“Miss Bluebell came over to me and asked: ‘Do you dance dear?’ As I was about to say no, my flat mate, a dancer who came for a Blue Bells girl audition in Covent Garden, London, replied that I was a gifted amateur as I had done a year of beginner’s jazz.
“Miss Bluebell took me to another room and asked to see my breasts. Three days later I was dancing with my boobs hanging out and a birdcage on my head in front of 2 000 people at the Lido in Paris,” says Nicky Vernon, owner of the Greyton Farm Animal Sanctuary.
The Hermanus Times recently visited Nicky at the farm sanctuary to find out more about her interesting life. “I was born in the UK, but grew up in Singapore, where my dad was in the Air Force. I was a Blue Bell girl at the Lido for two years and I absolutely loved it. Paris in those days, around 1978, was a time of freedom of expression. I had a very sheltered childhood and suddenly I could sunbathe topless. I made some extraordinary friends, who are still friends to this day.
“People often came to the Lido, asking Miss Bluebell for models. I was on stage with some of the most beautiful girls in the world. When the chance came up to be in a Bond movie, I thought I’d love to do that. I was Nicky Jones and my best friend was Vicky Jones, an absolutely stunning looking lady. I did not get the part, she did. However, because she had so many offers, there was a clash of dates. She told me I’d get away with the name and could pretend to be her. That is how I got into Moonraker with Roger Moore as Bond.”
Modelling jobs at German fashion shows followed the Bond movie. “It was wonderful, but the career of a model and dancer is short and at 27 I was thinking about settling down and doing something different. However, about a year and a half prior to that I, along with six others, won a Great Dreams’ competition by Smirnoff. My dream was to go scuba diving with Jacques Cousteau, but he did not want a showgirl on his boat. Another winner wanted to go skydiving with the red devils. When she was diagnosed with cancer, Smirnoff asked me if I would jump for her and bring about awareness of cancer. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I did it for the cause. As a thank you, Smirnoff sent me on a scuba diving course in Malta. Because of all the publicity surrounding it, I became one of the world’s first underwater models.”
When asked what brought her to South Africa and where her passion for animals stems from, Nicky said: “My late husband Denis Vernon, a passionate conservationist, owned Appleby Castle, where he established a rare breeds survival centre for rare breeds of pigs, sheep and cows. He also had a business in South Africa, which was run by his son. We bought a house in Greyton and for about four years we were ‘swallows’ between Greyton and the UK.
“After he passed away, I decided to stay here and was lucky to be able to buy this 40-hectare piece of land. There was nothing here. The guys who built my straw bale and mud house are still here. They built me such a beautiful home, that I offered them jobs for life. Some have been with me for 22 years and the ‘newcomers’ have been here for 19 years.”
There are about 220 animals at the farm sanctuary, which include pigs, sheep, cows, goats, peacocks, cats, dogs, roosters and geese. Nicky knows them all by name and can tell you their exact history. Many of the pigs come from backyard farmers, who don’t want them anymore. Under the Pigs for Plants project, Nicky will take them off their hands and help them transition from farming pigs to farming crops and vegetables.
Obviously, the costs involved in running a sanctuary are enormous. “Because I worked as a fundraiser, I will often just swoop up an injured animal, regardless of costs and then raise the funds afterwards. Probably not the best policy, but we have managed to save many animals this way.”
Nicky is a passionate vegan. “Twelve years ago, when I started rescuing lambs, I realized that they are no different from a dog or a cat and I asked myself the question why we eat some and love others. Once you really fall in love with an animal, you can’t kill it. I wondered if I could survive, but I actually feel so good and clear-headed, it’s extraordinary.”
Nicky’s message to young women is: “Young women should just be open-minded. They are leading the way in the growth of a more compassionate world. There can be no greater purpose than to look after this planet and all the animals and plants that we share it with.”
The sanctuary is run by Nicky, her staff and volunteers from all over the world. Visitors are welcome by appointment as visitor numbers are controlled. “We are not a petting zoo and not a tourist attraction.”
To cover costs the sanctuary relies on regular monthly donations. Animals can also be sponsored. For more information phone Nicky on 082 558 7752 or see website www.greytonfarmsanctuary.org