VALE MARK SHAND 1952 - 2014 Mark Shand died in N.Y on Wednesday after a freak accident on a sidewalk. For years the most dashing Englishman , married to London deb of the year Clio Goldsmith in 1990, Shand made his mark in the 1980s as co-owner, with Hon. Harry Fane , of the Garuda Park estate , on the beach at the end of the Batu Belig Road. There was a sign at the front gate that read , if you are a friend of a friend.....go away .The boys, as they were known, were the epitome of upper class englishness. They were fearless adventurers: diving at night to spear sharks, hunting wild boar illegally in chinese sugar baron estates of east java, sailing to Komodo in a native outriggers( where they famously met up with the cruise vessel chartered by Mick Jagger and refused to go aboard) and trekking into the jungles of west Irian to find the tribesmen who had eaten Michael Rockerfeller. ( Shands book of this adventure, Skullduggery , described how they had produced a letter from the Queen ( a close friend of Fanes parents) which saved their lives.) In Bali they only befriended local Balinese : in particular Legendary sanur-based Nusa Lembongan boatsman Made Monoh and beefcake Seminyak lothario Wayan Ledang. Their estate, designed by Linda Garland, was looked over by ancient Madurese retainers called the Mins. They coined the term the Barlows ( as in: cant join you tonight, we are having dinner with the Barlows). During his Bali years a bevy of London beauties accompanied Shand to Garuda Park : Marie Helpen, Bianca Jagger and Brazilian artist Sylvia Martins. After marrying Goldsmith the Shands were regulars on the August party scene at Batujimbar. Over the past two decades Shand was involved in The Elephant Family charity which did much to help elephants and their mahoots in India. Shand was also the first of the great blonde mahoots. He is survived by his daughter Ayesha, and his sisters Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Anabel Elliot.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 23:03:09 +0000
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