A MAN who has served as a British diplomat in different parts of the world gave a talk to a club in St Austell.

Fergus Cochrane Dyet told members of the Probus Club of St Austell how he had been expelled from a country in Africa after relations with Britain were severed and how he had later encountered the deadly disease, ebola.

A spokesperson for the club said: “The after-lunch speaker for the Probus Club of St Austell was Fergus Cochrane Dyet OBE whose talk was entitled A Diplomatic Career in Africa: Expulsion and Ebola.

“Fergus was recruited for the diplomatic service from university. He explained that the position of ambassador was very different from the stereotype.

“As British High Commissioner to Zambia, he met and worked with many people from all walks of life including the well-known president at the time, Kenneth Kaunda, as well as businesspeople and politicians and the everyday inhabitants. However, President Kaunda severed relations with Britain because of the issues created due to the Rhodesian crisis and Fergus was expelled from Zambia.

“He went on to Helmand Province and to Malawi where he often had to travel by foot, encountering dangerous wildlife, including lions, crocodiles and elephants along the way.

“Moving then to Liberia, he found vast amounts of damage and deprivation with very primitive standards of hygiene. Worst of all was the spread of the deadly disease, ebola, and there was a risk of this spreading to neighbouring Sierra Leone. Fortunately, there were United States health centres being set up which were a great help.

“Chairman Tom French thanked Fergus for an extremely interesting and informative talk. Applications for potential new club members are always welcomed, and information can be obtained by contacting secretary John Dearing on 01726 844368 or lunch secretary Hugh Walker on 01726 844950.”