Bushcraft and I were lucky enough to have parents that took us to Kruger as often as money would allow when we were kids. We believe that this gave us the love of nature and KNP that we have now. As kids it was a family treat to sit on a Friday night and look through the colour slides on the projector beamed at a white sheet hung on the lounge wall.
The trips always took a few days to get to Kruger and I have faint memories of camping at Barberton, Machadodorp, Harrismith and Nelspruit.
Looking back the earliest trip I can find pictures of was this slide taken on the way to Kruger, Supernova and Pajerocat are in the slide, Bushcraft was still to be born. I was later told that I slept in a suitcase in a tent and was terrified by a lioness that kept walking the fence at Lower Sabie, roaring and our tent was tied to that specific fence. This must have been around 1968.
And a photo of the same period with The Old Duck (Mom) looking out over the Letaba River
And staying at Blyde River Canyon chalets on the way to Kruger in about 1971, note the old Kombi with “nice” floral curtains on the windows and Supernova in Kort broek and long socks. I have a great memory of a Baboon jumping on the door handle and the panic it caused when the door opened.
This picture is from Bushcrafts first trip to Kruger in about 1977. We had bunk type seats in the back of the bakkie and all I can remember was it was as hot as hell.
And our old Map we used for directions
If I could take the liberty of posting a few of The Bullets (Dad) treasured slides. I know he would love to be able to relate some of the stories, but I will do my best of his behalf.
This was a hippo kill and we returned for 3 days and watched the lions feed, it was a story that was repeated each and every time we sat on those slide viewing Friday nights.
And the angry lion below also has a story. The Bullet make a homemade Optical Image Stabilizer, wooden gun like contraption on which to mount his camera and telephoto lens, this male lion did not like a “gun” like object pointed at him and kept charging at the car. Another visitor thought it a good idea to step out his car (the side away from the lion) and take a photo. What he had not realized was the rest of the pride that came up behind him, when he did; he jumped back in the car slamming the door on his head, which was not yet in the car. This caused raucous laughter from us three boys…as we watched him sitting there dazed with blood streaming down his forehead.
A lioness and cubs on one of the koppies near Pretoriuskop, also from the early 70s
A view of the Olifants river , also from the 70s
And of all the pictures The Bullet was especially proud of the Sable picture, he was one of the few who could take a photo at that distance “in those days” because of wooden contraption
And lastly one of his leopards
There are a few hundred slides that we used to view, I have chosen a few that I remember meant something special. We hope to be able to take the Old Duck and Bullet with us back to Kruger sometime in the future.
Thanks you to everyone who has been on this Trip Report with us
Bye for now