Alan Clegg in a Nutshell

Alan Clegg was born in Ireland in 1947. He lived and worked on the family farm until he was in his early forties. He then took a two-year sabbatical from 1989 - 1991 to work with the Church Missionary Society as a farm manager in Uganda. After two years he returned home, but he never farmed again.

Upon returning to Ireland he set up a small picture framing business, but by this time Africa was in his heart, and so he returned to Uganda on a regular basis for the next seven or eight years.

In 1999 he was asked to return to Uganda as Projects' Director for Africare Northern Ireland, the funding agency for Besaniya Children's Home near Kampala. This organisation also encompassed a rehabilitation unit called Cherub for post-operative disabled children. It was around this time that he met Sara, his wife, who is South African. Upon completion of a further three-year stint in Uganda with Africare, he went to live in Betty's Bay, South Africa where he lives at present.

His first poem, written in 1990, took him completely by surprise as he had never written anything prior to that. Due to a hand injury sustained at an early age, he had always resisted writing in long hand, and would probably never have written anything had it not been for the typewriter and the computer.

alan@saralan.co.za
Deo Gratias


About the book

Because I have lived in a few different places during my life, the tone and themes of the poems are sometimes very different. Some of them refer to Ireland, while more of them refer to Uganda where I lived for five years, and also to South Africa where I am currently living.

I equate writing poetry with completing a crossword puzzle without any clues. Poems may simply be based on a thought or a phrase which comes to mind, or may exist purely as a figment of the imagination. In my poetry I try to entertain and to challenge the reader, and also to make a statement, if possible. Some of my poetry is serious, while more of it is tongue-in-cheek and light-hearted.

I have included two poems which I did not write, purely and simply because I like them. I hope that you too will like these poems. They are: "The Children" and "Our Baby in Heaven". I found these two poems in an old family Bible. I have no idea of their origin or who wrote them and I have published them thus, as well as the verse on the inside of the back cover which I like very much.

The proceeds of the first one hundred copies of this book which are sold will be given to The Lakeside Chapel in Betty's Bay. This is a small, local, non-denominational fellowship which caters for the spiritual needs of the townspeople and beyond. The proceeds of the next 400 copies will be donated to "Africare" an organisation based in Northern Ireland.

Africare is primarily involved with the rehabilitation of children who have physical disabilities and need surgery or long-term treatment in Uganda. As a consequence of the downturn in the global economy, the main sponsors for the treatment of these kids will not be able to continue their funding from the end of December 2011. Africare is now looking to the public for sponsors so that they will be able to continue with the work they are doing. Some of the proceeds from the sale of these books will go towards this fund.

Publishing a book of poems is a complete leap in the dark for me, so I go forward with the grace of God in trepidation and fear. I would like to thank those friends in Betty's Bay and beyond who have read my poems and have encouraged me to publish them.

I would especially like to thank Bev Green my graphics advisor, who also created most of the illustrations; a very talented and gracious lady indeed!