I can still remember stepping out of the plane & walking down the steps to the tarmac at the old Virginia Airport in Durban. It was January 1994 & it felt like I was in a bread oven with the heat & humidity turned up to maximum. There was something in that thick air that changed the course of my life. I was introduced a young lady, to the tune of the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”, as she was working as a waitress in a steak house & bar when I met her. Melanie, the young lady, asked me out for dinner & the following week she took me to meet her parents on their family farm a few hours inland from Durban.
From the farm we visited Weenen Game Reserve & Giants Castle Game Reserve. Over the course of those 48 hours, I developed a real interest in the wilder side of life away from the sub-tropical beaches of Durban & of course my life in the middle of England. The first big game I encountered were rhinos. There was eland, kudu, waterbuck & so many birds. We picnicked in the Drakensberg Mountains & here the seeds were set, unconsciously at this point, that led to the creation in 2006 of SafariKZN.
This week marks 32 years since I returned from that first one off trip to South Africa. And this 2025/2026 trip has been an emotional roller coaster of a trip & very different from those of the past three decades. When I arrived at the family farm back in 1994 Melanie’s mom, Cheryl, greeted us & settled my awkwardness with smiles & a warm welcome inviting me into the family home. Melanie had obviously spoken to her mom about my visit as Cheryl produced a large cold box to keep us going on our journey & picnic on. There were cooked chicken pieces, hard boiled eggs & sandwiches among the many snacks. With another smile Cheryl looked at me & said “Melanie tells me you like beer, so I have put a couple in for you” She was to become a much-loved mother-in-law 3 years later & yes, I am still partial to beer.
Cheryl passed away on November 16th, 2025 & on January 24th, 2026, a memorial service was held to remember her life which I was honoured to attend. She will be forever in my memories from that first warm welcome & always took an interest in me. When returning from road trips to the farm she was always genuinely interested in where I had been & what I had seen. We may have lost our family matriarch, but she will live on in all of us.
Over the coming weeks we will posting articles here & on social media from what has been another epic KwaZulu Natal adventure. As always, it’s been eventful covering thousands of kilometres from Howick to Hluhluwe & Ballito to Bergville. Time has been spent at the beach in the berg & the bush. There has been bunnychow, braais & beer, rhinos & rugby, cricket & curry. Cheryl loved a curry.
Through the tears I am dedicating the 20th anniversary of SafariKZN to Cheryl. Cheers for now & thank you, you will be always in our thoughts.
