Thomas “Tony” Smallwood

Rest in Peace 1941-2013

Tony Smallwood was a formidable man and aviator with a career spanning over 40 years as both a commercial pilot, training captain and mentor to many people who took up flying privately.

In later years he retired in Thailand where he followed his passion for flying and conservation, often combining the two. Amongst Tony’s largesse was his unstinting support for wild life conservation, both on and off shore. He encouraged people from all walks of life to apply their passion to conservation, utilising any and all skills they might possess, not just financial contributions.  The Turtle and Dugong Conservation Projects were two of many he was involved in while with WARF. 

Tony’s biggest project in Thailand was the ongoing rehabilitation of Gibbons which have been abused or abandoned as pets from the tourist industry. Tony was a key person who driven the foundation to where we are today. 

Over the past twenty years, WARF with Tony’s relentless efforts have become the most successful Gibbon rehabilitation project worldwide.  The original Gibbon project is located on a National forest preserve in Phuket, but it is fast running out of space, and since Phuket is undergoing  massive building development there is no prospect of securing suitable sites on the island.

A group of Tony’s close friends in Thailand, including Dio, his partner, have at the request of WARF, agreed to continue this worthwhile project for his memorial. We all miss you.