From Caribbean to Caledonian

Hank John was born on the island of Aruba , 27 km north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela. His parents were from the Island of St Vincent. Hank came to the UK in 1973 to join the Royal Navy and eventually in 1978, after volunteering to take duty on nuclear submarines, he found himself in Rosyth. Hank is very grateful that he got the chance to be based there as otherwise he might never have discovered what a truly wonderful place West Fife is.

What Hank loves most about Scotland, and specifically the West Fife area, is its people. He loves the sense of humor among Fifers and the feeling of community. He feels like he belongs here and has been totally accepted into the community. In return, Hank, who is Managing Director of Caledonia Travel in Inverkeithing, likes to get involved in community projects. He is a member, and past president of the Rotary club, honorary president of a pipe band, and has been asked to he Chieftain of the Inverkeithing Highland Games this year.

Hank has also involved his business in a project involving local primary schools, where they are asked to submit an article on subjects such as the environment, tourism in fife and health and nutrition issues. But not forgetting his roots, Hank is also involved in a project called the ‘Glad Tidings Bible Camp’ which is a residential camp for disadvantaged children back on the island of St Vincent.

When asked if there was anything he disliked about Scotland, Hank said, “I’m often asked this and I think people expect me to say the weather, but in fact the only think I feel regret about is that the young people today don’t seem to fully appreciate what a wonderful country Scotland is. They don’t know how lucky they are to have been born here. I would like to see more work done to educate young people about their culture and history.”

Caledonia Travel is based at 2A High Street, Inverkeithing. 01383 418787. www.caledoniatravel.com