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Biff Hawke joined the Canadian Navy in the 1960s as a Sonarman, leaving in 1988 after 24 years service. I was his Divisional Officer in HMCS Fraser at the time he took up barbering to earn some extra money, and I was one of his early victims as he learned to trim hair. I remember him as a keen, hard-working young man who epitomized a good sailor during that time. Others must have agreed with my assessment, as he rose to the rank of Petty Officer First Class before leaving the Navy.
This book is really about Biff Hawke’s life after leaving the Navy, and it has been a truly amazing odyssey. He describes his life in the defence industry and as a civilian contractor where his trade knowledge led to several positions in support of the frigate program. During the same period his personal life was quite tumultuous, and in 1996 he realized his dream of travelling to India. His recounting of the culture shock experienced early in his stay is memorable—for example, his initial exposure to the profession of begging. Nevertheless he has fallen in love with his adopted country, and now lives there permanently.
His book recounts his many adventures, with the last half of the book devoted to a publishing business he and his wife Linda established in India, primarily for the diplomatic community. This has flourished and branched out into other activities such as a magazine and trade publications for nations represented in Embassies and High Commissions in the capitol of New Delhi. In the course of getting established in this business the couple have travelled widely through Eastern and Southern Africa, and of course in India. His descriptions of these adventures and the people they met on their journeys make for engrossing and very realistic reading.
Indeed, he enjoys sharing his delight in his new country so much that he has established another initiative: guided tours of the wonders of India. Find out more about this new enterprise by accessing www.diplomatist.com/hawkeye. There is also information about how to buy this book if you cannot find it in a local store.
Biff’s book shows that his adventurous spirit lives on— Bravo Zulu!
The book is self-published by the author, who describes the process on the final page of the book.
* Trident is the newspaper of Canadian Maritime Forces Atlantic
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