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Dave's biography

David Bridge
David was born on a Norwegian whaling vessel in the middle of a winter storm in the Southern Atlantic. His father, Captain Thor Hasselblad was a dour and unfriendly man who certainly had no time for babies on board ship – even his own. And so the small child spent his first formative years living in a small burlap sack behind No 2 blubber boiler in the starboard aft rendering shed. David’s mother died during a tragic harpoon accident when he was just seven years old and, shortly thereafter during a re-supply stop in Montevideo, Uruguay, the small boy took the opportunity to jump ship.
In a remarkable twist of fate he found himself adopted by Dr. Theodore Steinberg, a German missionary. A striking figure, Dr. Steinberg was six foot seven yet incredibly thin; his head was topped with a shock of white, unkempt hair and his acute myopia was only partially remedied by the huge, heavy lenses he wore. The good doctor had received the calling to preach His word to the ‘unconverted’ of South-America; unfortunately, in light of his chosen profession as preacher, he was affected by a terrible stutter. Dr. Steinberg had the sense to acknowledge his limitations as a great orator and, instead, set about creating a mobile clinic to take medicine and health-care to the indigenous tribes. David became Dr. Steinberg’s apprentice and, over the next twenty-five years, they founded over two-hundred clinics across the countryside.

A pint of Guinness, Pernod and blackcurrant just might lead David to giving you a rendition of his repertoire of tropical bird calls; his Paradisaea apoda is especially to be admired.

Following the death of Dr. Steinberg in 1998 David moved to Manchester and opened a herbal medicine emporium in the former Daily Mirror print factory. His collection of shrunken human heads is on display at the Steinberg gallery and is open to viewing by the public on the last Tuesday of each month.