Angus McDonald was the second son of Australian diplomats - he was actually born in Paris. He was registered at my school in 5th grade but didn't attend until 8th grade, as a boarder. He spent two years as a boarder and then three years as a day boy after his parents came back from a posting to Bangladesh. He was possibly in Mr Heinman's photography class with me.
Gus made a career as a travel writer and photographer, concentrating mostly on Asia. In 1994 he walked across China following the steps of George Morrison's journey one hundred years before. The result of this was a book called The Five Foot Road: In Search of a Vanished China.
He started a company in India with a business partner: Moonpeak.
In 2008 Angus was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Last year, the radiation treatment was considered successful - or at least gave him a few more years. But while travelling in Burma with his fiancee last February he had a heart attack. To quote his sister, Marnie, from an email: He went very quickly, which we were all relieved about as a lingering, painful death in palliative care was not a prospect he was looking forward to.
In a way, I find Gus's death sadder than my own parents' this year. They were in their eighties (and I had seen them at Christmas), but Gus was just shy of 51, a month older than me.
I wish I had been able to find and contact the adult Gus ten years ago; I have somewhat wavering memories of him from our school days and some of his drawings in my Doodle Books (see my profile page for the blog link).
As for the photo, it's from the outside wall of the local Love Hotel, called The Glass Window. Presumably Gus visited Japan at some time during his life, and I know he would have been very amused by the concept of Love Hotels.
I'm very grateful to [user]Cory[/user] for suggesting this Challenge inspired by Gus's photos from the Maldive Islands.
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