lindsay fox private yacht

Trucking magnate, Lindsay Fox celebrates his 85th birthday with an all-expenses paid luxury cruise onboard Seabourn Quest for his mates

Trucking magnate, lindsay fox, never does things by halves. to mark his 85 th birthday, mr fox is throwing a birthday bash like no other, inviting a string of who’s who in melbourne business community, to his 12-day cruise on board the luxury seabourn quest from new york to montreal at an estimated cost of $5 million..

Fellow billionaires Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, retail king Solomon Lew, property billionaire John Gandel, SEEK founder Andrew Basset, Linfox board members Bill Kelty and Simon Crean, tv presenter Eddie McGuire and Infrastructure Partnerships chair Rod Eddington are expected to turn up on Seabourn Quest , complete with pool deck, piano bar, observation bar, sky deck and the must-have water toys.

Seabourn Quest is renowned for its fine dining options including The Grill by Thomas Keller, the culinary American chef exclusive to the fleet. The elegant dining room prides itself in serving table-side preparations of Caesar salad and favourites such as Lobster Thermidor served with creamed spinach. The timeless menu which draws on the freshest products from artisan purveyors is complemented with a wine list of domestic and old-world labels.

Birthday festivities will include a pyjama party with sleeping gear provided by Mr Lew’s popular Peter Alexander brand to all guests and a fireworks display.

It is understood guests will pay their own way to get to the cruise while Mr Fox will pick up the tab for all expenses on the cruise.

Prices of a 12-day cruise on the same itinerary on a similar luxury liner start from $10,000 pp for a standard cabin to $25,000 pp for a penthouse suite.

Mr Eddington, a 1974 Rhodes Scholar confirmed he will be on the birthday cruise adding that Mr Fox often jokes that he is also a Rhodes Scholar but spelt “r-o-a-d-s” scholar, according to the Australian Financial Review.

This is not the first time that Mr Fox has celebrated his birthday with a luxury cruise. When he turned 80, he also charted a luxury liner and invited about 400 guests for a Mediterranean cruise from Athens to Venice. His guests included former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett, Lloyd Williams and Andrew Forrest. Celebrations culminated in a extravagant fireworks display in Venice.

Mr Fox has already turned 85 birthday on April 19.

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Jeffrey epstein, ghislaine maxwell partied with australian billionaires on 100ft yacht.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell once partied in Sydney Harbor on a 100-foot yacht with a billionaire Australian trucking tycoon and a powerful medial mogul, according to a newly resurfaced report — sparking controversy online for the country’s elite.

The late pedophile financier and his then-girlfriend were guests of honor on a 1995 Christmas cruise hosted by trucking magnate Lindsay Fox, according to a newspaper article at the time which was rediscovered by a Jeffrey Epstein podcast and first reported by VICE . Fox is among the country’s wealthiest men.

The then-power couple hopped aboard Fox’s massive yacht for the exclusive holiday bash — which was also attended by Australian media mogul James Packer and musician Deni Hines, The Sydney Morning Herald piece dated Dec. 24, 1995 details.

While describing the event, the paper dubbed Maxwell “the beautiful, feisty, 34-year-old daughter of the late disgraced media baron Robert Maxwell” and Epstein her “millionaire American beau” who’s prone to “zipping around Manhattan in a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit.”

The boat party was “one of the most coveted Christmas invitations in Sydney,” the column said, which notes that other well-heeled guests were on the list.

At the time, Epstein and Maxwell had been spending time with the Fox family in Melbourne before traveling to Sydney for a “brief visit,” the article states.

Lindsay Fox, who founded logistics and supply company Linfox in 1956, was ranked the 10th richest person in Australia by Forbes last year. Packer, who went on to run the gambling empire Crown Resorts, was ranked 9th.

The holiday party took place not long after Epstein bought his secluded Palm Beach, Florida mansion, and acquired his opulent Manhattan townhouse, where he then allegedly began sexually abusing girls. Maxwell is accused of helping recruit and sexually abuse the young women.

But the newly-resurfaced society column has forced Fox to deny the article and distance himself from the notorious couple. A rep for the businessman told VICE that he never met Epstein or Maxwell.

“Despite the contents of the story…Lindsay has never met Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — neither in Sydney, nor Melbourne.  Indeed, at the time of the ‘harbour cruise’ in Sydney as suggested by the article, Lindsay’s diary records confirm that he was in Hawaii celebrating Christmas with family,” the rep said.

However, the journalist who wrote the story, Rosalind Reines, said she stands by her reporting.

Neither James Packer’s nor Deni Hynes’ representatives responded to VICE’s requests for comment.

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Superyachts stranded in Barcelona and Gulf Streams grounded in Essendon: Travel bans hit Australia's mega rich as their pleasure crafts and jets gather dust – and all the money in the world can't buy them freedom

• Ongoing COVID-19 travel bans are stopping all people from flying overseas 
• Rich Australians are cannot use their private jets or yachts stranded overseas
• Billionaire Lindsay Fox is cut off from his $90mil superyacht stuck in Barcelona
• He and Max Beck also have private jets, which are gathering dust in their airport 
• John Gandel own the world's largest business jet, which hasn't flown for months
• Meanwhile, James Packer has been lounging on his $100mil yacht in Mexico 
• The billionaire is enjoying the Cabo summer since he left before the travel ban 
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By Shive Prema For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 03:18 EDT, 19 June 2020 | Updated: 03:18 EDT, 19 June 2020

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Australia's one-percenters are unable to use their superyachts and private jets due to ongoing coronavirus travel bans. 

Lindsay Fox, who runs logistics giant Linfox, is completely cut off from his 58-metre superyacht called Volpini 2, which is currently stranded in Barcelona, Spain . 

Premier Investments chairman Solomon Lew is also unable to enjoy his 54-metre yacht Maridome while its moored in the Catalan port.   

Fox and property development mogul Max Beck both own private jets, which are currently grounded at Essendon Fields Airport - an airport they jointly own. 

Property developer John Gandel owns the world's largest business jet, the Bombardier Global Express 7500, which is also gathering dust in a hangar. 

Only James Packer is able to enjoy his $200million luxury superyacht in Mexico's   Cabo San Lucas as he has been spending COVID-19 lockdown there.  

The 58-metre long superyacht called Volpini 2, which is owned by Lindsay Fox, who runs logistics giant Linfox

Fox and his wife Paula. The cashed-up couple have not been able to leave Australia due to COVID-19 pandemic due to travel bans - meaning their yacht is stranded in Barcelona 

In sunny Barcelona, Fox's AU $90 million yacht Volpini 2 is docked in the port and has been waiting months for its next voyage. 

The spacious yacht can fit 12 guests across six rooms and and 13 crew members in seven cabins and can reach speeds of up to 15.5 knots. 

Premier Investments chairman Lew is in a similar position, with his luxury $43 million seafarer Maridome also docked in the Catalan capital.  

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The 54-metre long vessel can fit 10 guests in five cabins and 14 crew and is slightly faster than Fox's boat as it is able to reach 16 knots. 

Fox and property development mogul Max Beck both own private jets, which are currently grounded at Essendon Fields Airport. 

Luckily for them, they can store their jets for free since they jointly own the airport.

Superyacht Maridome (pictured) is 54 metres long and can fit 10 guests in five cabins and 14 crew in seven cabins and is slightly faster than Fox's boat as it is able to reach 16 knots

Premier Investments Chairman Solomon Lew (pictured) has been unable to access his Maridome yacht amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Property developer Gandel is the only Australian owner of the Bombardier Global Express 7500, which is the world's largest business jet.  

The monster plane can seat up to 19 passengers and has a master bedroom and a shower to wash off any flight ickiness.  

But like Fox and Beck, Gandel cannot make use of the plane's enormous 13,000km travel range due to COVID-19 travel bans.    

Paul Little's Gulfstream 650 is also sitting idly at his his $100-million Melbourne Jet Base in Tullamarine Airport.

A Bombardier Global 7500 plane, the world's largest business jet. Property developer John Gandel is the only Australian to own the plane but is unable to put it to full use due to bans on international travel

A private jet in Essendon Fields Airport, which is jointly owned by Lindsay Fox and Max Beck. Both millionaires have kept their jets at the airport due to travel bans

Mr Little said private airports were feeling the financial pinch as a result of less departures and arrivals from Australia's super rich. 

'Around the world, there are planes parked up that aren't being used because the demand's not there,' Mr Little told the Australian Financial Review . 

'We're even storing some aircraft at the moment that would typically be running in and out of – I think it's Korea – we're storing those planes because there's no demand. So it's not unique to Melbourne Jet Base.'

Mr Little said the COVID-19 pandemic reduced their traffic by roughly 20 to 30 per cent in March. 

Property developer John Gandel and his wife Pauline. Mr Gandel is the only Australian owner of the world's largest business jet, the Bombardier Global Express 7500, but is currently unable to fly overseas because of COVID-19 travel bans 

While many of Australia's wealthy folk are not able to play with their luxury toys, billionaire James Packer got out of the country before travel bans came into place. 

He was spotted earlier this month on his $200million luxury superyacht, which is docked in front of his $50million beachfront mega-mansion being built in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas.

The custom-made yacht was built by Benetti in Livorno, Italy, and measures 108 metres in length.  

James Packer with his New York socialite girlfriend Kylie Lim. Mr Packer got out of Australia before travel bans came into place and was recently spotted on his $200 million yacht in Mexico

Share or comment on this article: Australian billionaires' superyachts and private jets gather dust due to COVID-19 travels bans

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Fresh claims about Melbourne magnate’s superyacht voyage

Fresh claims have been made about Melbourne property magnate Mark Simonds’ family trip to Queensland aboard luxury yacht, Lady Pamela.

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Fresh claims have been made about Melbourne property magnate Mark Simonds’ family voyage to Queensland aboard luxury superyacht Lady Pamela as police investigations are underway.

On Wednesday A Current Affair reported the Simonds party are staying in quarantine in the king suite of Queensland’s QT hotel after being moved from their luxury yacht.

The multi-millionaire Mark Simonds, his glamorous wife Cheryl, their son Vallance and his girlfriend Hannah Fox, were taken by minibus to the hotel after Queensland Health revoked their COVID-19 related exemption on Tuesday.

The boat had been given permission to enter the state.

It is unclear whether the three crew who served the three Simonds and Ms Fox, who is the granddaughter of Victorian trucking billionaire Lindsay Fox, are isolating at the same hotel.

It comes as a NSW local also told the program he saw a person he believed to have come off the boat near Eden - further down the coast.

There is no suggestion that any of the passengers did anything unlawful. Nobody has been arrested or charged over the incident.

Both Queensland and NSW Police are probing allegations about the Simonds voyage which left Melbourne on August 9 and arrived in Queensland after six stops en route.

RELATED: Follow the latest coronavirus updates

On Monday NSW Police Force’s Marine Area Command confirmed it was investigating the movements of the vessel while in NSW waters.

“This includes inquiries into the activities of the occupants where the vessel may have docked along the NSW coast and whether there are breaches of Public Health Orders.”

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller later said: “There are not two standards for those who have, and those who have not.”

Queensland’s chief health officer Jeanette Young said the COVID-19 exemption plan under which the Lady Pamela was “was for 14 days out at sea”.

“They have to be on that yacht with no contact with anyone, the yacht with no-one going on or off,” Ms Young said.

ACA also reported that the yacht had a “movement of freight permit” issued by Service NSW, which police are now investigating.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was “disgusted” by the allegations.

“I am disgusted about it, and now there is a criminal investigation because it puts the community at risk,” she said, according to a report in The Age.

RELATED: Urgent COVID warning for Sydney CBD

The Simonds Homes chief executive and his family sailed up the east coast on their superyacht, more than a month after Linfox trucking heir Peter Fox, the father of Hannah Fox, went to the Gold Coast.

On Tuesday afternoon, health officers boarded the Simonds yacht and gave COVID-19 tests to the family party and three crew.

That night, police boarded the yacht – which has its own Instagram page, livery, and uniformed staff – and disembarked all seven for quarantine in a government-approved hotel.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the state’s Chief Health Officer has “revoked her exemption for seven people aboard the Lady Pamela vessel.”

“All seven people are now required to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 14 days at their own expense.”

“Attempting to bypass or manipulate Queensland’s border direction is unacceptable.”

It’s understood new information provided to Queensland Health indicated the owner was granted the exemption approval based on incomplete information.

A Current Affair filmed Mr Simonds and his wife Cheryl enjoying drinks with friends on the deck of the Lady Pamela, others jumping off the side for a swim or cruising in an inflatable dinghy during one of the stopovers on the voyage north.

The 30m Italian built marble and gold finished Lady Pamela was just one of several ways rich Victorians were leaving the state during lockdown.

It has also been revealed that other wealthy Victorians are leaving the state in private jets to avoid Premier Daniel Andrews’ strict COVID-19 lockdown laws.

Daily Mail Australia reported Victoria’s elite with private aircraft were even asking pilots to turn off the plane’s transponders to escape detection.

Mr Simonds is the latest of Victoria’s wealthy trying to escape masks and COVID-19 restrictions for the Queensland sunshine.

Both he and Mr Fox and their families were granted exemptions for different reasons despite Queensland having forbidden the entry of most Victorian visitors. That was until Queensland Health revoked the exemption for the Simonds party.

Premier Andrews has been severely criticised for his plan to extend the government’s ability to enforce COVID-19 restrictions by extending Victoria’s state of emergency by 18 months.

A Current Affair reported earlier this month that Mr Fox, his wife Lisa and two other of their children had moved to the Gold Coast under a rule allowing truck drivers to enter the state.

Mr Fox told ACA he had a trucking licence, had brought a truck down to the Gold Coast from Cairns and was now a Queensland resident.

RELATED: TV icon slams ‘totalitarian’ Andrews

RELATED: More than 600 hospital staff in isolation

The family is renting a multi-millionaire dollar waterfront mansion from former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion Mick Doohan where he told Nine he could keep his family “healthy and safe”.

Mr Fox is one of six children of Linfox founder and self made billionaire Lindsay Fox and is Executive Chairman of the Linfox group.

Mr Simonds is one of three sons of Gary Simonds who founded the construction empire Simonds Homes more than 70 years ago.

The ASX-listed company is one of Australia’s largest home builders.

Victoria’s second wave coronavirus outbreak which saw daily cases soar above 700 a few weeks ago now appears to be on an overall downward trend, with 148 new cases on Tuesday, slightly up on the 116 new cases on Monday.

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An Australian man has died after suddenly collapsing in a Bali airport, becoming the fourth Aussie to die on the island in three weeks.

The father of two brothers killed on a surfing trip to Mexico has revealed a heartbreaking, six-word confession.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has revealed a disturbing incident that occurred on a late night shift at Brisbane’s Air Traffic Control Centre.

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Volgograd: History and Myth

10 October 2010

A solemn but reverent air of respect hangs over Volgograd. Long a small military garrison, then a rapidly growing center of commerce and transport, Volgograd is best known to Russians and foreigners alike as the site of the bloodiest battle of the Second World War. Today, Volgograd is an industrial city and transport hub with the Volga River as its heart. It embraces its past while surging ahead, but must also face new economic and political challenges.

Volgograd’s Geography

The city was founded as a military garrison in the late 16th century, shortly after Russia first conquered the area from the Astrakhan Khanate. While its immediate purpose was to help secure and govern the new territory, grander long-term designs were likely in mind when it was given its original, royal name of Tsaritsyn.

Located at a strategic bottleneck of the Volga River, the city would have been well-placed to defend Russia’s northward territories from foreign armies advancing from the south. It is also well placed to act as part of one of the silk road trade routes running from Europe to Asia. The surrounding area, known as “the Great Steppe,” and characterized by its arid, dry climate and grassland plains is well suited to grain production, which was once Russia’s biggest export to Europe and one of its main sources of wealth and international “soft” power.

Volgograd’s Early History

Volgograd, founded in a restive, new region existed as a small military and trade settlement for nearly 300 years. Tsaritsyn initially had to defend itself constantly from Cossacks, Crimean Tatars, and even from its own troops mutinying in the new borderland.

However, by 1691, the city was stable and prosperous enough to support a customs house. Salt had emerged as a primary good, and the settlement maintained a small population while attempting to develop a stable agricultural home base in the region. However, it was only after arrival of the arrival of the Volga-Don railroad in 1862 that urban development began on a much larger scale.

The city was transformed into a transportation hub serving the surrounding agricultural industries and wider trade networks connecting the Black and Caspian Seas to the West and East and Moscow to the North.

Soviet Volgograd

Insensitivity of Russian agriculture as of 2006. Red is most intensive; light blue is least intensive. Volgograd lies at the southern end of Russia’s fertile, well-watered, and accessible agricultural region. Graph source: IIASA

Shortly after the city had developed into a major commercial center, the Russian revolution occurred. The city was captured early on by Bolshevik troops and, although Tsarist forces made several attempts to capture the strategic location, it remained under the control of the Red Army for the vast majority of the Russian civil war.

Stalin’s Five-Year Plans eventually turned the city into a major industrial center and continued to develop its transport infrastructure. Grand long-term designs can again be seen in the decision to rename the city “Stalingrad” in 1925.

The strategic city was once again the site of fierce fighting during WWII. The Nazis attempted an aerial blitzkrieg, turning most of the city to ruble early in the war. The battle raged for nearly a year and half, with the Nazis nearly taking the entire city and then being pushed back in one of the most dramatic and bloody battles in all of world history. Well over one million military and civilian casualties were sustained.

Early riverport infrastructure in Tsaritsyn. Detail from pre-revolutionary postcard. Source: Wikicommons.

Mill Gerhart, a granary founded by Alexander Gerhart, a descendant of Volga Germans who colonized the Lower Volga region in the late 18th century, remained one of the city’s few Soviet holdouts as the Nazis advanced. The tall, strong mill had easy access to Volga and served as a fortress for the Soviets, withstanding constant heavy bombardment. Today, the remains of the building have been left as they were as a reminder and testament to the city’s agricultural origins and continued resilience.

With the advent of the Volga-Don canal in 1952, Volgograd gained a direct water route to the Black Sea, providing inexpensive and easy access to the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and beyond. The Soviets then used Volgograd, far inland and well-protected from naval forces, as a major shipbuilding port and steel production center, fed in part from the upstream Ural Mountains. These industries remain a large part of Volgograd’s economic presence in the region.

One of the Volgograd region’s crowning achievements was the construction of the Volga Hydroelectric Station, the largest of its kind in Europe. Since its completion in 1961, the station has proved an economic boon to Volgograd, providing jobs, a source of renewable energy, and irrigation opportunities. Commerce and transport in the region have also benefited, as the dam also serves as bridge linking rail and road networks over the Volga.

In large part fueled by the dam’s continuing construction, Volgograd saw a major a population boom in the 1950s. An entirely new “micro city”, Volzhskiy, formed on the opposite bank of the Volga to support workers there. Today, Volzhskiy has grown significantly, and is considered essentially a suburb of Volgograd.

Another, perhaps better-known construction project is “The Motherland Calls!” statue, completed in 1967. Standing atop Mamayev Kurgan, the site of heated conflict during the Battle of Stalingrad, the statue is a 279-foot tall allegorical representation of Mother Russia. Today, it is one of the area’s major tourist attractions.

Modern Volgograd: Industry and Environment

Evidence of Volgograd’s industrial past and present is noticeable throughout the city. Its busy river port, a gathering place for the city’s locals, processes over 10 million tons of cargo annually. Oil, minerals, and grain top the list, indicative of the region. Factories dot the banks of the Volga, including the Red October steel factory and the iconic Volgograd Tractor Factory, famous for once supplying equipment and tanks to the Red Army during WWII.

Today, a third of the population works in the industrial sector. However, environmental problems also plague the city and its river. In addition to industrial pollutants, Volgograd’s urban sprawl, which snakes along an incredible 50 miles of the Volga, and low population density, contribute to long commutes and high emissions from road transport. Even the creation of Volgograd’s prized dam has endangered local fish and wildlife.

To help alleviate these problems, in 2011, for the first time in almost three decades, the metro was extended to include three new stations in more heavily residential neighborhoods south of the city center. The Volgograd Bridge was completed in 2009, a 13-year-long engineering project that hopes to create a new “East-West” transport corridor providing easier access to Central Asian republics, as well as the Russian cities of Saratov and Astrakhan. In 2005, Volgograd broke ground on “Volgograd City,” a major business and residential development complex that aims to increase population density and thus reduce the need to commute.

Volgograd’s river port, while currently serving as a dated, multi-purpose entertainment complex, has plans to partner with the neighboring port in Volzhskiy in developing a new large-capacity terminal, as well as an extensive modernization and enlargement of Volzhskiy’s port. Other proposed long-term waterfront projects include an aquarium, a port history museum, and restaurants featuring local cuisine. Coupled with plans to completely overhaul the city’s aging airport and stadium in its preparations as a host city for the 2018 World Cup, Volgograd obviously has its sights set on maintaining its status as a strategic transport hub.

Volgograd is working to improve its capacity as a tourist destination as well, attracting visitors from across Russia and beyond. IN addition to “The Mother Land Calls,” this “Hero City” pays tribute to its war-torn past with its Alley of Heroes in the city center, a who’s who of fallen soldiers and Red Army patriots. The Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad contains artifacts from the war, as well as a full panoramic view of the defeat of the German forces in Stalingrad.

More recently, Volgograd has become a popular ecotourism destination, due in part to its reservoir, river cruises, and overall favorable climate. The Volga-Akhtubin floodplain, one of the last untouched areas of the Volga river valley, is especially renowned for its wildlife and abundance of lakes.

Modern Volgograd: Politics and Government

Volgograd, home to some one million people, is also the capital of its surrounding oblast, which is also known as Volgograd. Both political entities have been the site of several many post-Soviet scandals and upsets.

Politically, the Communists have remained relatively strong in the area. Roman Grebennikov, a young, body-building Communist was the elected mayor of Volgograd in 2007 in what, at the time, was a major political upset for the ruling United Russia Party.

The new, strong-willed mayor continued to make waves, clashing with the United-Russia-controlled city duma and Anatoly Brovko, the governor of the Volgograd Oblast, and also a United Russia member. Eventually the governor led a major push to abolish the office of mayor and replace it with a “city manager” position that would be appointed and beholden by the city duma.

Grebennikov was removed from office in 2011. He was the third Volgograd region mayor in just 18 months to be dismissed. Rallies were held in his support but Volgograd remains to this day with only an “acting head” rather than a mayor.

In early 2012, Brovko himself stepped down after United Russia faired relatively poorly in the Federal Duma elections held in his oblast. He had never been popular and was widely accused of leading attempts to tamper with the vote to improve United Russia’s results against the rival Communists. His replacement, Sergey Bozhenov, was almost immediately hit will allegations of corruption soon after taking office. However, he has also since created public councils of influential regional officials geared towards proactive problem solving and taken many other actions that have served to invite participation of the public in local governance. His support, as well at that for United Russia, has been rising.

This year, a popular referendum decreed that Volgograd will temporarily change its name to Stalingrad several times per year on days that coincide with military holidays. This decision embodies the mindset of a city whose past is so undeniably intertwined with its present.

Volgograd Today: A Tale of Two Cities

Volgograd’s modern embankment is a popular hangout spot for locals. Photo by the author.

Culturally and demographically, Volgograd, like many areas of the Russian southwest, exhibits influences of various regions, interweaving cuisine, entertainment, and ethnic backgrounds from Russia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Caucasus.

In contrast to its more grizzled reputation as an industrial mecca, Volgograd has long nurtured a strong appreciation for the arts and education. It boasts numerous institutes of higher education, including Volgograd State Pedagogical University, one of the oldest and largest institutes of higher learning in the Volga region.

An active theater culture has flourished in Volgograd since the time of the tsars, and, during the Communist heyday of the 1960s and 1970s, venues such as the Volgograd Municipal Musical Theater attracted droves of Soviet playwrights to its Volga riverfront location. In 1992, the State Don Cossack Theater was founded. It remains the only theater in Russia dedicated to Cossack traditions. Similarly, Volgograd’s puppet theater, dating back to 1936, stages performances steeped in local, regional, and Russian folklore.

Stepping into Volgograd is, in a sense, stepping into a tale of two cities. From the grit of industry and war has emerged a slightly more polished and invigorated metropolis. With an eye on the future, Volgograd has begun to attract investment to build a more modernized industrial river port and business center of the Russian southwest. There is little doubt Volgograd will continue to grow, expand, and surprise, having always occupied a strategic and pivotal position in Russia.

About the Author

Josh Wilson

Josh has been with SRAS since 2003. He holds an M.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in History from Idaho State University, where his masters thesis was written on the political economy of Soviet-era censorship organs affecting the stage. He lived in Moscow from 2003-2022, where he ran Moscow operations for SRAS. At SRAS, Josh still assists in program development and leads our internship programs . He is also the editor-in-chief for the SRAS newsletter , the SRAS Family of Sites , and Vestnik . He has previously served as Communications Director to Bellerage Alinga and has served as a consultant or translator to several businesses and organizations with interests in Russia.

Program attended: All Programs

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Brandon Para

Brandon Para holds a BA in Political Science and Certificate in Russian and East European Studies. He spent several months in Volgograd teaching English with Language Link. He previously participated on SRAS's Russian Studies Program in Moscow.

View all posts by: Brandon Para