THE BIG INTERVIEW ANGLING SAVED MY LIFE
ALLAN SAUNDERS IS ONE OF LIFE’S survivors. His energy and vivacious nature is infectious and after hearing a part of his story, I approached him with an idea to interview him about his life and how he nearly lost it to addiction issues.
After 35 years in the frontline as a community psychiatric nurse, I feel qualified to say it’s not an exaggeration to state that angling saved Allan’s life. He was several times on the brink and angling helped him turn several corners. He’s well regarded in East Coast fishing circles, not just for his angling and advice to others, but for his charity work and never-ending gusto for helping people out.
Q Firstly, tell me how you got into fishing?
AS: My early childhood years were spent in my mother’s workplace; she tried her best to keep me in the nursery but it wasn’t a place I liked. I always found my way back to her at work. It wasn’t for another couple of years that I found fishing, around the age of seven. I used to beg my brother James to take me with him. He was always away up the local woods, which had ponds, and I really wanted to go. He eventually took me with him and that’s when my love for fishing was soon to be discovered.
My brother
