My son Simon started working at Phinda Game Reserve twenty-eight years ago as a ranger and has worked there ever since except for spells travelling and working for the company in Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana. He rejoined the reserve as Reserve Manager. Phinda was originally farm land and the reserve was proclaimed in 1990 and has grown to over 30000 hectares. Families of employees are entitled to bed nights at the luxury lodges at much reduced rates or nights at Bayete tented camp.
This last trip was to celebrate Andy’s 60th birthday and composed of 15 friends and relatives in two game viewing vehicles, one of which was driven for the last two days by Simon. We had the usual sightings of the Big 5 including two male lions feeding off a giraffe which stunk to high heaven if you were down wind and had thousands of maggots. We went to the boma where we had drinks amongst a posse of rhinos which were ready to be shipped to the Congo. After feeding they became curious about us and crept closer and closer towards us snorting and puffing until people shouted at them and they retreated. When opening the gate I got a big whack from the electric fence, designed to keep rhinos in the boma, and was worried about the effect that would have on my heart pacemaker.
Over the years I’ve seen wonderful and memorable sights. A male black rhino that we disturbed whilst sleeping and who got up and walked quietly up to the vehicle and sniffed it inquisitively. Elephants who came up to the vehicle within touching distance; leopards stretching themselves languidly along tree branches; lions hunting and normally missing their prey or sleeping upside down waving their paws; cheetahs sprinting and catching a buck. Pangolins have been introduced into the reserve and one in particular was relaxed and wrapped himself around my leg. A darted elephant sleeping peacefully with a branch inserted into his trunk to allow him to breathe. Feeling the deep pulse in his ear and his thick padded feet allowing him to creep soundlessly across the ground. One night sleeping on the flat roof of a lodge and listening to a roaring lion coming closer and closer to us but to our relief continuing on his way. Driving and walking through the sand forest with its special birds like the Narina Trogon and the African Broadbill. A helicopter ride and spotting suitable rhinos to be dehorned. A giraffe capture which is tantamount to chaos with rangers trying to bring down the flailing giant with ropes and ducking the flying kicks. A family of warthogs who dug a burrow under Simon’s car and proceeded to live there. My granddaughter Tamsin who has lived there all her life bringing up orphaned impalas, a klipspringer, pangolins and a beautiful genet she found in the garden. She once told me she had spotted the Big 5 one morning on her way to school. She never hesitated to dive into ugly wounds on sedated animals and clean out the maggots. Getting soaked to the skin racing home in open game vehicles in fierce thunder storms.
We’ve spent the last few family Christmases at Simon’s house, the only time we can all spend together and been treated to family game drives and sleeping out at night on a platform in the highest summit of the reserve.
But everything comes to an end and it’s time for Simon to move on. He’s certainly left a legacy and can be proud of the work he has done and leaves Phinda as an example of an ecologically sound reserve despite the challenges of poaching and global warming . Thank you Simon for the selfless work you’ve carried out at Phinda and the many memories we have of our time there.
