John Harris (Chairman)
John is a Somerset dairy farmer at heart – having trained in and practised tropical agriculture initially (B.Sc. Hons.Agric., Reading, M.Sc. Trop. Agric. Uni. Of East Africa, Makerere, Uganda) then a 3 year stint in Malawi, and rounded off with 9yrs with the Defence Training Estate – moving from 150 acres of his own to 50,000 acres of MOD lands. He is now confined to managing just 12 acres of an Iron Age fort for the local parish council!
His interests have been/are very much centred around agriculture (NFU, CLA, MMB, ALT), drainage (EA, NSLIDB), sport (incl. rugby gold at the East African University Games and squash for Malawi – “big fish in a small pond”!) and local politics (PC Chairman for too long).
“BOAT is very much a baby of the Devon farming community – I hope I can do it justice”
Rob Petts
Robert Petts has more than 50 years of professional experience working in over 40 African, Middle Eastern, Asian, Pacific and European countries, of which 42 years have been involved with developing countries and transport infrastructure for inter-urban routes and rural communities. Most of Rob’s assignments in this period have been on the research, development and dissemination of appropriate technology roadworks and infrastructure, and intermediate technology equipment to support local resource based roadworks. He has been involved with the development of systems, technologies and techniques appropriate for a range of limited resource environments; making best use of local resources such as labour, local materials, locally made agricultural equipment and local enterprises.
Alan Cooper
Alan started his career dairy and sheep farming in Warwickshire. He has an NDA from Harper Adams and an MSc and PhD from Reading University. Alan has 35 years of teaching experience in animal production from certificate to postgraduate level, including four years at the University of Malawi. His main research interests were in beef production and goat production systems both in the UK and South Africa. He has ongoing interests in smallholder farming and rural development in Sub-Saharan Africa. In retirement, Alan keeps busy laying hedges and building dry stone walls.
Adrian Gaunt
Adrian started his career teaching English in Colleges of Further Education. Before his recent retirement, most of his career was spent training teachers and trainers in many fields, both in the UK and overseas. For more than 30 years Adrian carried out many short term consultancies in Human Resources Development and Training of Trainers for Governments in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East as well as working full time as Training Adviser for a Ministry in Bahrain and for Government agencies in Serbia and Croatia. Adrian’s specialisms include the development of training skills, curriculum development and the management of Training Centres.
Viv Horton
Viv’s career background is in social work, practice education and community development both in the UK and overseas where she has worked in Morocco, Kazakhstan and Uganda. Her special interest and research is in self-help groups and how small scale savings and loans schemes can work effectively to underpin sustainable development in rural communities. In the last few years before retirement she taught social work at the University of Plymouth and developed international placement opportunities for students. She hopes that her experience, particularly with Kulika Community Development Team and farmer groups in Uganda can be useful in support of BOAT’s work.
Mike Pash
Mike has spent his working life in agriculture both in the UK and overseas. Having completed his Bachelor degree in Agriculture at Wye College he worked on Conservation Planning and Settlement Schemes in Tanzania and Malawi. He then completed a Farm Business Course at Wye College before taking up a post as Consulting Officer for the Milk Marketing Board in mid Cornwall. He subsequently became a Lecturer in Dairy Cow Management and Livestock Husbandry at Bicton College in the period 1975 to 2004. Mike has been an active supporter of BOAT prior to his recent appointment as a Trustee. He coordinates the residential courses organised by BOAT at Bicton College.
Peter Reed
Peter is a dairy farmer in East Devon. He studied at Bicton College and became the Chairman of the Devon Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs. In 2008, he led a team of 12 young farmers to the Livestock Training Institute at Tengeru near Arusha in northern Tanzania, where they installed two Papa pumps to improve the clean water supply to the dairy herd and villagers.
David Wendover
David has spent 45 years in internationally-funded development work specialising in livestock production and project management, mainly in Africa. He has lived and worked in Malawi (8 years), Nigeria (7), Tanzania (5) and Zambia (1) and consulted in many others. He obtained his Bachelor degree from Reading University in Agriculture followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Tropical Agriculture at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad, and an MSc in Tropical Animal Health and Production at the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine in the University of Edinburgh.
Bill Vellacott MBE (Deputy Chairman)
Bill is an East Devon farmer and founder trustee of BOAT. He was the first Chairman of BOAT and is the present Deputy Chairman.