The cream colonial styled bungalow offices in Kandy’s serene botanical gardens were the scene of his important contributions from 1943 until the end of the war as he supported Mountbatten’s vital work in masterminding the recapture of Burma and Singapore from the Japanese. The weight of history is palpable in Kandy, the site of the Kandyan Convention of March 1815, when its last King was deposed and signed Kandy over to the British Crown. With mystical skies heavy with pending rain and bats circling, the gardens were a wonder to behold with impressive avenues of palm trees and bamboo (perfect for hide and seek) and the sensationally intricate flowers of the cannonball tree peppered through the immaculate lawns and ranging views.

We could sense the import of the place, the respite it must have offered for significant reflection and decision-making away from the hubbub of central Kandy around the Temple of the Sacred Tooth – which doesn’t always guarantee a sighting of Buddha’s infamous tooth. We cast our minds back to the momentous events in which Tim Powell found himself enveloped, the sheer responsibility, the exoticism of it all, and the determination to contribute to the country perhaps exemplified by numerous signs of highly effective Scottish engineering pumping water around the gardens in required directions. The mettle it must have taken to be influential and have an impact at a pivotal time so far from home was a sobering and humbling thought – the adaptability, ingenuity and willingness to accept another country’s culture and situation, whilst doing what you could to play a valuable role.

Cannonball Tree in Kandy Botanical Garden

Travel has always been a pivotal part of my life, opening new horizons, sowing new seeds of curiosity, tracing influences, feeling inspired and refreshed. It has been a recurring thread in my own family too, several of us having spent formative times in different and challenging countries. My grandfather, a veterinary researcher and expert in bovine immunology, spent a number of years in Pakistan and Nigeria respectively in the 1960s with the Ministry of Overseas Development. His mission in Pakistan was to spread awareness of rinderpest, a pervasive viral bovine disease which plagued farmers’ cattle herds and livelihoods, leveraging the vaccine invented by his eminent brother, James Edwards, a renowned bacteriologist. He then built on that experience to help develop successful immunisation programmes amongst farming communities in Nigeria.
Time spent in these fascinating places allowed them to create unique bonds and levels of understanding with the local people they helped, to use their knowledge to make a real difference and to take opportunities to travel to fabulous places – my Granny always waxed lyrical about the staggering beauty of a then relatively stable Afghanistan, with vistas across pomegranate orchards to the Himalayas. Perhaps this is why I have constant Wanderlust, regularly assuaged by trips throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East during my life. And why I chose to study French and German at university, which gave me the chance to live in Provence and made it a tiny bit easier to master a little Swedish when I moved to Stockholm with my young family for three years in 2012.

The amazing experiences we had there inspired me to write my own memoir encapsulating all our challenging but magical experiences – and set the stage for writing biographies for other people. I have written more than 40 in the past three years – stories about creating something from nothing, living through times of huge change, venturing abroad, building businesses, coming back from enormous challenges, seizing life by the horns, making the most of what you have… or just being. My clients find the process inspiring, fulfilling, humbling. It gives them something to explain what their life has meant, what has mattered, what has been happy, what has been sad, what has been created, what has passed but been crucial, what to hope for – and how they have found a path which is, always, individual. Travel has been a major part of so many of these lives as people have come to terms with their roots in Iran, Armenia or Lebanon; grappled with all that expat working life in Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia or Iran has presented them with; faced enormous and unexpected change in Malaysia, Singapore and India during the Second World War and Partition…

Writing biographies and memoirs allows people to capture their essence and that of their families, to understand their roots, to reveal the individual path their family has trodden to their children, and to feel uplifted by paying tribute to what they and their forbears have made of their lives. I relish my work and am fascinated by the role ETG plays in helping its clients trace their own, very special histories through travel which has such a particular purpose. Why not distil those forever in a book?

About Ally 

Stories, writing, language and travel have always been Ally’s passion. Originally a linguist, having studied French and German at Oxford, Ally worked in investment banking and Financial PR for 25 years before devoting her energies to creative writing. Her first inspiration was writing a memoir of three transformational years spent living in Sweden with her young family – So Sweden, available on Amazon. She then turned her attention to writing memoirs and biographies. She has written more than 40 in the last 4 years and they are defined by their vivacious, personal feel which seeks to capture the character behind the story. This works thanks to face-to-face interviews which are the perfect way to discover people’s fascinating lives and travels. Having conducted these interviews, which allow a very special bond to form, Ally produces a book usually of between 6,000 words (for a shorter story) and 20,000 words (for a really comprehensive view of someone’s life). This can then be edited by the person she has interviewed, before they add their favourite photos to bring their story completely to life. Ally then polishes and edits it all before producing 5 beautiful hardback books for them to treasure with their family and friends.Contact Ally via [email protected] or 07519 409931

“Ally Allfrey is a most talented and perceptive writer. She quietly understands the essence of the person with whom she is preparing the document of their life, capturing the many dimensions and motivations of various personalities. She shines a light on the heart of her subject and her words dance across the page like raindrops. It is a pleasure to be writing a book with her”. Julia Blunt

“Ally supported me in writing my life’s story – she was outstanding and exceeded my expectations. Ally weaved a compelling story that went beyond mere events by incorporating emotional strands and influences that shaped my life. Her assured and empathetic manner drew out the best in me including my deepest emotions whilst her love of language and writing expertise were evident throughout the book”. Aram Shishmanian

FANCY FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF YOUR ANCESTORS IN ASIA?

Please get in touch on 0203 993 4433 .

Alternatively, fill out an online enquiry form to start your journey.