Does anybody remember Joel who supervised the old Nwanedzi Camp He was such a gentle and friendly chap. He just loved it when people used to take photo's of him standing next to the visitors, holding something in his hand (so that you could see him first ) He always reminded you to take photo's before you leave : He showed us his photo albums with tons of photo's of him standing with the visitors He also used to get mail from around the world, and all that was written on the evelope was: To: Joel Kruger National Park South Africa. And he used to get his mail delivered His knowledge of the bush was also a bonus, telling us all sorts of stories. He took us one morning down to the river and showed us this huge croc. according to him that one was the biggest in the whole park One morning when I woke up early and wanted to go to the kitchen ( The kitchen was seperate from the bungelows) to make coffee when Joel saw me and shouted that I must stay at my bungelow because a Leopard was walking around the camp He was busy cleaning the boma out, and laying the table for breakfast. After about an hour he called to say that the Leopard went away and we can now come and have coffee. And he could cook ! We used to give him a leg of lamb and veggies to make and that evening everything was cooked to perfection. Tables were laid out (outside if weather permitted) for a feast The next morning the tables was laid again for breakfast.
He retired a couple of years after our 5th visit at nwanedzi and we did not hear from him again.
Here is a photo (1982) of him (holding a packet of suger) standing in front of a friend and his assistant was on the far right
Orpen 21 Oct - 23 Oct "We don't own the planet earth, we belong to it. We must share it with our wild life"
On my last visit to SA I found some of my dads old slides. I have scaned them onto my pc and wanted to share. If anyone has more please post. Im not sure were they were taken so lets see if anybody can identify them. I have some more to post. let me know if there is interest in them and I will post the rst
I will retire in KNP
Just because I have a disability does not mean I am disabled.
This part is beter than a quiz , placing the photo's - 1 Pretoriuskop restaurant and reception (burnt down) 2 Olifants camp lookout looking west . 3 Pretoriuskop camp (huts in circles with inner huts) 4 Skukuza looking east at bridge 5 Pretoriuskop camp gate I figure 6 Numbi gate
I found a very interesting collection of old Kruger photos on Flickr Game Parks & Animals They are not really of the camps and picnic spots…but thought I will add this here instead of creating a new thread…almost on topic
From THIS photo (taken in 1945), it seems lion sightings have always created traffic jams
Anyone got any old pics of the Pafuri area in the 60's and 70's? In particular the original fever tree forest!
Cheers MV
Latest Lifers: Brown-Backed Honeybird; Violet-Eared Waxbill; Green-Winged Pytilia; and heard often but never seen - Yellow-Fronted Tinkerbird (±2m away in the open)
After much sweat, the ocasional tear and a sleepless night, herewith my mother's "memories" as promised. Thank you DinkyBird for all your trouble and a big forum hug from me. All your help is highly appreciated. Your patience definitly exceeds the boarders of Kruger. So here it is.
“We visited Kruger Park for the first time on the 1st May 1950. My eldest daughter was 1 year old. We stayed at Pretoriuskop. It was still very primitive but oh so peaceful. We enjoyed it so much that we made it a yearly occasion in the winter. Yes, I remember the “old Kruger”. The communal ablutions, the big bon fires in the evening for the “braais”. The big black kettle always filled with boiling water. All so neat and clean.
Of course the “padkos” provisions for the journey, was also a big issue. Hard boiled eggs, boerewors or frikkadelle, cheese and tomato sandwiches and in the thermos flask coffee made with condense milk. We use to leave at 1 o’clock in the morning to be at the gate opening time. The only stop on the way would be to fill up with petrol and feast on the “padkos”. My husband and my brother were great friends and we often visited Kruger together. I don’t know what it is with elephants and black cars, but my brothers black car got chased quite frequently!!
If I remember correctly there was an entrance gate at Rabelais. Anybody remember it? And the steam train running through the Park? We one day drove along the Salitjie Road where we encountered a lioness carrying her new born cubs one-by-one across the road to another hiding place. That night around the campfire my husband told the others about our good fortune. Later that evening in the ablutions he over heard a man telling his friend that he doesn’t believe “daardie ou se storie” that man’s story, because lions don’t have their cubs this time of year.
Another morning just outside Satara gate we noticed something furry lying in the road. My husband stopped next to the object and picked it up. It was the tail of a jackal, but oh the smell was terrible, and very soon it landed outside the car again. One day a baboon stole a bar of soap from a tent. The owner said “I suppose he will be blowing bubbles today”. My small girl wanted to know “now how is he going to do that”?
When we visited Kruger, Skukuza was a definite stop. We even had our “reserved” camping spot, and would meet up again with friends made from previous years. In the evenings the children would finish their chores quickly not to miss the film, always wrapped in their blankets. Even when me and my husband went on pension and had to exchange the caravan for a bungalow, we used to walk past our old camping spot. Of course it no longer looks the same, the big old tree had to make way for improvements.
As our children grew up and had children of their own, we also had the privilege of taking them to Kruger before they had to go to school. Such precious memories.
During June 2001 we were again visiting when my husband took ill and we had to return four days sooner. My daughter and son in law came to meet us at Phalaborwa gate as my husband was too weak to drive, and accompanied us back to Pretoria. At the gate my son in law took my husband to the ablution, and as he got back into the car, he looked back at the bush and with tears in this eyes waved good bye. He passed away a week later.
December of the same year (2001) my youngest daughter took me back to Kruger. We stayed at Orpen. One morning we took the S36 and a distance away from the road we saw two helicopters and some vehicles in the veld. At that stage we were the only car on the road. As we stopped, one of the officials beckoned us to come closer and explained that they were darting the buffaloes to take samples for TB. He invited us to stay and watch the process. The helicopters soon took off. All the buffaloes recovered quickly after their ordeal, but one was not so fortunate. According to the vet, the buffalo’s stomach contents pushed up into his throat as he was trying to get up, and he immediately dropped dead. The research group then again invited us to watch whilst they cut him open. I have never seen such a big and sharp knife in my entire life. The vet showed us the different organs and then took parts of the organs back for further tests. When they left we remained at the carcass. It didn’t take long for the vultures to discover it. We could see them floating down out of the sky landing next to the dead buffalo, and then they began devouring the meat. There were too many to count. I’d say it took them about an hour to strip the bones. They were so gorged by that time, some of them just flopped down on the ground, while some could hardly reach a nearby tree. I could identify Cape vultures, White back vultures, Lapped faced vultures and White headed vultures. A lonesome hyena came past, but soon left, I suppose he wasn’t interested in bare bones. We later went to Muzandzeni for a drink as it was extremely hot in the car by then. On our way back to the carcass we saw a leopard walking in the same direction and two jackals a distance from the carcass. But unfortunately we had to leave and head back for camp. We went back the next day but not a single bone was left. Something must have had a “bone feast” that night. Some vultures were in the trees, still to full to fly away.
I have so many happy memories that I can’t put it in writing. I remember the lovely trees, the water streams, the bush as a whole is unforgettable. I do not have a special place in Kruger. The whole Park is outstanding, but Pafuri Picnic Spot, Afsaal and Mooiplaas give me an extra special feeling. And of course the lovely people you meet, the friendly service we enjoyed over the years.
I am 85 years old and it is still as if I feel the urgent need to go there. These days my children, who has inherited the same passion for Kruger Park, are so kind as to take me with them whenever they go. I will accompany my eldest and youngest daughters from 13 to 25 June this year.
As the words from Galway Bay, this is also my sincere wish
“If ever there is going to be a life hereafter And somehow I’m sure there’s going to be I ask my Lord to make my heaven In that dear land across the African bush”
My fiancés folks moved recently from Benoni to Hoedspruit to semi-retire and be closer to the bush.
After sorting through things to take with them or dump, I came across a box of slides on the “to dump” pile. I spent a few days scanning all the slides onto a hard drive and came across many old photos the Kilians had taken of Kruger, the animals and the camps from the late 1960’s onwards.
They are huge “Krugernites” and spent many holidays in the park over the past 40 years so there are some lovely photos of Kruger past.
I even came across one of my fiancés 1st trip to Kruger at only a couple of months old.
Enjoy and I promise to post some more when I get a gap.
Tshokwane Picnic Site
Entrance to Phalaborwa Gate - Early 1970's
Leopard taken mid 70's - with old spool camera so no Digital zooms
Road Markers late 60's
Tshokwane
Satara late 70's
Muzandzeni Picnic Site late 60's early 70's
Last edited by LEIGHVLASSO on Mon Aug 16, 2010 3:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body." --M Gandhi
