You are hereArchive - Aug 20, 2017
Archive - Aug 20, 2017
Lost £6.5million fortune, found paradise: 20yrs alone with his dog on island, calling himself'luckiest bloke in world'
Natural paradise: real-life Robinson Crusoe reveals 20 years alone on a desert island after losing his fortune has a surprising upside
David Glasheen, 73, lives happily on Restoration Island, off North East Australia, with his dog Polly. The former millionaire moved to the idyllic island in May 1997 after losing his fortune in the stock exchange crash of 1987.
The ex-gold mining tycoon and property magnate, who at his most successful was worth an estimated £22million, now lives in a wooden beach shack with only his loyal dog Polly for company.
But despite having limited electricity, fresh water and facing regular battles against deadly wildlife, the bearded exile insists he feels safe on the island.
Self-sufficient David, who was born in Sydney’s Northern Beaches to an Irish family, added there is nowhere he’d rather be than on his "heaven on earth" natural paradise.
He said: "I want to die here - where else would I? This is my heaven on earth.
When I came here I was sick of money - money is what makes people sick - and my marriage had broken apart."
The wilderness was named by famous seafarer Captain Bligh, who stopped at the island to restore his crew's health in 1789 after a mutiny on board the ill-fated Bounty. read more »
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