David Collier introduces his book ‘The Gamekeeper’ to the Pattaya City Expats Club

By Pattaya City Expats Club

June 30, 2024

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David Collier in introducing his book, The Gamekeeper, noted that if you’ve got a book shop you might as well write a book. Further, with his illness, he tells his PCEC audience that writing the book took his mind off a lot of it during the 5 years he spent writing it.

PATTAYA, Thailand – At the Wednesday, June 26, meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC), David Collier, the founder of Canterbury Tales Bookshop and author of ‘The Gamekeeper’, shared his compelling life story.

David, who began his career as a gamekeeper in England, spoke about his transition from managing wildlife to engaging with people as a Samaritan and working within the prison system. His move to Thailand marked a significant change, where he established the now well-known Canterbury Tales Bookshop, a haven for book lovers in Pattaya.

David previously shared with the PCEC how he came to create the bookshop. A summary of his talk can be found here: https://www.pattayamail.com/ourcommunity/pattayas-canterbury-tales-338579 and a video is on the PCEC’s YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na-ClD1dLjY.

David ‘s talk highlighted the importance of resilience and adaptability, as he navigated through various careers, countries, and personal trials. His story is not only a testament to his strength but also serves as an inspiration to many who dream of starting anew in foreign lands.

David Collier presented this slide as he explained how as a Gamekeeper, one of the tricks of the trade in combating poachers was to disable their vehicle by deflating and slashing their tires as an inducement to not return.

He channeled his experiences into writing ‘The Gamekeeper’, a book that captures the essence of his life’s adventures and misadventures. It’s not a biography, but a fictional tale based on his many years as a gamekeeper in the countryside around Canterbury and later running a listener scheme in Standford Hill and Elmley prison on the Isle of Sheppey. In doing so, he got to know some of the worst criminals and their history.

He explained that a real gamekeeper protects the valued wildlife and destroys the vermin that threaten them. Also, he described some human threats ranging from naughty schoolboys to professional thieves. The book progresses on to relate stories of some of the criminals he dealt with, although fictional characters in the book, their stories are in the main true.

The Canterbury Tales Bookshop continues to thrive, offering a vast collection of books and a cozy cafe space for patrons. David ‘s presence and willingness to share his story add a unique charm to the establishment, making it more than just a bookstore, but a cornerstone of the community. David mentioned that to locate Canterbury Tales with Google Maps, you need to put in “Canterbury Tales book shop.”

MC Ren Lexander presents the PCEC’s Certificate of Appreciation to David Collier for sharing his life experiences and how they formed the basis for his book.

David has written another book which should be available soon. The title of the book will be “20 Years of Canterbury Tales in Pattaya – Meet some of the Nutters who made it possible.” He will relate stories of many of the characters he has met during those 20 years.

After the presentations, MC Ren Lexander brought everyone up to date on upcoming events. This was followed by the Open Forum portion of the meeting where the audience can ask questions or make comments about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya. To learn more about the PCEC, visit their website at https:/pcec.club. To view a video of his presentation on the PCEC’s YouTube channel, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI42vHWwQPg.