Christopher Gérard
Christopher Gerard grew up in a small farming community on a sheep then dairy farm. He was the second son from a family of six children and had a profound affection for the other creatures that share this world with us; an affection that has never waned.
As a child he was always bringing home animal waifs and strays; the injured or the simply lost, to care for them and once well, to release them back into their natural habitat.
It was commonly thought by his family that he was destined to work with animals; possibly a vet or at the very least, on a farm. However fate and opportunity intervened.
After completing his schooling at a Catholic boarding school he, more through accident than design, and because all his friends were going, went to university and completed a business degree. Now “well educated”, he began a career in business, firstly with a large multinational company and then in a small advertising agency.
Several years later he, with a then colleague and now close friend, started up a small business, and for the last thirty years this has been Christopher’s career.
However he has always written and in 2012 he published his first novel, Talon.
He lives in New South Wales with his wife and their very talkative Chinchilla Persian, Pheobe.
“Bad is that often wildlife trafficking is described as a “victimless” crime. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the trafficked items come from murdered animals; Rhinoceros Horn, Ivory and Tiger skins; and hundreds of thousands of birds and animals die in transit in the most horrible circumstances imaginable. Just because they cannot communicate with us does not mean they are not victims. They feel, fear and die, just like humans.”
“A lot of the names in Talon reference other people or events. For example Amelia, the giant Eagle, was a “tip of my hat” to the extraordinary aviator Amelia Earhart. Both love(d) to fly!”
“Even if only one person’s respect for animals increases, then writing Talon would have been worthwhile.”