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GRAHAME THOMSON
I started my exploration of the land when I was just 19, appointed as a cadet ranger and stationed at the Umfolozi Game Reserve in northern Zululand. My mentors were Ian Player, then senior conservator and also Zulu game scouts Mtshali and Qotowane, who taught me the beautiful Zulu language, the skills of tracking and the value of being silent when out in the wilderness. My last posting with the Natal Parks Board was as zone officer, responsible for the entire Maputaland region. One of my favourite haunts here was the remote and virtually unexplored Tembe / Sihungwane area, which was the last refuge for a small and nomadic herd of elephant. Hunted and persecuted for nearly a century, this relic population had found sanctuary in the thick sand forest and it was here that I spent almost two years, tracking them, understanding their plight and guarding them possessively from the ever persistent threat of poaching. Through these efforts and others to follow, the Tembe Elephant Reserve was proclaimed in 1983 and today these friends of the forest roam safe and secure. My passion for the elephants of Africa has known no bounds. After Zululand I trekked afar, first to Hwange, Chobe, Bumi Hills and finally Tuli and the remoteness of the Koakoveld, always seeking closeness and inspiration from these monarchs of the savannah and the desert. The years dissipated in time, but the sun was always warm upon my face, my clothes scented by the dust of Africa, my soul inspired by the spirit of the wild and distant horizons. One warm afternoon in the Zambezi valley, I received a letter which was to end my nomadic wanderings. My son Sean, then 13, required private school and university education and my monthly salary of Z$300 would never suffice his needs. With some regret, I departed this beautiful valley, headed south back to Johannesburg and then began a night school education, a repping job by day, eventually a much needed diploma in marketing management and the skills to begin a life anew. The creation of my own company, in partnership with Judy, still lay ahead, shrouded and hidden in the mists of the future. First came five memorable years back in Tuli, with the task of establishing Mashatu Game Reserve as a popular and sought after destination for those who seek out wild landscapes, woodland Mopane, Baobabs and massive herds of elephant. Thereafter, came Sun International, Chobe Game Lodge, Bongani Mountain Lodge, all with different challenges and new possibilities. Seaton Thomson Associates was born soon after our first hesitant steps towards democracy, early in the summer of 1995. Although the elephants, the black rhino, the desert landscapes were still my passion, I had begun to understand the desperate need to integrate our 45 million people into a tourism ethic, so that both urban and rural communities could have the real opportunity of becoming role players in this emerging industry. And so a new journey began. Hopefully the contribution we have made has had an impact in some small ways, especially for those "real people" who live out simple lives in remote and distant areas of our sub-continent. The home we all call Africa. |
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Grahame Thomson: seaton.ecape@yebo.co.za Judy Johnston: seaton@yebo.co.za
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