About Me

I run Trail Riding Pyrenees Adventures

Hi there Team! If you are reading this then you probably know my name or are a bewildered WWF fan searching for the latest news from Texan wrestling muscle-box Vince Austin.

It's hard to pin down what it is exactly I do.... There are lots of patches on the home-page that will take you to the right nook in my cyber grotto. Don't forget the strict ethos here at AustinVince.com:

"One hundred years from now, we'll all be dust. Let it be said of each of us, that we brought our fellow man more happiness than sadness."

Biog

Born Oct 1965 almost exactly simultaneous with the release of Thunderball and For A Few Dollars More. Things were looking good already. Youngest of six children, four girls, Gerald and Austin.

Went to a humble prep school made from a converted house in central Harrow. In Oct 1969 my dad was getting stung for £30 a term. Nine very unproductive years followed with all my success being in the following areas:

• Climbing trees
• Train spotting and railway modelling
• Scouting (11th Harrow changed my life forever)
• Gymnastics
• Skateboarding
• Anglican high-church altar boy
• Burgeoning interest in 60s spy films and Italian westerns.

None of these spheres was on the school syllabus, also, crap at sport.

Sep 1978 got accepted for Mill Hill School in NW London. Left there in Jul 1983 utterly transformed; I had dropped the altar boy image and was now academically successful, obsessed with sport and the army.

Summer 84' travelled overland on buses and trains from London to Delhi. Whilst in Iran saw some Germans on Yamaha XT500s and suddenly saw my future.

Secured a thing called a 'Cadetship' which was like an army scholarship for university. Did Civil Engineering at Bristol 84-86 then failed my second year exams through lack of hard work and low intellect. Then 86-88 completed studies at the MOD's own Uni, The Royal Military College of Science just outside Swindon, the city of spires. Graduated with a colossal 2:2 then spent summer cycling around Morocco then back to Sandhurst in Sep 88.

Passed out in Apr 89 then onto Royal Army Educational Corps hiding my newly acquired pacifism from my senior officers. Soon realised I couldn't be an Army Officer for ethical reasons, and £6000 and two years later I was out.

Teacher training at The Institute Of Education (secondary maths)

Sep 1991 – Apr 1995 teaching Design Technology and Physics back at Mill Hill, my old school.

Apr 95 – May 96 Mondo Enduro motorcycle trip.

Summer Hols 1997 shoot Roadside USA project with Clive Greenhough

Sep 96 – July 98 teaching maths back at Mill Hill and paying off Mondo debts. Get Mondo TV show picked up by Discovery Channel – jubilant!!

July 98- Jan 2001 work in TV as freelance camerman, presenter, director, producer. Shoot colossal quantities of Super 8 but crucially, learn the 'grammar of television'.

Apr 2001 – Dec 2001 Terra Circa m/cycle expedition

Jan 2001 meet Lois Pryce and until Sep 2001 spend time editing Terra Circa footage and falling in love (with Lois Pryce not the Terra Circa footage)

Sep 2001 – Jul 2010 teach maths, science, IT and history at a Prep school in NW London. Marry Lois and move onto the fabulous Dutch Barge, Hoop Op Zegen

Jul 2010 – present resigned from teaching so as to work full time promoting and encouraging folks to embark on low budget DIY adventures.

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