Today we take a walk off the beaten track in Wednesday’s book quotes to look at an authorised biography of the pioneer Australian adventurer Alby Mangels. The author Lynn Santer who I was in contact with in the early 2000s asked if I would read a draft and write a few words about it. Lynn kindly published those words in the pre-forward section of the book (image above).
As I allude to in my description Alby Mangels was the first household-name Australian adventurer. When his real-life adventure documentary ‘World Safari’ hit cinemas in Australia it out-revenued Star Wars to give you an idea of its impact. ‘This came from Alby setting off from Adelaide in 1971 on a motorbike with $400 in his pocket, a 16mm Bell and Howell film camera and an insatiable lust for adventure. He came home six years later having travelled through 56 countries, across four continents, shooting a total of eight hours of film that he turned into a two-hour zero-budget movie called World Safari’. – The Australian
Yet his name now scarcely gets a mention. I remember as a child when he journeyed to South America in his budgie smugglers in World Safari II: The Final Adventure. We would watch his documentaries like they were giving out candy. As a boy he presented us to the world for the first time. Never in my wildest dreams back then could have I imagined I would some day be included in his authorized biography on the same page with famous Australians Barry Crocker and Caroline Hayes.
Australian Lynn Santer is definitely a person who knew people and very famous people at that. I remember her telling me about her conversations with close friends Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas. As this 2017 article in one of Australia’s most distinguished papers ‘The Weekend Australian‘ reported about her and the legacy of Alby Mangels:
There are signed mementos in her house from wildlife activists across the world; a Born Free poster signed by the film’s star, Virginia McKenna. A note from Priscilla Presley: “Thank you for the Easter good wishes and all the goodies… Hope all is well down under. All my best to you, Priscilla.”
“Further down you’ve got signed covers of Tippi Hedren’s most famous films,” Lynn says. There are signed images of Hitchcock’s The Birds and Marnie.
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Thanks for the intro!
Well it’s the best bit! Haha
That is so cool being quoted in the book. This is cooler than the Don Williams stories lol. I would like to see World Safari now…I never heard of it.
It is pretty cool and I’d forgotten about it until I received some memorabilia (books, lots of Dylan stuff) recently from Australia.
World Safari was huge when it came out and it was the first of its kind. I haven’t seen it since I was kid so I have no idea how it has aged.
When I watch something older… I try to place myself in that time. I can put myself in the 70s because I remember it quite well.
Every era has different styles and I try to just work with that given style…like baseball players….you can’t compare Babe Ruth with someone modern…two different games.
But I do get what you are saying about aging well.
I think that’s a most adept way of looking at it, and you are correct of course.
I’m hoping for an Oakland win tonight. Go Moneyball! Man, I love that movie. Now that’s a movie I can watch over and over and never grow tired of.
I want Oakland to win also. I think they have a better shot to beat the Astros…not a good one but a better one than Tampa.
I want to watch it. It sounds so interesting. Another one if I may suggest one is called “Alone in the Wilderness”. I’ve watched it over and over. A guy goes to Alaska and builds a cabin in 1968 …he is a real man. The cabin is still there…if he needed a spoon…he carved one. He is a man’s man no doubt.
I’m going to look for the World Safari.
I’ll talk more baseball with you over at your new blog.
I have watched ‘Alone in the Wilderness’. Now that is the real deal. His step by step how to guide on building a cabin was extraordinary. He was one smart cookie and walked the talk as it were!
I’m going to look for world safari as well since it has been so long. I would like to show my kids.
I’m glad you liked it…I thought damn…I would be lucky to build a dog house lol.
I am probably the least practical man I know and my brother is probably the most practical. I felt downright stupid watching that guy, but I was in awe.
Thank you! I felt the same way. I was like…dude you are making us all look bad lol.
Haha. He was tough as nails although he probably didn’t use any nails since he was that DIY!
That IS cool being quoted in a book! And I’ve never heard of Mr. Mangels either. Some people really do somehow escape the 9-5 and live the most interesting lives, don’t they?
Looking back his fame was quite fleeting. Alby’s adventurous spirit was so intoxicating although he wasn’t without his faults. I think being quoted in a relatively unknown book wasn’t the big deal; it was alongside who I was quoted and not to mention about whom the book is devoted to. But none of this is in the same vicinity of ‘coolness’ as my Cali friend who has already written one published book and awaiting the publishing release of its sequal!