Bio
Gavin Whitelaw is a South African archaeologist best known as one of the three expert presenters of the nature travel documentary series Shoreline.
After being schooled in Johannesburg, University at Wits, he was lucky enough to travel fairly widely early on. He moved to Natal in 1986 for a contract job at Natal Museum working on archaeological sites in the uMngeni valley near Durban. He has worked for Natal Museum (now renamed KwaZulu-Natal Museum) as an archaeologist ever since.
Gavin is currently working on his PhD research. His primary archaeological research interest is the Iron Age of southern Africa.
Much of his earlier work concerned the nature of farming society in the first millennium AD, and focused on settlement organization and its relationship to society.
Gavin's current research focuses on farmers of the second millennium, specifically on the origins, archaeology and ethnography of Nguni-speaking people.
He has been involved in the production of several museum displays on archaeological and historical topics and has a special interest in the production of visitor-friendly display text.
Other interests include food, travel and the natural and cultural worlds.