The ‘Cornwall Crew’. Sitting on a largely unused jetty in the corner of Lake 1 at the Kosi Bay Estuary. One of my favourite places and where we do our Turtle Tours.
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My dream. My inspiration.
This is my boyhood dream-come-true.
When I was young, I never read novels, I read factual stories about nature conservation. The book ‘Born Free’, which I read after seeing the movie, brought this to life for me.
It was the catalyst for my inspiration.
It was a story about the life of a couple who reared a young lion cub, Elsa, to grow to adulthood and become rehabilitated into the wild. She eventually bred with a wild lion, and together they created their own pride.
An astonishing story and a remarkable achievement by the Adamsons in its day.
Living in Meeru National Park, Joy and George were also successful in the rehabilitation of a Cheetah, Pippa, and this type of story attracted my attention and triggered my interest in wildlife.
A short time later, the late Dr Ian Player was doing work of similar significance. He was the chief architect behind the rehabilitation of the white and black Rhino species in Africa’s oldest proclaimed park, the iMfolozi / Hluhluwe Game Reserve. An area abundant with wildlife and rich in Zulu history too.
Dr Player’s books achieved critical acclaim and bear testimony to his work in reviving the rhino populations throughout sub-Sahara Africa.
So, it was mostly the work of these two dedicated people that created my inspiration for the bush and wildlife, and so, forty years later, I am living my dream.
I hope to inspire families, through my story, to enjoy our world’s natural wilderness areas and hopefully, their experiences, in turn, will be passed onto others.
1.It looks like I have caught the photographer sneaking a shot of me. On a more practical level, a pair of binoculars is an essential item of any safari.
2.This is Mana Pools in Zimababwe. One of very few Game reserves where you are allowed to walk around freely, at your own risk of course. Here we were photographing a pride of lions, feeding on a buffalo carcass, roughly 150m away.
3.Walking back to our campsite, not more than 100m away, after having photographed some passing elephants, which, incidentally, walk past the campsite where we prefer to stay at least 3 times per day.
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Well, it developed somewhat differently from what I had imagined during my youth. In fact, I probably had too many dreams and not enough time.
At an early age, I wanted to become a ‘Game Ranger’ or a farmer, and then for a short period of time in my late teens, a keelboat racing skipper. Eventually, I settled into a career in advertising. How diametrically opposed could one get?
I have worked in large corporates in sales, marketing, trade marketing and advertising, where I spent 27 years of my life working at one of the top global agency groups, Ogilvy, leading the Durban office for 18 years.
I chose to live in Durban specifically, to achieve a work / life balance, which I believe is essential for family development and relationships. I consider this to be one of the best decisions I have made in my life.
So, closer to retirement, I decided that it’s never too late to fulfill a dream. And so, I studied at the Wilderness Leadership School, coincidentally established by Dr Ian Player, to become a ‘Game Ranger’, or more correctly known as a Nature or Trail Guide.
And so, here’s proof that it’s never too late to fulfill one’s dream!
Seven years ago, my wife and I joined the SANParks Honorary Rangers, a voluntary organization which serves to support SANParks. We felt this was a way of ‘giving back’, for all the time and pleasure that we have enjoyed from our many experiences in nature and the wilderness.
1.My longest-standing friend and I standing on a cliff overlooking the white IMfolozi River doing a Wilderness walk. We vowed as teenagers to do this walk together at some point in our lives. 40 years later, here we are fulfilling our long-awaited dream.
2.One of my most memorable moments in my life. Standing in the Ngorongoro Crater campsite, negotiating with the local Swahili people to purchase some tools of their trade as souvenirs.
3.Old technology now, but this old Sony video camera can tell a few stories and show a few scenes of some sightings we have seen over the years, thanks to my wife’s steady hand.
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My Vision.
There’s no debating the impact of digital technology in the world we live in today. And the COVID-19 pandemic has made us realise that it will continue to play an increasingly important role in our lives.
But it has its pitfalls too. And achieving balance between screen-time and reality is essential.
Have you noticed the amount of time children spend behind a screen and how they engage with each other? Screens play an integral role in their behaviour.
Things that we did ourselves as kids which were more practical, are not in their mix of activities.
Achieving holistic balance. Do we give ourselves enough time and freedom from our working environment? When was the last time you didn’t answer an email or a What’sApp message after hours?
When last did you completely separate yourself from your work environment,
physically and mentally?
So, if it means that our journeys around Africa can, in some small way, awaken the senses and broaden our experiences for ourselves and our teenagers, then we have done a good job in extending your and their horizons.
There’s nothing quite like the crackle of a campfire, and with it, the smell of burning wood, and the feeling of warmth that the fire generates while we sit and talk around it, distracted not by a screen, but by the mesmerising flicker of flames and the unfamiliar sounds of the African bush.
This alone will have a positive impact on the lives of your loved ones. Likely more so than you could imagine.
Filmed documentaries and webcams showcasing Africa and safaris are aplenty, but nothing, can beat a personal experience in Africa on safari.
At least try it. Enrich your lives. Allow us to awaken your senses.
1.It is uncanny, it seems that children have this instinctive need to always want to start the fire in any campsite area. I’m happy to stand by and offer advice of course.
2.Good food is an essential part of any overland safari. Over the years, my ‘foodie’ wife has developed some incredible menus and meal plans for our safaris. Here we have a stokbroodjie (stick bread) on the grill.
3.More food and this time, the younger generation prepare the breakfast. It’s important that everyone takes part in all the camping activities, to lighten the load for everyone in the campsite. And it seems easier while relating stories.
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