Fueling the fire within.

I can't remember where I first heard these sayings or who said them but as small boy I remember hearing it said that "A man's life is not complete until he has smelled the smoke of Africa and walked the sands of the Kalahari" then much later in life I heard it said " One becomes a hunter on foot" well now I can honestly say I have done both. I suppose it was inevitable that I would take up hunting and someday hunt in Africa given my childhood.
I grew up in a far outer beach side suburb of a then very small city and spent the vast majority of my childhood either wandering the bush or the beach. As kids we were always making bows and spears and trying to hunt something or fishing, we lived in the last suburb, the literal end of the road, there was nothing beyond us but virgin bush..

There was a retired couple that lived across the back lane from us during this time and we kids were frequent visitors to their home. Both were very kind to us and always had time to talk with us, their walls were adorned with pictures of them in various places around the world.
The one I remember the most was an old black and white of Nora posing with a Rhino, I don't remember where it was taken. They had lived for some time in India where I believe Tony had been a director of the Imperial Bank of India among other things. Both would entertain us for hours with tales of Tiger hunts conducted on the back of Elephants and wild stories of hunting Cape Buffalo, Lion and Elephant in the heart of Africa. As in impressionable youngster I soaked these stories up, and dreamed of one day being able to embark on such adventures as they had.  Sadly Tony Passed away in I think 1978 and though we kids continued to visit Nora things were never the same. I continued to visit Nora well into my adult years, introducing her to my wife when I married, sadly Nora passed away some years later after being diagnosed with dementia.

I guess their stories of life in colonial India and Africa led me to seek out books on similar subjects books by the likes of Ruark, Hemingway and Capstick. I devoured these with ease and I read them over and over. I dreamed of the day I would own a Holland and Holland, Rigby or Westley and Richards Rifle, and yes I still dream of that day. I had visions of walking through eye high golden grass with a double over my shoulder in pursuit of Cape Buffalo and they remain as clear today as they were back then.

Mbogo, Cape Buffalo also known as the black death. It is said when you hunt one you must be sure when you shoot as
 one of you will surely finish it.

Hunting in Africa is an addiction and I am well and truly hooked, the sights, the smell, the traditions, I love them all and just running into a herd of Buffalo whilst stalking plains game is not an experience I will forget in a hurry.  Being stared down by a big Buffalo Bull is pretty intimidating to say the least but has done nothing but fuel the fire within, the desire to one day hunt Mbogo!