Firstly, what the heck is a Soundghost?
Soundghost is the callsign I use whenever I play any online multiplayer games. I
had to come up with a unique username for the gaming servers and I tried various
combinations of two, non-related words until I hit upon Soundghost. Until I started this website there were
no hits on any of the internet search engines for the word "soundghost". So I started using it as
my callsign and it stuck. It is also my MSN and Skype callsign.
Okay, so who is the Soundghost?
My name is Mark du Toit. I am 37 years old and happily married. My amazing wife, Leigh-Anne,
and I live on the East coast of Scotland in a little village called Dalgety Bay. We both
have jobs in Edinburgh and so we commute daily. I work for the Royal Bank of Scotland as a Mainframe Developer,
but my hobby is drawing cartoons and publishing them on the internet. I also do freelance work
for anyone who approaches me for specific cartoons.
Are you Scottish?
Erm, no. I was born in a small mining town called Tsumeb (pronounced "soo-meb") in
what used to be called South West Africa but is now known as Namibia. In 1977
my parents (who were both born in South Africa) moved back to Johannesburg, where I spent most of my
youth. I lived and worked in Johannesburg until 1997 when I travelled to
Edinburgh to work as a contractor on the Royal Bank of Scotland's Y2K project.
My wife and I fell in love with Scotland and we decided to stay for awhile.
That explains the strange surname. How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced "doo-toy". Du Toit is a common South African surname which probably originated from
The Netherlands or France, although the French would argue that it should be pronounced as
"doo-twah". You won't believe some of the attempts at pronunciation I have heard over the years.
Especially here in Scotland. Local service centre staff who call me up on the telephone seem to have
the most difficulty: "Hello. Can I speak to Mr... er... Mr D... er... can I speak to Mark, please?"
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Why did you set up this website?
I've always enjoyed drawing my own cartoons ever since I was a kid. I've never
had any formal training. I just like to doodle. Friends and family members
have asked me to draw various cartoons for them over the years and I have kept these
all stored away on my PC at home. Eventually I realised that I had amassed quite a substantial collection
of cartoons. I decided to share my cartoons by publishing them on the internet.
Please feel free to download and edit any of my cartoons as you like, changing the colours,
tansparency, or size. I am trying to make a name for myself on the internet right now, and so all of
my cartoons are free!
Free cartoons? Ha! What's the catch?
There is none. I maintain this site in my spare time and I add new content every now and then.
I don't have any corporate sponsors and I don't charge anything for my cartoons. If you want to
use any of my cartoons, please do so. All I ask is that you mention my name on your website
or in your publication.
Hmmpff! So what do you get out of this?
That’s where you come in. If you believe that I am providing an entertaining and constructive service,
then please give me a boost by contributing to the maintenance of this site. A donation of just £2
(2 Pounds Sterling) will help me to upgrade and improve my equipment — so I can continue to bring
you amusing and colourful cartoons. If you really like my cartoons, or you have found them to be
a useful addition to your website or publication, then please click on the “Make a Donation" button below.
It would be greatly appreciated!
How do I contact you?
My e-mail address is: 
Please feel free to e-mail me if you have a genuine request. Why not ask me to design a particular cartoon or
web graphic based on your specifications? I must apologise for displaying my email address as a graphic,
but you can thank the hundreds of spammers out there for this!
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