From an early age I have had an interest in rocks, minerals and fossils. I was nine years old when I found a fossil shell high in the Peruvian Andes near the mining town of Cerro de Pasco. Nelson Rivera was a family friend and also the mine geologist at Cerro de Pasco mine. He recognised my interest in minerals and would bring me minerals from the mine to add to my collection. As a gift for teaching English to his children, Nelson presented me with a wooden box comprising of 24 individual compartments each with a mineral and detailed label from the Cerro de Pasco mineral district. Included was a specimen of gratonite, a rare type-locality species, bismuthinite and vivianite amongst others. For my 10th birthday I received a copy of Herbert Zim’s handbook on Rocks & Minerals. I used this small pocket guide extensively; today its pages are coming apart yet it is a reminder of how inspiring such a simple book was with its painted mineral illustrations. I remained interested in minerals until returning to South Africa in late 1973. After that my interest declined somewhat, but was reignited in the late 1990’s when I met Bruce Cairncross and Jan Eklund. They were both local collectors, who introduced me to the Witwatersrand Gem and Mineral Club (WGMC). Being involved with the WGMC put me in contact with other collectors and mineral dealers. The club was a huge boost to my knowledge in minerals and exposure to the hobby, so much so that my mineral collection grew exponentially, from around 100 specimens in 1998 to over 4000 specimens in 2020. In 2017 I moved to Italy and the collection is now displayed in it's entirety.