About – Austin Vince

ABOUT ME

Austin Vince

I RUN TRAIL RIDING PYRENEES ADVENTURES

Born Oct 1965 almost exactly simultaneous with the release of Thunderball and For A Few Dollars More. Things were looking good already. Youngest of six children, four girls, Gerald and Austin.

Went to a humble prep school made from a converted house in central Harrow. In Oct 1969 my dad was getting stung for £30 a term. Nine very unproductive years followed with all my success being in the following areas:

Climbing trees
Train spotting and railway modelling
Scouting (11th Harrow changed my life forever)
Gymnastics
Skateboarding
Anglican high-church altar boy
Burgeoning interest in 60s spy films and Italian westerns.

None of these spheres was on the school syllabus, also, crap at sport.

Join MAG! Join the TRF!

Please don’t copy this picture, I don’t want it to end up on the internet.

The URAL sidecar – ultimate fun-mobile!

Timeline

September 1

Sep 1978

Got accepted for Mill Hill School in NW London. Left there in Jul 1983 utterly transformed; I had dropped the altar boy image and was now academically successful, obsessed with sport and the army.

June 22

Summer 84′

Travelled overland on buses and trains from London to Delhi. Whilst in Iran saw some Germans on Yamaha XT500s and suddenly saw my future. Secured a thing called a ‘Cadetship’ which was like an army scholarship for university. Did Civil Engineering at Bristol 84-86 then failed my second year exams through lack of hard work and low intellect. Then 86-88 completed studies at the MOD’s own Uni, The Royal Military College of Science just outside Swindon, the city of spires. Graduated with a colossal 2:2 then spent summer cycling around Morocco then back to Sandhurst in Sep 88. Passed out in Apr 89 then onto Royal Army Educational Corps hiding my newly acquired pacifism from my senior officers. Soon realised I couldn’t be an Army Officer for ethical reasons, and £6000 and two years later I was out. Teacher training at The Institute Of Education (secondary maths)

September 2

Sep 1991 – Apr 1995

Teaching Design Technology and Physics back at Mill Hill, my old school.

April 3

Apr 95 – May 96

Mondo Enduro motorcycle trip.

September 2

Sep 96 – July 98

Teaching maths back at Mill Hill and paying off Mondo debts. Get Mondo TV show picked up by Discovery Channel – jubilant!!

June 22

Summer Hols 1997

Shoot Roadside USA project with Clive Greenhough

July 1

July 98- Jan 2001

Work in TV as freelance cameraman, presenter, director, producer. Shoot colossal quantities of Super 8 but crucially, learn the ‘grammar of television’.