Mission complete

On the 11/11/11 I celebrated my 30th birthday on the top of Africa’s Mt Kilimanjaro, my final continent in my working the world quest. This was the moment I had been working towards for nearly nine years since I boarded the plane as a 21 year old with the goal, to live and work in every continent of the world before 30.

What next for Hap Working the World?

Well, the BOOK!!!!!!

‘Hap Working the World’ is being published by Australasia’s largest independent book publisher Allen and Unwin. It will be on shelves in Australia and New Zealand on the 26th of October, in time for your Christmas shopping!

I will be touring New Zealand in November and December, doing speaking engagements in small town New Zealand, so if you would like to organise a speaking event in your small town, then get in contact. I will be hitting up the big cities in February and March next year, with a special emphasis on the universities.

And the DOCUMENTARY!!

I teamed up with independent filmmaker Richard Sidey for the awesome documentary, Bikes For Africa.  It picked up the “Special Jury Award” at the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival. The documentary is super honest and takes you on my journey through the final continent of Africa, showcasing the great work the charities Bicycles for Humanity (Melbourne) and The Bicycling Empowerment Network, Namibia do.

I would like to thank everybody that helped me along the way and made this dream come true. THANK YOU

Book launch date!

Howdy Folks,

Wow, just over 2 years ago I opened an email in my inbox with the subject line “possible book”. I remember the day clearly, Mandy and I had just arrived in Melbourne and since we didn’t have internet had gone to a local cafe. Mandy opened up the internet and my email inbox pops up, and she goes to me “Hap, you have an email here about a possible box”. My thought was ahhh, probably some “Nigerian Publishing Company” promising to publish  my book if I send them my credit card details. But as it turned out, that email happen to be from my now editor, and no, not a fake Versace suit, “Dolex” watch wearing Nigerian scam artist, but an actual editor, the New Zealand commisioning editor of Australasia’s  largest independant publisher, Allen & Unwin.

If I had known how bloody hard hard writing a book would be, how much time it would take, how I will probably end up making less than half the minimum wage by the end of it, how dedicated I needed to be, how lonely it can be, how frustrating it can be when it’s not flowing, how on those cold mornings when I had to get up and work 10 hours day in the Tasmanian mining industry but I had to get up an hour earlier so you can write that bloody book and then return after work for another hour of writing, I might have not replied to it. But I did reply to it, because it had been a dream of mine.

It was actually 3 years previous to gaining that email that I had committed to that dream of writing the book. The date was 14th of October 2007, a day that is not memorable to you, but a day that I will remember for the entirety of my life. It was the day I thought I was going to be in a wheelchair and blind for the rest of my life. I had fallen six metres from a rope swing and impacted on the base of my neck (and yep, that was as fun as it sounds). But little did I know at that moment, that was the best thing that could of happen to my writing career. Because lying there with my eyes open with nothing but darkness in front of me, I commited to writing about my travels, to writing a book. Eventually, my vision came back along with the sounds of the rescue helicopter. After four days in hospital I was told I needed at least three months of rest and rehabilitation. So with that, I took a loan off my sister to pay my travel credit card off and used the rest to buy my first lap top and set about starting this blog, Hap Working the World.

Nearly three years on from that day, I got that email from Allen & Unwin, and now just over five years from that day lying under the tree, Hap Working the World the book will be on shelves!

In my long winded ways of letting you know the book launch date, it is going to be Friday 26th of October. Everyone in Australia and New Zealand (the rest of the world can order from me online) will be able to rock up to their local book shop and grab themselves a copy, or maybe a few more for Christmas presents, and yes it will be out in ebook version as well. I will also be selling them on my new website http://www.hapcameron.com which I’m currently constructing. I will have this website up and running by early October where you will be able to pre-order copies from me, so as soon as I get them I can send them out (And of course no worries if you’re overseas, I’ll post em your way). If you want me to deface it with my signature (if you’ve seen the disgrace that is my current signature, don’t fear I’m also currently re-inventing a new “Hap” signature) and a little message, it would be my pleasure.

So that’s that folks, what a crazy ol’ ride it’s been, I’m super excited about the book, I’m just really pleased with it, kind of like a landscaper standing back at a property they been working on all week, it’s a Friday knock off, they have a cold beer in hand and looking over the property they have transformed. Well, that’s how I feel, I’m definitely proud to have my name on the cover of it, and all those frustrating times, half minimum wage salary, lonely times, early mornings before work have been worth it!

I’d just like to take this time to thank all that have played a major part in the writing process of the book, my editor at A&U, and my assistant editors: My wife Mandy Cameron, my father Big Geoffrey Cameron and sister Jarnia Cameron, and all my mates that have been sounding boards and put forward their skills and opinions. Chur

Nuthin But Love Hap

PS everyone now knows what they are getting for Christmas from me!

The Wedding……My Wedding

I think it was the editor of my book that said “Hap, you could not make your life any more random/interesting if you tried”.

Sometimes I have wished it was a little less interesting, ie not breaking up in the middle of Africa while making a documentary and helping set up a bike shop. But as I said in my wedding speech, if it wasn’t for living the saddest day of my life, I wouldn’t have been able to live the happiest day of my life.

Yup, I know, for a lot of you this will come as a surprise as the last you would of known about Mandy and I was the emotional blog post I wrote about us breaking up. Well pretty much one year to the day after we were balling our eyes out at the bus station in Zambia, thinking we would never be seeing each other again (I was still denied entry to the States and Mandy had no reason (and money) to come to New Zealand), we were getting married! (NB Most of my blog readers knew this anyway, but for those of you that are thinking of giving my book as an xmas present, I suggest you don’t tell the recipient about our marriage, let them go on the ups and downs of the emotional roller coaster! – It’s only fair, Mandy and I had to!)

BUT, luckily I “sorted my shit out”. Everyone will have their own thoughts on why I broke up and then got back together, eg time apart makes the heart grow fonder, Hap was blowing out turning 30 and realised what he had etc. Yes there are elements of truth in those reasons, but the real reason of why that happened only a few people know, well….soon to be the whole world when the book comes out!

All I can say is that at least I did “sort my shit out” in time, and Mandy is so bloody amazing and understanding. And once again as my editor said “well, at least it makes for one hell of a story!” And yup, that it does!

OK, enough of that, apparently photos say a thousand words, and I know you ladies reading this love wedding photos, so here are a few snaps, (cheers to Jerm, bugz and ferret – the wedding photography and production crew/best man, grooms man/stag organiser) of the happiest day of my life.  Woop woop.

But first a couple of Stag party photos (clay bird shooting):

Please note, the author of this blog does not condone the use of firearms by babies, especially if they look as creepy as this big baby!

Don’t worry I was in safe hands, my baby sitters were very responsible. (please note: the author of this blog does not support the consumption of alcohol by babies either).

OK, I think it’s best we leave the stag do photos there, as “babies were harmed”. How about some lovely wedding pics

The ladies looking great…..and Geoffrey!

What a great age we live in, Mandy’s family and friends back in Colorado were able to watch the whole ceremony through skype!

“shit, I should be able to remember my vows, I only wrote them last night”

great photo.  Signing of the marriage cert with best man and maid of honour. I’m probably thinking “yes! I’m married, I can finally lose my virginity!”

Haze, the wedding singer!!! For anyone who has watched the documentary “Bikes for Africa” the beautiful female voice belonged to Haze.

The whanua

Gen Y photo

Gen X photo

Johno and Aunty Jill (the little angel behind the wedding organising)

For those of you that were wondering! (pun intended)

Party time!

OK, I think we will end on that note.

Thank you all for making it such a special day!

SURPRISE! Haps back and blogging

Well I’ve decided to keep writing my blog, since I’m know an “author” I decided I should keep flexing my muscle…………..my writing muscle that is, apparently it’s like a brain and if you don’t use it you loose it. Since I haven’t been that blessed in the muscle department I thought I had better make the most of what little I do have, so writing it is.

Plus Barney told me I should keep blogging, and tell you the truth I kind of missed my blog time. So yup hap working the world is back and blogging.

WOW, so  much to fill you all in on, weddings, book, documentary, book launch tour, future plans etc, so stay tuned.

Nuthin But Love, Hap

Bikes for Africa Documentary Trailer.

Hey Folks,

Sorry about the last post you got, it’s been a while since I’ve been blogging so a bit rusty.  I have written a massive blog post about the documentary getting all emotional and thanking everyone, and talking about the experience, but I’m still writing it. I’ll try and post it soonish, or maybe I won’t get around to it as I’m under the pump writing this book that has to be off to the editor by the end of the month!

Anyway, I just wanted to get the documentary trailer up for you my blog followers to see as we released it today.  Sit back, get a beer/coffee and enjoy this inner thigh rub of a teaser.

View the Bikes for Africa trailer here https://vimeo.com/39439601 

Also – get on involved www.bikesforafrica.net and on the old facebook http://www.facebook.com/BikesForAfrica