I do now, thanks to an old mate from my Bougainville years, Des Hudson, who whenever he phones he introduces himself as Mr Biden. Last time Padma answered the phone, she suspected another bl***y marketing call and said she didn't know any Mr Biden, and hung up again.
After our years on the Bougainville Copper Project in New Guinea, we had by chance both finished up in Saudi Arabia, he working for Butler Building Systems, a "civilised" Saudi-American joint venture, I for a chaotic Saudi family business as the only Westerner in an office full of Lebanese, Pakistanis, Eqyptians, Sudanese, Iraqis, and Syrians; he living in a comfortable villa in a Western-style compound, I in a five-star hotel strictly obeying Islamic laws. Working six days a week left us one day, Friday, to occasionally meet up either in my hotel or in his compound.
It was at his compound that he took this video. It shows his charming wife Leila, their kids Jenny, Mark, and Kristen - who have all grown up; Des still hasn't! - and a camera-shy yours truly in Jeddah in 1984. He was both cameraman and voice-over but his comments "... so you can remember in twenty years' time what you looked like" are more than twenty years too late.
Although far too late, I am happy to see myself playing in the world's largest sandbox over forty years ago. Thanks for the memories, Des!
P.S. As for SHOUT AT THE DEVIL which I was reading then, it has also been made into a movie starring Lee Marvin and Roger Moore - click here - but I haven't read another Wilbur Smith book since those days.
