The World Has Lost a Great Leader – A Tribute to Ian Craddock

29th of July, 2020. Georgetown, Guyana, South America.

The following is a tribute to the late Ian Craddock by one of his students/clients. Mr. Craddock, who passed away on Monday, July 27th, 2020 in Guyana, South America, has conducted many successful survival training and adventure expeditions in the jungles of Guyana. His clients recognized him as one of the best in the field.

By Oisin O’Leary

This is a tough one for me.

Ian Craddock, British Special Forces jungle legend, my mentor, and friend.

I cannot put into words how grateful I am that our paths crossed, and for the time that you spent training me in the Amazon jungle. Your passion for the rainforest was unmatched, and your value to the native communities you worked with, as well as to Guyana was clear to see. You taught me everything I needed to know about jungle survival – from starting a fire, using my bow, to building my shelter – and I will always laugh to myself when I remember you telling me in your very British matter-of-fact way that any injuries I sustained in the jungle would be self-inflicted, because it would (of course) mean I hadn’t been listening to your lessons.

But you taught me so much more than this. You taught me how to be a better, kinder person, and how to value my time on this earth. Some of the conversations we had deep in the jungle at night by the fire, and afterwards in Guyana over a bottle of rum will stick with me forever. When you heard I was in mountaineering training for the next adventure, from the jungles of Guyana you surprised me by somehow managing to get the B3 boots you had used on countless mountains sent to me, which I then went on to use for my first ever summit. That is just the type of guy you were.

You have forever changed the course of my life, and I was looking forward to spending many more years exploring the depths of the jungle with you, but sadly that was not meant to be. The world has lost a great leader, my condolences to all your friends and family.

Rest in peace buddy