ello, my name is Alan Bowman, and here is a little bit about myself:

     I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and have spent most of my life there, and in Port Elizabeth, a coastal port about 700 kilometers from Johannesburg.

     From the age of 14, I was asking questions about life, the universe, and where it and we came from. I became an avid reader of philosophy, religion and science fiction. In those early days, I considered that there must be an answer somewhere! (I found science fiction stimulating, as it presented a different way of viewing things and a variety of viewpoints from which to view life and the universe in general).

     Sad to say answers were not forthcoming. As a budding engineer, I was looking for logical answers, things that worked and were not built on blind faith or opinion. At this time I was living in Port Elizabeth, and regularly borrowed books from a friend.

     One day, while going through his library, I came across a book called Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science, by L Ron Hubbard. I asked to borrow this, and read it that night. There it was - a subject concerning life and the mind that made total sense to me as a student engineer. Within days I had sought out a local Scientology practitioner and started to study the subject seriously. That was back in 1958.

     Now, in 1998 I have been a Scientologist for 40 years and still find in it the wisdom I discovered back then. I started my technical career with a bang! (Literally). Fascinated by the space race in the late 50's early 60's, I, together with some friends, all students at the local Technical College in Port Elizabeth, built and launched one of South Africa's first rockets. (The rocket was 3 meters in height and reached an altitude of 2 kms). On the strength of this, and similar ventures over the next one and a half years I was invited to study at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough England. For two years I worked on rocket projects, while studying toward my Higher National certificate in Aeronautical Engineering.

     Eventually I landed in the world of computers, and have been there for the last 13 years as a hardware and software consultant. During the last 40 years I have been a regular student of Scientology, and early on became a practitioner in the subject. Over the years, I have used my skills as a practitioner to help many, many people to live happier and more productive lives. I have also assisted and helped with the running of Scientology organizations.

     My interests and hobbies are photography, astronomy and reading. I used to be involved in archery, and at one stage came third in the South African Compound Bow Championships. Apart from the amazing personal benefits I have received from the religious philosophy of Scientology, one of my greatest satisfactions has been that way back in those early days of 1958 I found a subject, that if correctly applied always produced a predictable result on other people and situations. That really appealed to me as an engineer!