March 2015 Speaker
Allan Rollings - Collecting Adventures in the North west Mexico
Date: March 5th, 2015
For more than 50 years I have had the pleasure of having at least 1 tank of fish to enjoy and look after. As with may hobbyist I was keeping cichlids before I was aware that such things as cichlids existed. These were the ubiquitous angels, kribs, and convicts. By the time I had left formal education I had moved in to Discus. I enjoyed great success until I started reading the wide range of books giving advice on the maintenance and breeding of these wonderful creatures. About this time I ventured in to searching out cichlids of all types and environments.. This led to adventures in acquiring new and wondrous species
Eventually I got more deeply involved with the cichlid clubs in the UK, and served a number of years in the role of Cichlidae Editor, then Technical Editor, and finally a stint as Chairman of the British Cichlid Association. Then one year, 1996, I came over to America and fell in rapture of the ACA. And, most years I have been able to attend their Convention. I became such a frequent attendee that I was elected to serve a term on the Board of Trustees..
The next progression of my hobby, after becoming a club member then a writer for the clubs, and active participant of Committees/Boards was to move to collecting fish from the wild. I have been fortunate to collect 3 times in Uruguay, and more times than I can recall in Mexico. Each trip has been an adventure, and made more enjoyable by the friends that I have made on each occasion.
