One Man’s Island: The Incredible True Story of Brendon Grimshaw
How an English Journalist Bought a Deserted Island in Seychelles and Turned it into a Thriving Wildlife Sanctuary
Who among us hasn’t wondered if they could live alone on an island and thrive for years?
People who risk it all inspire me. Brendon Grimshaw didn’t just think about it; he did it.
One man’s dream, one island’s transformation
An Englishman from Yorkshire, Grimshaw bought a tiny, uninhabited island in Seychelles named Moyenne in 1962. He lived there for 50 years with his father, joining him in 1981. Grimshaw died in 2012.
Seychelles islands lie off the coast of East Africa in the warm Indian Ocean north of Madagascar and Mauritius.
When Grimshaw bought the island for £10,000, no human had been there for 50 years. He found a companion among the locals, a man named René Lafortin. Together, they began to transform the island.
A labor of love
For 39 years, Grimshaw and Lafortin planted 16,000 trees by hand, built 4.8 kilometers of nature paths, and saved rainwater from irrigating the island. They also installed electricity and a phone line.
