Heroes of Bushcraft "Ray Mears"
Ray Mears was born on the 7th February 1964 in the North Downs area of Southern England. Ray is a woodsman, instructor, presenter, author and businessman. He has honed his skills over nearly 40 years and throughout every area of our planet.
Ray joined the Combined Cadet Force whilst at high school with the intention of joining the Royal Marines after graduation. Unfortunately, he was unable to join up due to his deficient eyesight. As a result, Ray went to work in the City of London in an administrative capacity for several months, after having completed his A-levels.
In 1983, Ray founded his company “Woodlore” which offered courses and paraphernalia in bush craft and outdoor survival skills. Due to its immense success, it was necessary to trademark the name “Ray Mears” very early on.
He first appeared on television in 1994 on a programme called Tracks which was aired on the BBC. This was followed up in 1997 by the programme Ray Mears World of Survival. Since then, Ray has appeared on numerous television programmes, including his own.
“In 2005, Ray was involved in a serious helicopter accident Mears was involved in a serious accident. The helicopter in which he and his camera crew were travelling hit the ground during a steep low level turn, and broke apart, rolling to a stop. The fuel tank was ruptured in the accident and escaping fuel covered Mears and the crew. No fire occurred, and Mears was able to escape the wreckage uninjured and assist in the rescue and administer first aid to one of the crew who was badly hurt." (Excerpt from Ray's Wiki entry).
During an appearance on the Graham Norton show in the UK, Ray was tasked with starting a friction fire using a bow drill. Unbeknownst to him, the bow drill had been treated with a fire retardant so was therefore unsuccessful, much to the amusement of all, including Ray himself.
Ray’s most recent television endeavour was called “Australian Wilderness” with Ray Mears, first broadcast in 2017 on the English TV channel “ITV”.
Having travelled around the world experiencing cultures, climates and techniques, Ray has an almost unparalleled knowledge of indigenous bush craft which he teaches in the form of courses, available via his website. Sticking to a more traditional format, Ray takes the classical approach to outdoor living.
For more information, please check out Ray’s website:
www.woodlore.co.uk
