Putting your life on the Fire Line

In South Africa, as  in so many other countries, wild fires can be devastating.
Patrick Ryan was on the scene of the fire on Table Mountain National Park on the 18th of April which destroyed parts of the University of Cape Town (UCT), causing the evacuation of thousands of students.

His passion for photographing wild fires and his work as a volunteer fire fighter has culminated in a mission to improve how we manage wild fires in this country.

His company was formed to create a better understanding of the wildfire environment. It is ever changing and the systems which aim to prevent and react to wildfire are becoming more complex in the face of increasingly aggressive wild fires.

Patrick believes there are many challenges which need to be solved in South Africa.

He and his team work on analysing all the variables that affect fire management such as weather, topography and vegetation to find workable solutions. 

He also believes that wild fire fighters need to be extremely skilled in order to manage wild fires but this is yet to be recognised and fully appreciated by government and the community. 

Patrick Ryan

 "I am deeply focused on understanding and addressing the low level of wildfire risk recognition and awareness that prevails. I believe that finding the right communication methods and incentivising via the appropriate channels will bring about the change we are driving for.”

To listen to our interview with Patrick you can find our podcast The Story Teller on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon music or Audible or go directly to our platform by clicking here: The Story Teller

To learn more about Patrick Ryan and what he does click here: Vulcan Wildfire Management 
 

Let's have cake and tea and talk about Death

A Death Cafe is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.

Death Cafes are always offered:

- On a not for profit basis

- In an accessible, respectful and confidential space

- With no intention of leading people to any conclusion, product or course of action

- Alongside refreshing drinks and nourishing food – and cake!

In 2010 Jon Underwood from the UK decided to develop projects related to the subject of death,  one of which was to focus on talking about death. In November Jon read about the work of Bernard Crettaz in the Independent newspaper. Inspired by Bernard's work, Jon immediately decided to use similar model for his own project, and Death Cafe was born.

The first Death Cafe in the UK was offered in Jon's house in Hackney, East London in September 2011. It was facilitated by pychotherapist Sue Barsky Reid, Jon's mum. They went on to offer Death Cafes in a range of places including funky cafes, people's houses, cemeteries, a yurt and the Royal Festival Hall.

Jon and Sue Barsky Reid produced a guide to running a Death Cafe, based around the methodology Sue developed. Subsequently hundreds of people have adopted the idea to provide Death Cafes across the globe including South Africa. In this podcast episode "Let's have coffee and talk about Death" we talk to a facilitator at the Cape Town Death Cafe, Gill Faris. Listen here:The Story Teller 

This chapter of the Death Cafe can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/letstalkaboutdeathcpt.

You can also find more information at Death Cafe

Are you 50 plus and asking what now?

 Many of us are going to be living far longer that our parents and grandparents. 

At the same time many people who are 50 plus are retiring, being retrenched or jobless. 

The future stretches ahead where many of us may be living until 90 and we do not know what to do.

How will we survive financially ? What is the reason and purpose of our lives in this new season of life?

Lynda Smith

Lynda Smith is a South African social entrepreneur who has developed expertise in this area over the past fifteen years. She has been looking closely at the major trends that are impacting the 50 plus generation and their future. 

In this episode  of The Story Teller podcast, Lynda talks about the impact of longevity and technology as well as Covid-19. For those of us at a cross roads, what she has to say, is very valuable. 

Click here to listen:The Story Teller

Lynda is the founder of Refirement Network and 50 Plus-Skills and is involved with many similar international organisations. To learn more go to 50plus-skills.