Tim Hargreaves

Maggie, Tim and me at Cape Peron, Francois Peron National Park, Shark Bay









Quite the opposite of Arthur Pepper is Tim Hargreaves, a cosmopolitan Englishman who has been living in Australia for about 40 years. Slim, agile, sporty, refined voice and manners with quite a hint of irony and sarcasm. Tim is also a very knowledgable tour operator who cannot only share his knowledge of politics and history but he would share his knowledge and feelings he gained as an English Australian Shark Bay local.

Tim speaks better Malay than me and caused me to blush quite a few times. His house is reminiscent of one of those Spanish Moorish houses you see so often in Andalusia, Spain. When you enter his house which he called a Christian Center, you really feel the present of Jesus and some very meditative peace. His wife Maggie is a lovely, very Christian lady who, like himself, has never forgotten her English roots.

We spent some time on a tour, going to Monkey Mia and had insightful discussions about Christianity in their home. At the age of 72, Tim is fit enough to drive the 4WD through the unbearably hot bumpy area of Francois National Park, among others letting air off the tyres and runing around with his van.

Tim's book Dolphin Bay is worth a read, for Shark Bay locals and visitors alike. It is said that you either shoot him or find him amusing. Until now I found him amusing and entertaining, a lot of parallels in his life to my own life.