Tales From The Cross (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781494398019)

David Marcus is a South African who emigrated from the country during the apartheid era. His early career was spent in the computer software industry, but then segued into aviation, for which he had nursed a lifelong passion. One thing led to another and eventually he found himself running the largest private-jet operation in Europe. Born in Johannesburg in 1948, the year that the National Party - which invented and instituted apartheid - came to power, the news of South Africa's first democratic election planned for 1994 was compelling. The opportunity to vote freely and personally for the first time in his country's history proved irresistible, and for a brief time he returned. Choosing not to engage in politics, David endeavoured not to associate with any press or literary organisations at the time. This gap year in his career was intended solely for the satisfaction of witnessing the end of an era that had so dominated his formative years. While in Cape Town, David donated services to a voluntary air ambulance operation, where he piloted various medical flights around South Africa and its neighbouring countries. There he encountered circumstances so utterly bizarre they demanded documentation, particularly against the backdrop of Africa, a continent already well-known for unlikely events. Many years were to pass before time and opportunity allowed this recollection, and Tales From The Cross is the fictionalised account of what he experienced. David and his wife Lesley spend time photographing wildlife in Africa, and live in the Seychelles, where he often helps out as a scuba diving instructor.