Aaron was born and raised in Jersey and educated at De la Salle and Grainville. He Left school at 16 and worked in various jobs before leaving for Koh Phi Phi, Thailand at 22. He then returned to Jersey in 1997 for a couple of years where he was in the States of Jersey Police. Feeling the pull of the East, Aaron then moved to Singapore in 2001 to start his own security training company where he lives currently.
Although he has a background in writing, Aaron is back in Jersey this month as author of his first book ?And Then One Morning?, an autobiographical look at his experience in the tsunami of 2004. The book concerns Aaron?s close ties and relationships with Phi Phi and its key people over the five years he lived there. In particular with his friend Heinz Oswald.Aaron built up his life in Singapore and subsequently returned on several trips to Phi Phi where he forged a friendship with Heinz and his family. Heinz made the decision to leave Phi Phi and his dive shop Moskito after 20 years to live in Phuket and watch his three children grow up. Aaron went to Phi Phi for Christmas to help Heinz pack all his belongings and help him move it all to his new house in Phuket.
On December 26th, as they were planning on leaving that very afternoon, the tsunami hit. Heinz and his two daughters died opposite Aaron while he fought for his own life. He spent the rest of that day ?dealing with some of the worst horrors any person should ever deal with?. The book is a personal narrative of the horrors of that day and the subsequent weeks.
Aaron has now finished his book. He has decided to self publish and is being interviewed on Jersey, UK, Austrian, Thai and Singaporean TV. He will be selling ?And Then One Morning? to book stores here in Jersey and abroad. The book is currently available in Waterstones, Redvers and down at Big Verns.
In a show of altruism, Aaron is giving all author royalties from the book are going to natural disaster victims. You can track these donations on his website: www.bigwavepublications.com. Look out for it and get a copy!
Aaron Le Boutillier, Writer
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