Connecting The Dots Project
The incredible story of Brendon Grimshaw and Rene Antoine Lafortune
This is a story of a modern Robinson Crusoe! In 1962, Brendon Grimshaw fulfilled a dream that many of us can only imagine: he bought a tropical island!! Grimshaw was originally from the UK, and he worked as a newspaper editor in Kenya at the time. Moyenne Island, located 4.5km off the north coast of Mahé, the largest of the Seychelles archipelago's 115 islands, had remained uninhabited, overgrown, and surrounded by legends of pirate treasure. The island in the Seychelles (a country in East Africa) was sold to Grimshaw for $10,000.
However, the real challenge began after the purchase. Moyenne Island was covered with an impenetrable rainforest where coconuts never reached the ground, making it impossible to walk through. Neglect had taken its toll, with weeds choking the native plants, and only rats seemed to be the island's inhabitants. Undeterred, Grimshaw enlisted the help of local man Rene Antoine Lafortune, and together, they embarked on a lifelong project to restore the island to its natural state before the onset of tourism and development. They painstakingly cleared paths, removed scrub, and planted numerous native trees and plants. Grimshaw's obsession with planting led to Moyenne Island now hosting over 16,000 trees.
One major issue was the lack of native fauna, including birds. Grimshaw brought 10 native birds from a neighboring island, but they initially flew back. However, his perseverance paid off, and eventually, a thriving bird population of around 2,000 settled on the island as more trees and fruits attracted them.
To complement the island's biodiversity, Grimshaw introduced giant Aldabra tortoises, a native species of Seychelles that had become locally extinct on many islands. He cared for them meticulously, even numbering their shells for identification, and set up a successful breeding program. While some assumed Moyenne Island would become a tourist resort, Grimshaw refused such possibilities. Instead, he envisioned it as a nature preserve. He turned down numerous offers, including a reported $50 million from a Saudi prince, to maintain the island's pristine natural state but not to allow any human development on the island.
Grimshaw lived on Moyenne Island for the rest of his life, sometimes accompanied by his father and friend, Rene Antoine Lafortune. After their passing, Grimshaw arranged for the island to become Moyenne Island National Park after his death (2012) through a perpetual trust agreement with Seychelles' Ministry of Environment. Reportedly, the island is the smallest National Park. Brendon Grimshaw's story is one of inspiration and determination. He worked tirelessly to restore the island to its natural beauty, and he refused to sell out to developers. As a result, Moyenne Island is now a thriving nature preserve.
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