Brit who bought a cut-price island in the Seychelles 50 years ago... and still lives

LateX'Dog · 27 Apr 2012 at 11:53

Surely it’s what many of us dream about while trudging into the office during another April downpour.

Why not escape the rat race and the grey skies to live on a sunny tropical island?

Brendon Grimshaw has done just that. In 1962, the Yorkshireman bought Moyenne - a small island just half a mile wide - in the Seychelles for the princely sum of £8,000, and he has been living there ever since.

The sprightly 86-year-old wakes to the sound of rustling palm trees and the Indian Ocean lapping against the shore.

He spends his days caring for the island’s tortoises and birds that also call it home.

When he bought Moyenne, it was overgrown with scrub so dense that coconuts could not fall to the ground. But Brendon worked tirelessly to transform the island into his own little patch of heaven.

Living in this unique wildlife reserve, he has survived tropical storms, sharks, ghosts, a coup d’etat in the Seychelles and a mercenary raid.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...es-50-years-ago--lives-blissful-solitude.html

Lucky sod, I'd love to buy an island.

Castiel · 27 Apr 2012 at 11:56

LateX'Dog said:
he has survived tropical storms, sharks, ghosts, a coup d’etat in the Seychelles and a mercenary raid.

HEADRAT · 27 Apr 2012 at 11:56

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moyenne_Island

Crizzy · 27 Apr 2012 at 11:57

Your very own tropical island, yep sounds ideal to me.

£8000 in 1962 would be worth a lot more than £8000 today if you get me.

Skull · 27 Apr 2012 at 11:59

In 2010, the relative value of £8,000 0s 0d from 1962 ranges from £131,000.00 to £406,000.00.

Not cheap by any means!

Greebo · 27 Apr 2012 at 11:59

Crizzy said:
Your very own tropical island, yep sounds ideal to me.

£8000 in 1962 would be worth a lot more than £8000 today if you get me.

True but not as much as you think. Accounting for inflation £8,000 in 1962 has about the same buying power as £60,000 today so still quite a bargain!

antijoke · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:00

Desmond the land tortoise. Epic.

HEADRAT · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:00

The average house price in 1962 stood at £2,670

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/jan/13/past.comment

bhavv · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:01

Fake.

antijoke · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:01

bhavv said:
Fake.

Oh wait, it's you.

Relentless81 · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:01

I want a haunted island

Cheetah Designs · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:04

How does he get internet porn? Or the internet for that matter....

Spuj · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:04

Sounds like heaven to be honest.

Certainly a nice way to retire IMO

4T5 · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:05

What an Epic story, Cheers for the link that was a superb read. Dude is Epic, Island should be renamed to Epic Dude island. :cool:

bhavv · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:08

anticonscience said:
Oh wait, it's you.

So you believe in ghosts?

Em3bbs · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:11

bhavv said:
So you believe in ghosts?

Ghost can mean many things including:

2.
a haunting memory

3.
a faint trace or possibility of something; glimmer

It didn't specify in the article what kind of ghost. Did you assume it was some kind of scary monster LOL

Guerrilla · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:14

Brilliant... I want my own island too

Skillmister · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:16

Why have they shopped him into this photo?

HEADRAT · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:20

If I'm having an Island I want something like Scaramanga Island, Solex technology and a massive LAZERBEAM on the roof!!

Tephnos · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:22

OCUK pool money to buy our own island project!