AFP, Stanley :
Late in life, Tony Heathman has sought out pastures new: the 70-year-old former sheep shearer now spends his days driving tourists around the Falklands Islands.
If that sounds like an odd career switch, his story is typical on the remote British archipelago, where tourism is an increasingly popular side hustle for workers in the grueling livestock industry.
Heathman works for his 38-year-old daughter Nyree’s Estancia Tours in the South Atlantic territory, having long ago handed over his farm to his other daughter.
“A lot of people will save up their leave and take days off to just drive down here for a day when the big ships come in,” Heathman told AFP on a gusty trip to Volunteer Point, a peninsula famous for the islands’ signature species, the king penguin.
Driving tourists around one of the Falklands’ main attractions is Heathman’s main job these days.
“It’s very lucrative. Some people just rely on it for extra cash,” he says. “It’s a day out to meet people and exchange views on various subjects, talk about life on the Falklands and worldwide – I enjoy it.”
Late in life, Tony Heathman has sought out pastures new: the 70-year-old former sheep shearer now spends his days driving tourists around the Falklands Islands.
If that sounds like an odd career switch, his story is typical on the remote British archipelago, where tourism is an increasingly popular side hustle for workers in the grueling livestock industry.
Heathman works for his 38-year-old daughter Nyree’s Estancia Tours in the South Atlantic territory, having long ago handed over his farm to his other daughter.
“A lot of people will save up their leave and take days off to just drive down here for a day when the big ships come in,” Heathman told AFP on a gusty trip to Volunteer Point, a peninsula famous for the islands’ signature species, the king penguin.
Driving tourists around one of the Falklands’ main attractions is Heathman’s main job these days.
“It’s very lucrative. Some people just rely on it for extra cash,” he says. “It’s a day out to meet people and exchange views on various subjects, talk about life on the Falklands and worldwide – I enjoy it.”
