The Lions on the Road is a true tale of a lone Canadian who bicycled from London, England to Cape Town, South Africa in the early 1990s to raise funds and awareness for Save the Children Fund (STC).Wild animals, political upheaval, military confrontations, mechanical failures, debilitating illnesses and death-defying road conditions make this a page-turning 19,000 kilometre adventure. The story elaborates how it all began, how it was planned and then chronicles the adventure in a humorous style with over 140 maps and photographs. It details the emotional rollercoaster in gaining corporate sponsorship thus providing a cautionary tale for anyone wishing to navigate through the quagmire of obtaining corporate support.The Lions on the Road gives emphasis to the beauty of the African spirit by interweaving tales of acts of kindness, patience and generosity of strangers throughout the continent. In essence, this story is a loving tribute to these countless individuals who offered Fenech assistance and taught him that it is better to light a candle than to complain about the dark. Last but not least, this story highlights some of the important work that African and foreign organizations like STC do to ease the suffering of so many. Hence, a portion of the sales of this book will be donated to Save the Children Fund.
About the Author: David J Fenech's sense of adventure most likely came from his Maltese parents who immigrated to Toronto on their own as teenagers. He is the middle child of five. As a teenager, Fenech's early career was in the food and hotel industries. After completing his education at Humber College's music program as a jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger, he went to "find himself" by completing his first cycle adventure in 1989 when he cycled 10 European nations in 31/2 months. When he returned to Canada, he worked as a tour guide at the CN Tower but having been bitten by the travel bug on the 1989 tour, decided to move to Europe to work in the service industry: first in London, then in Cornwall. He continued his love of cycling by completing several two-week trips in the Alps and the British countryside. After this 1992-3 Africa tour, Fenech returned to university to obtain a degree in early childhood education during which time, he had an internship in Bangladesh building day centres in the garment factories of Dhaka and training ECE educators in run them. Upon graduation, Fenech moved to Japan to teach English for 3 years. After obtaining his teaching license in Ontario, he presently engages his high school students in world issues and ethical debates. Fenech has always believed in giving back wherever he has lived. He has volunteered in soup kitchens in Toronto and in London England, built homes for low-income families through Habitat for Humanity in Toronto, and for the past 13 years is a volunteer at the Hospital for Sick Children. He spent 2011-12 volunteering in Ethiopia at the Ministry of Education to work with the English language teachers. His enjoyment of travelling has expanded to include mountainous destinations in Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway and the Andes in South and Central American. He still enjoys distance cycling but not as ambitious as before.