Ngasekupheleni kwesikhathi sakhe egijima i-OVC, wathola iTrafalgar Travel, eyathatha izivakashi ezithatha uhambo olude ohambweni lwabaqeqeshi oluphelezelwa e-Europe. Kube yinkampani ayakha wabe esedayisela usomabhizinisi waseNingizimu Afrika, nowagcina esaqhubeka nokuyiqhuba, okuyinto ayenza ngempumelelo eyisimanga cishe iminyaka eyishumi. Eminyakeni eyalandela ukuthengiswa kwakhe, ubunikazi bukaTrafalgar bashintsha izikhathi ezimbalwa, futhi u-Nick wagcina ehambile ngemva kokuba umnikazi wayo ngaleso sikhathi enqikaza ukumsekela ekuqhubeni ibhizinisi ngendlela ayefisa ngayo, ebeka izindinganiso eziphakeme kakhulu nokusebenza okukhethekile okuvuza.
Wabe engasenamsebenzi, enemali ebolekiwe kanye nezingane ezi-4 okufanele azondle, wathatha isinqumo sesibindi sokuphinda aqale phansi. Ngokusekelwa iBlack & Edgington kanye noSihlalo wayo uRobin Duthie, wasungula i-Insight International Tours, futhi ngosizo lukamlamu wakhe, uStephen Lucas, waqhudelana ngqo noTrafalgar. Uhlukanise i-Insight nomkhiqizo osezingeni eliphezulu, izinhlelo zohambo eziqanjiwe, nokumaketha okusha. Phakathi neminyaka emi-5, wawina Umklomelo Wendlovukazi Wempumelelo Yokuthekelisa - umqhubi wezokuvakasha wokuqala owake wawenza. I-Insight ithole umqhubi wezokuvakasha ozinze e-UK, u-Evan Evans, futhi waqhubeka nokukhula.
Ngo-1990, waba uSihlalo ongumsunguli we- I-European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), eyasungulwa ngenhloso yokunxenxa yonke imboni e-EU izinga. Njenge-Insight ne-Trafalgar, i-ETOA yakhula ngempumelelo, yagcina isiyinhlangano ehamba phambili yezohwebo kwezokuvakasha kwamazwe ngamazwe ukuya eYurophu. Lapho eneminyaka engu-60 ubudala, u-Nick wathengisa i-Insight kusomabhizinisi ofanayo owathenga i-Trafalgar kuye, futhi wanikela impilo yakhe yonke kokunye athanda ukukwenza ngaphandle kwezifundo, okuyinhlangano esiza abantulayo.
Usomabhizinisi nobuholi buka-Nick bebusebenza kahle emkhakheni ongenzi nzuzo, futhi selokhu abona idokhumentari ethi “Cathy Come Home,” u-Nick wayegxile ekusizeni abangenamakhaya. Okufike kwashisa izikhotha kwaba ukusungulwa kwe-Donkey Derby, umcimbi waminyaka yonke wobungcweti nowemijaho yezimbongolo e-Richmond ukusiza inhlangano eswele amakhaya, i-Shelter. Ekhuthazwe, njengoba uHelen enza imizamo eminingi kangaka, waba nentshisekelo ku-Relate, waqala wathatha indima yokuba uMgcinimafa wegatsha laseRichmond & Hounslow. Wasuka lapho waba yiPhini likaSihlalo wenhlangano kazwelonke ngo-2000 wabe esenguSihlalo ngo-2006, isikhundla asibambe kwaze kwaba ngu-2012. Wabuye waba nguSihlalo/uMongameli wezinye izikhungo eziningana ezisiza umphakathi, okuhlanganisa i-Clifton College, i-JIA travel section, eLondon. Rotary Club, Philip King Charitable Trust, Polack's House Educational Trust, Richmond Parish Lands, Richmond Shelter Group, SPEAR (Single Persons Emergency Accommodation Richmond), Sustain for Life, kanye neTel Aviv University Trust. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ubeyiPhini likaSihlalo woMkhandlu ka-Richmond Wezinsizakalo Zokuzithandela kanye noMqondisi/Umphathiswa we-Clare King Charitable Trust, i-National Trust Enterprises, ne-Plan International.
Ngenkathi imizamo yakhe yokupha ebanzi yaqashelwa nge-OBE ngo-2006, umnikelo wakhe wajula kakhulu kuneziqu. Wayezibandakanya ngokucabanga, ngendlela eyakhayo, nangozwela ezingxoxweni ezimayelana namasu, ukuqoqwa kwezimali, kanye nabasebenzi, futhi wayevame ukuchitha amahora amaningi ethulula ama-akhawunti ezinhlangano eziningi ayezisiza, eqinisekisa ukuthi izinombolo zihlanganiswe ngendlela efanele. Yena noHelen babevame ukuhlela kabusha ikhaya labo ukuze libe nemicimbi yokuqoqwa kwezimali neminye imibuthano. Wakuthakasela kakhulu ukukhethwa kwabantu abadala abaphethe izinhlangano. Ubeziqhenya kakhulu ngeqhaza lakhe ekuqokweni kuka-CEO omusha we-Relate kanye noHeadmaster we-Clifton College, abantu abaluthethelele ngokugcwele ukholo alubeka kubo.
Naphezu kwazo zonke izinzuzo zakhe ezinkulu, wayenesizotha. Wancamela ukunikeza udumo kunokuluthatha. Wayelalela ngaphambi kokuba akhulume, futhi wayehlale enesithakazelo kubantu nasezimweni ababezithola bekuzo. Uma ubungambuza mayelana nokuthi yini ebaluleke kakhulu kuye, yonke into osekukhulunywe ngayo ngabe ibuyele endaweni yokuqala kuyena - umndeni wakhe. Lapho ehlangana noHelen ephathini, kwakuwuthando ekuqaleni. Akazange aphumule kwaze kwaba yilapho emncenga ukuba alahle bonke abanye abakhongi bakhe ukuze avune yena. Umugqa wakhe wengxoxo owaphumelela kakhulu wawuthi: “ake ngikusize ngezivivinyo zakho zomthetho.” Washada noHelen ngo-1959 futhi ngemva nje kokuba engowesifazane omncane kunabo bonke ukubizelwa endaweni yokucima ukoma. U-Nick no-Helen babenezingane ezi-4 - uDavid owashada noDeborah, uBenj, uJeremy owashada noSoph, no-Anna owashada noSimon. Bakhiqiza abazukulu abayisi-8 – uJack, uLara, uHarry, uNoah, uZack, uSacha, u-Ethan, noKezia. Yena noHelen babeziqhenya kakhulu futhi benesithakazelo kubo bonke kanye nasemindenini yabo emikhulu, bekhuthaza futhi beluleka abaningi lapho bebhekene nezinselele ezinzima futhi besekela abambalwa lapho bebhekene nobunzima obukhulu. Izikhathi zokuziqhenya kakhulu ngomndeni wakhe zihlanganisa uDavid othweswa iziqu e-INSEAD, uJeremy ophumelele njengosomabhizinisi, u-Anna edlala esiteji nakwabezindaba, kanye no-Benj enqoba izithiyo ezinkulu ukuze afanelekele ukuba ngudokotela. Eminyakeni eminingi kamuva, uBenj wasiza ukusindisa impilo kayise izikhathi ezingaphezu kwesisodwa ngokunikeza iseluleko sezokwelapha esiphefumulelwe.
U-Nick waphefumula okokugcina ngo-5:30 ntambama ngoMeyi 10, 2021 ngemva kokulwa nomdlavuza we-prostate we-metastatic ingxenye engcono kakhulu yamashumi amabili eminyaka. Wadlula zonke izibikezelo, ngokungangabazeki ngenxa yokuzinikela kwakhe kuHelen kanye nesimo sakhe sengqondo esihle ngekusasa. Ifa lakhe kanye nokuzinikela kwakhe emndenini kuzoqhubeka nokuphila komkakhe omthandayo, izingane kanye nabazukulu.
