participants of his golf tours all left with the impression they were his best friend, even the people he didn’t actually like one little bit.

Luckily, as a youngster, he was an athletic type, as this offered him a little bit of protection from the “special attention” he may otherwise have experienced as a redhead with freckles. Richard was good at all three major sports; cricket, rugby and hockey, giving him an easier ride as the prestige of the school was based firmly on its sporting successes. 

The students of the local girl’s school were known scathingly as “brown cows” in reference to their uniform and were seen as the enemy, unless you could convince one to be your girlfriend. Initially there was a policy of no-fraternising, but eventually, in Richard’s penultimate year, an inter-school dance was organised and Richard planned to attend with his personal “brown cow” Amanda. His relationship with Amanda was at the root of his leaving Sherborne. Richard recalls Amanda with clarity but not the nature of the minor infraction that led to him being barred from the dance at the last moment. He absconded from the school to let Amanda know he wouldn’t be in attendance and was caught attempting to sneak back in. Ironically, he was caught by a search not for him, but for one of the prefects who was eventually found sleeping off the effects of too much alcohol, in the bushes. Notwithstanding, Richard found himself summoned by the Headmaster and summarily expelled.

A bright student who had believed he was headed to Oxford to study history, Richard found himself at Dover College, a less prestigious and less academically-rigorous school, failing and then needing to resit his A-level in Physics. Richard enrolled at the Polytechnic of Central London in Business Studies, but needed to work to fill the nine months until going up to London. Richard’s aim was to get a job on the new Hovercraft service between Dover and Calais in France. One impediment to the plan was that Richard’s conversational French was not sufficiently fluent, so with a friend’s help, he went to stay in Paris with the friend’s sister Suzy, initially for 3 weeks while enrolled with Alliance Française. Richard was 19 at the time, Suzy 35. Richard decided to stay on in Paris after he picked up work with an engineering company and was going to find his own place to stay until the last evening, after an alcohol-fueled meal with Suzy, the nature of their relationship changed, much to the pleasure of young Richard, who didn’t care what his parents or anyone else thought about it. Suzy became Richard’s “instructor”, and the relationship continued the following summer as well, despite Richard’s return to London in the interim. To Richard’s credit, the pair are still in contact, Suzy now well into her 80s.

Suzy quickly became a memory when, by a stroke of luck, Richard landed his first contract with Club Med as a cashier in Italy on the basis of his ongoing study of accountancy. The cashiers worked in the morning as guests checked out and then late into the evening on the day’s reconciliation, meaning that didn’t get to the resort’s disco “until all the pretty girls were already gone”. Richard eventually worked seven contracts in total with Club Med, in Majorca, Marbella, Yugoslavia, as well as Guadeloupe and Israel, though after the first contract, he became a sailing instructor as the day’s work had to finish at sunset, ensuring more favourable mingling hours with female patrons of the various resorts.

Once his degree was finished, Richard took a position as an articled clerk in an accounting firm but boredom rapidly set in as it dawned on him that reaching the pinnacle of his career could take another 30 years or more. Richard realised he was not interested in “goals over the horizon”, nor the tedium of studying for his CPA qualification. In April 1977 a telegram arrived offering Richard immediate start in Club Med, Guadeloupe, with a flight from Europe to the Caribbean included, at a time when only the ultra-rich flew that route. It took Richard all of 3 seconds to decide and 5 minutes to remove his work suit and pack his bag. He arrived to sun, the sounds of a steel band and a carpet of stars. The icing on the cake was that within a fortnight he scored the job of Chef de Voile - Head of Sailing - after the French incumbent ranted at Americans and quit. Richard got a promotion, a pay rise and better yet, a room to himself, making entertaining the ladies so much easier.

The old adage that a man has two brains but only enough blood to run one at a time very much applies to Richard. He even took a winter job with Club Med in Israel, just 5 years after the end of the Yom Kippur war and was fascinated to learn of the hopes and aspirations of the Israelis. While in Israel in March 1978, Richard met his first real love, a stunning Asian women called Yo, short for Yolande, who was part Vietnamese, part French. One first sight of her, poolside with her toddler daughter and no partner present, Richard was smitten. He had never entertained the idea of parenthood, but the total package, with a ready-made cutie, was irresistible. Richard’s relationship with Yo and her daughter lasted 20 years. It had a profound impact on Richard, who refers to Yo as his “first Asian babe”, and convinced him that Asian women suited him well. Richard still counts Yo’s daughter, Emmanuelle, as his step-daughter and makes regular contributions to the pair’s finances, although he is under no obligation to do so.

Richard searched for a career path that would engage his interests as well as the skill-set he had developed. It became clear to him that being his own boss was by far the best option. Convinced that the travel and tourism sector held the answer, Richard looked to the expertise he had gained in sailing, then dismissed it as not feasible as sailing is seasonal, very expensive and some potential clients can suffer seasickness. He decided to pursue the establishment of a land-based event company with a focus on golf, despite the fact that his own golfing skills were quite limited, and he hacked away at the back of the field where nobody would notice. People would pay for his organisational skills.

Richard started with single day events of 18 holes and a presentation dinner, expanded to weekends away from London for just £33 on only a 10% margin and then eventually full-blown international golf tours, which were so much more than just a few rounds of golf in company. Although there was lots of competition in the European market, Richard’s company survived the loss of clientele caused by the economic bust which had its roots at the end of the 1980s. It is ironic that Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait and the impact it had with fewer people flying, led to British Airways offering siblings of staff flights at staff travel rates. Thanks to his stewardess sister, Richard was able to fly anywhere in the world for £50. Richard capitalised on this from 1992 with trips to South Africa, Dubai, Phoenix in the USA and Thailand to scout for possibilities. His first golf tour of 60 clients to Thailand ensured his company’s continued profitability while Richard continued merrily enjoying female companionship and more.

By the end of the 1990s Richard’s supply of wild oats was almost depleted and at the age of 51, he had reconsidered his desire for a family of his own. He met a Thai bar girl, Jo Jo, just half his age who he romanced on a number of holidays including a chartered yacht around the islands, attendance at the King’s Cup regatta with him and a getaway to China in 2004 where Jo Jo fell pregnant with their son Robert who is now 20 and pursuing his own career as an offshore yacht master, much to his father's delight. Richard was keen to buy a home, build a family and live life as a dutiful husband and father but that never eventuated. Richard was still working and on tour in Argentina when Robert was born but, on his return, he quickly sensed something was amiss. Richard eventually found out his son’s mother had another active relationship, and that man believed Robert was his son. DNA evidence notwithstanding, it took time, money and much effort and determination on Richard’s part to eventually convince a panel of judges in Korat to grant him shared custody of 10 days each month with his son in the summer of 2007.

Richard met his wife Nam in Phuket on a trip when he was attempting to put his problems with Jo Jo behind him. Nam was manning the first aid station at an event when Richard cut his finger and she kissed it better with a bandaid. Nam began living with Richard when she fell pregnant with their daughter Mimi who is now 18, and Robert had his regular trips to their home, supervised as his mother insisted, initially accompanied by Jo Jo’s aunt then her sister. Naturally, all this caused tension, particularly between Nam and her husband’s ex’s sister who took advantage of her role as supervisor during the visits. During her last visit, Richard collapsed mysteriously and Nam’s quick response got him prompt hospital treatment and he recovered fully. A police report was filed, but since no CCTV footage was available, no action was taken even though a laboratory test of the contents of Richard’s coffee maker revealed green pesticide crystals. Richard is sure he was the subject of a deliberate poisoning but no charges were ever laid, so of course this will remain simple conjecture.

Richard had collapsed over his morning coffee and been taken to hospital by car, then transferred to another hospital for treatment, including having his stomach pumped. But it was 27th December, 2007 and Richard had a tour group of 70 customers arriving to stay at the Dusit Thani in the afternoon, so at 3pm he discharged himself from hospital to arrive at the hotel in time for the tour’s welcome cocktail reception. The show must go on.

Eventually Richard sold his golf tour business as he was hating the amount of time it meant he was away from his children, then six and four. A property sale in London, on which he had made an astronomic profit after holding it across 40 years, meant he was financially secure. But Richard had to have other things to occupy him. One has been his involvement with the local cricket club, the Hua Hin Hop-a-longs. He was also “keeping his hand in”, owning two small sailing boats. Richard rented a piece of beachfront land to store his boats securely out of the water, and the idea of the Sailing Club Hua Hin was born. Further boats were purchased and Richard now fills his days teaching would-be sailors the ropes. Richard still competes in regattas, including representing Thailand each year in the World Championships of Sailing, in the Great Grand Master category for the over 65s. The 2025 event is being held in Naples, Italy and Richard is very much looking forward to the competition. And in just a few years, when he turns 75, Richard will be eligible to compete in the Legends category.

Nam has been added to the crew as she is manager of the on-site restaurant at the Sailing Club, which serves lunch daily to high praise. Richard names Nam as the living person he most admires, for her continued support as wife and partner.

Richard has been living in the greater Hua Hin area for two decades now and has a second son, Max, 15, with his wife. Although he probably golfs only a half-dozen times a year, he is still happy living on his 6 rai of land not far from Springfield golf course and running the Sailing Club which keeps him well occupied. This energetic, caring and optimistic man hopes to stay fit and healthy in the long term, enjoying a most comfortable lifestyle with annual skiing trips to Hokkaido. Always known for his modest alcohol intake, “2 pints Vine” stopped smoking any substance decades ago and navigates around all people with care, happy just to see the smiles he can bring to their faces. From being a bit of a playboy type, Richard has become a genuine family man, whose love of his heritage extends to his proud ownership of the ceremonial sword worn by his Navy dad as part of dress uniform. The Richard of 2025 definitely has a softer side as well as his practical, organised self-sufficiency.

Richard is exactly where he wants to be and counts himself extremely fortunate to be in Hua Hin. He’d “like to meet any man happier than me in the whole world”, but believes it is unlikely such a person exists.