About Ian and Family |
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Ian presently lives in Santa Rosa, Laguna in the
Philippines. He married Evangeline (Vangie) Bautista in 2009 after
meetin The company does Team Building and runs ICE (infrared combat experience) events using the technology developed by Battlefield Sports in Australia. Ian was born in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. His family owned a well known Dairy business called "Meikle's Dairies". His early experience at the age of 12/13 as a milk delivery boy (especially getting up with his Father at 4.30AM in winter) gave him all the motivation he needed to look for another career. At the tender age of 15 years he left to join the British Army, serve Queen and Country and become a legend in his own lifetime!! He has a brother George and his Sister Liz, who is married to Bill who has retired from the Police as a Superintendent. George is also married to Grace and both Liz and George have 2 daughters each. As for most of his life Ian has been living somewhere else he does not see them very much. His first marriage was to Gail, an American, whom he met on Rugby Tour, and they produced 2 great kids together. They divorced in 2004 but remain friends.
Getting back to his early years, childhood dreams often fade and Ian is now simply, a legend in his own mind!!! Joining the British Army, Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (R.E.M.E.) he ended up at the Army Apprentice College at Arborfield where he studied the usual subjects as well as Electrical Engineering. He followed that by studying Wireless Technology and Telecommunications over a period of 5-6 years at the School of Electronics Engineering, also in Arborfield, Berkshire, England. He took part in many military maneuvers in Europe, as well as in most of the other countries visited, and participated in outdoors activities such as, Outward Bound course in Wales, Winter Survival course in Norway and a Jungle Warfare course in Malaysia. Over this period Ian succeeded in becoming a fully qualified expert in "Skiving". (you can find the meaning, if you need to, in the dictionary under "Skive") In the right environment, after a couple of drams, there are many stories to be told. Discovering, whilst in the Army, that his tendency to run away from trouble and his speed doing it, lent itself admirably to the game of Rugby. He became an avid Rugby player and would play perhaps 3 games per week, whenever he could. This forged a relationship with the game that will last forever in one form or another. One of the other attractions of Rugby was the camaraderie and the copious amounts of beer that were traditionally imbibed after the game (only to ease the pain of the many knocks and broken noses on the field, of course.) He subsequently represented R.E.M.E. at Corp level, the Combined Services in Hong Kong and represented Hong Kong at International level against the Australian national colts team and a team from Wellington, New Zealand. He also played club Rugby for Ayr Rugby Club in Scotland and London Irish in England. One of the highlights of his career in R.E.M.E. was the founding of a Rugby team in 1973 called "The Munster RAMS", incorporating the Military and civilians associated with the British Forces in Munster, Germany. The Club continued into the early 90's at the last news. He also got involved the other side of Rugby spending a season on the West of Scotland referees panel before taking up coaching. The experience of refereeing left him with a high regard for the ability of referees to absorb abuse from both teams and not end up with a serious inferiority complex! Coaching Rugby was much more fun and experiences at Camberley R.F.C., where we had a 22-7 season in my second year, and Frankfurt Americans are particularly well remembered. The time at Frankfurt Americans was probably the most enjoyable as the raw talents available were moulded into competent teams both in the 15 a-side and 7 a-side teams. Under his watchful eye, Frankfurt American beat R.E.M.E. Arborfield, a team he had previously played in, for the first time ever, a very satisfying moment especially as some of his old friends were still playing or coaching. His first introduction to the Amsterdam 7's was attending with Frankfurt Americans, who did well and that experience started a long term relationship with the event.
He managed to get himself in a picture with the winning team. The name "Marauders" and much of the culture that made them so popular was taken from the Ayr Rugby Club touring side "McEwan's Marauders" named for the favourite brew at the time, "McEwan's Export Ale!" He toured many times to Wales with the Marauders along with his long time best friend (his best man, but only for the wedding!!) Billy White. There were many great adventures, great characters and many hangovers, to remember....or not!! He is also one of the founders of, and was coach for, another Rugby Club he called the Marauders (again) who were sponsored by the King's Head Pub in Campbell California. The Marauders are a social Rugby Club, a new kind of entity in the USA and winner of the inaugural Pub League Cup sponsored by Famous Grouse and Canterbury Shirts. Unfortunately Rugby has not been a feature of his stay in the Philippines, so far, but he is still hopeful!! His other sporting activities over the years have ranged through, Athletics, he had the privilege of representing the Corp at the Pole Vault and in the sprints, Soccer, Squash, Skiing, Water Skiing, which he learnt when he ran the water skiing section at Stanley Services Boat Club in Hong Kong. Golf, SCUBA Diving, Cycling, Motor Cycling, Fencing, Cricket, Basketball, Swimming, shooting and various others. These days, however, mostly only the spirit is willing........but he still participates where he can or plays the rest vicariously through the medium of TV and Video Golf!! Ian considers himself a man of integrity and believes that the core values in any relationship, whether personal or business, are trust and respect. These can only work in both directions between two people however, and have to be maintained. They are the core values he lives his life by. Trust is like a glass bowl, once broken it can never be put back together the same as before. Respect is earned over time and takes effort and mutual energy. He enjoys good food, good company, good wine, good Scotch and an eclectic variety of music, such as folk, classical, jazz and the Beatles, but has recently got back into the Rolling Stones. He has an off-beat sense of humour and enjoys lively repartee, when he can find it!! He loves reading and can go through a couple of books on a long international flight. Also enjoys movies and certain kinds of live entertainment.
As an Ayrshireman, he is an ardent fan of Robert
Burns, "The Bard", one of Scotland's favourite sons who wrote many
wonderful poems and songs. He has
During the time he was trying to get a particular Chief Clerk in his unit in Munster involved in the admin side of the Munster RAMS to become the club secretary, the Chief Clerk turned around and made a life altering statement...."Meikle, you should be a f#&king Salesman"....... Based on that advice, that is the career he chose and is still pursuing it! Before moving to the Philippines, he has been located in Scotland, England, Germany, Hong Kong and California in various positions with a variety of different companies, in different market sectors and regions. He was until 2005 filling multiple roles, one as VP Worldwide Sales for a start up Actineon Inc. and working as a consultant, through his own company Integer Consulting, for AnalogicTech helping them set up sales channels in the Western USA. He then became a partner in a consulting business called Sapiential Prime, working with his friend, Patrick O'Hearn. Ian now lives in Santa Rosa, Laguna in the Philippines after living for 16 months in Puerto Galera where he met Vangie Bautista, who is now his wife, and is enjoying building a new career in team building and running ICE (Infrared Combat Experience) events. We set up a new division in Mindoro called Mindoro Adventures which does trekking and cultural events with the indigenous people of Mindoro the Mangyans. Ian is multilingual and speaks, English, Scottish, American, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and German, to name but a few. He considers himself a "Citizen of the World" |
performed
various duties at many Burns Suppers celebrating the birthday of
Burns, including the role of Chairman and presenting the Immortal
Memory Speech, but the "Address to the Haggis" (from memory!!) is
his specialty. He is available to partake in any Burn's Supper that
is within reasonable traveling distance, for a small stipend of a
good quality single malt.....drunk after the Address of
course....For more information on Robert Burns please go to this
site.... Robert Burns. 