The good people who have put this site together have told me that I need to have this. “Why?” was my first question. They prevailed. I lost. Simple. So for those with a very strong stomach read on. I have though, placed things in as much fun and readable form as I can. Ultimately, the only person that you are impressing with a bio. is the person concerned! Who cares about my age (53 and stopped counting) and actually, why are the press so concerned with this aspect – you always get: “Nigel Hebert (43) caught the world record grayling yesterday….” Did the grayling care what age the person was when it was caught? See my point. Anyway, I’m rambling.
Below is the state of affairs (with some comment) of the journey so far. It’s been an interesting and convoluted path thus far.
• Born in Canterbury Kent in January 1953 (How old!) (Floods in the Kent area accompanied this! Actually my father got a real earful from my mother for not getting to see her after giving birth to yours truly; his excuse he couldn’t find a boat to get him from our house in Whitstable to a dry, high place in order to get transport into Canterbury. (Father was ever plausible)
• Father Alexander Jardine: the well-known angling artist responsible for a series of UK fish stamps, the Luron illustrations and many books (I remain in total awe of this mans ability with a brush. Honestly, his watercolours especially of the Brecon Beacons the place he loved above all - are sublime: by anyone’s standards. I am so glad that he has left such a rich legacy of work which I will feature from time to time on the site.)
• Started fishing from the age of three (perch) (is everyone’s first fish a perch? I can remember as clear as the Kent Stour mill pool’s water how the dark depth seemed unfathomable and how the fish seemed to light up this dark void. Dad also left me on my own in this world which was brave and I wasn’t I got myself marooned on a mound of grass surrounded by water {well nearly} and yowled the place down: no change there then!) And caught the first fly caught trout at the age of six from father’s river – the lesser Stour (the start of the primrose path to further enlightenment.). It was this water that fuelled a passion for fly fishing, but also conservation (I helped cut weed, maintain banks and me and father were operating a catch and release policy as early as 1959. We managed to also create a breeding head of rainbows on the river – one of only a So: handful in the UK. Actually I got in the way of dad’s hard work!!)
• Attended Bethany School (academically challenged, apart from angling, sport, art and a bit of English!)
• Attended art colleges in Canterbury and Medway. (Now this is an odd one. Because it was period when the hierarchy seemed utterly besotted with modern art – Raoul Duffy, Picasso, Kandinsky and so on. I wanted to draw – and I am not implying for one moment that the aforementioned couldn’t! Merely that the various college principals seemed to think that you could jump on board after the proverbial train was well on it’s journey. I also wanted to make things look vaguely like they were supposed to look like. I still maintain that to draw is to find a foundation stone to just about everything else in fine art. I am still learning to draw!)
I actually left early. Joined a rock band as a vocalist (Ho-ho-ho! I was terrible!) Supported acts like Slade, Status Quo, Hawkwind and other loud bangs (they won’t remember I’m sure: we were forgettable!). My: it was fun!!
Below is the state of affairs (with some comment) of the journey so far. It’s been an interesting and convoluted path thus far.
• Born in Canterbury Kent in January 1953 (How old!) (Floods in the Kent area accompanied this! Actually my father got a real earful from my mother for not getting to see her after giving birth to yours truly; his excuse he couldn’t find a boat to get him from our house in Whitstable to a dry, high place in order to get transport into Canterbury. (Father was ever plausible)
• Father Alexander Jardine: the well-
• Started fishing from the age of three (perch) (is everyone’s first fish a perch? I can remember as clear as the Kent Stour mill pool’s water how the dark depth seemed unfathomable and how the fish seemed to light up this dark void. Dad also left me on my own in this world which was brave and I wasn’t I got myself marooned on a mound of grass surrounded by water {well nearly} and yowled the place down: no change there then!) And caught the first fly caught trout at the age of six from father’s river – the lesser Stour (the start of the primrose path to further enlightenment.). It was this water that fuelled a passion for fly fishing, but also conservation (I helped cut weed, maintain banks and me and father were operating a catch and release policy as early as 1959. We managed to also create a breeding head of rainbows on the river – one of only a So: handful in the UK. Actually I got in the way of dad’s hard work!!)
• Attended Bethany School (academically challenged, apart from angling, sport, art and a bit of English!)
• Attended art colleges in Canterbury and Medway. (Now this is an odd one. Because it was period when the hierarchy seemed utterly besotted with modern art – Raoul Duffy, Picasso, Kandinsky and so on. I wanted to draw – and I am not implying for one moment that the aforementioned couldn’t! Merely that the various college principals seemed to think that you could jump on board after the proverbial train was well on it’s journey. I also wanted to make things look vaguely like they were supposed to look like. I still maintain that to draw is to find a foundation stone to just about everything else in fine art. I am still learning to draw!)
I actually left early. Joined a rock band as a vocalist (Ho-
