Campfire Conversations with Brett Horley

This one's been a long time in the making... What started as an exploratory conversation between Brett and his two guests - friends, Matt Lindenberg and Justin Sullivan - has now (a year later) become a relationship between colleagues and collaborators of BHS in conservation and in epic adventures.

A lot has happened since this recording, including the tragic loss of Anton Mzimba, a friend and an inspiring leader in the treacherous world of anti-poaching. We listen to this with a sense of reflection and respect for this man whose legacy lives on. Linked to Anton is the film RHINO MAN, which we discuss with Matt - lead producer and director - in this episode. The documentary has now been viewed and endorsed by the Prince of Wales and The Royal Foundation. A huge honour and well-deserved spotlight for this locally filmed story of Field Rangers.

You're likely to know both of our guests in their own capacity, and the same goes for the peanut gallery in this episode, which consists of guests and friends who joined us for this fascinating conversation at Serondella in the Greater Kruger!

A bit of background before you get stuck in to listening:

Justin Sullivan. A filmmaker defined by a need for expression and a calling for story-telling and interpretation, Justin is an award-winning creator. He has filmed over 200 rhino dehorning operations, but most of his career has been spent on blazing mountains documenting wildfires. Based in the Greater Kruger, this qualified firefighter & documentarian is honing in on his passion for conservation. When we recorded this conversation, Justin's dream was to go to the Congo. Now, as we publish, Justin has just returned from a second trip to the Congo, documenting a story about Field Rangers marbled with equal parts inspiration and danger.

Matt Lindenberg. The Founder and Executive Director of the Global Conservation Corps (GCC) – a non-profit organisation using education as a way of connecting people and wildlife on the border of the Kruger National Park. His passion for conservation and giving kids the opportunity to learn about and love wildlife comes from his own experience growing up in the little town of Sabie in Mpumalanga. Today, GCC’s Future Rangers Programme works with 20 schools to give 10,000 children each week access to environmental education and experiences. 

Along with inspiring chats about challenging work in the conservation space, this episode packs a punch and is marked with sideline comments and interactions from our campfire audience. Be sure to listen out for shout-outs, animal sounds, quick-fire questions and awkward moments, which all weave through the unfolding of our latest episode.

Find more info at these links and make sure you show your support to these legends!

Matt:

https://globalconservationcorps.org/

https://www.instagram.com/rhinomanthemovie/

https://www.instagram.com/theglobalconservationcorps/

Justin:

https://www.justinsullivan.org/

https://www.instagram.com/justin___sullivan/

Joining us for the third episode of the podcast is helicopter pilot Jana Meyer who did us the great pleasure of sitting down for a chat after she’d flown in for a rhino dehorning. Just another day in the office for this incredibly hard-working conservation chopper pilot!

Working in wildlife conservation is a big part of her life and something Jana is very well known for here in the Greater Kruger. She started and runs her own conservation and ecotourism flying business, which operates in a great number of wildlife rescues, rhino dehornings, animal collarings, and anti-poaching operations in the Greater Kruger. 

Earlier on in her career she studied Nature Conservation, worked in the Kruger National Park as a game capture student, completed her FGASA Level 3 SKS Dangerous Game, and began a guiding career at Singita Lebombo. She’s managed game breeding operations in the Waterberg and after many hours in the passenger seat of a helicopter, the bug bit and she qualified as a commercial helicopter pilot.

She flies hours in and around the Greater Kruger in a tourism and conservation capacity and you can bet she flew herself to her wedding ceremony in her wedding dress!

Jana is a woman of many talents and she is proof that dynamite comes in small packages. It’s an honour to have her on the podcast and to share our space with such a dynamic and admirable woman in conservation. Welcome, Jana!

Find us @bretthorleysafaris and follow Jana on @hope_for_wildlife_helicopter

Episode 2 of this season takes us down to a quiet riverbed in the spectacular Thornybush Private Nature Reserve where Serondella Safari Lodge is located. Brett is joined by three gentlemen who make up the core guiding team on the ground here in paradise, and all four of them feel quite at home with our feet in the sand and the sounds of the late morning bush! What a place to sit and have a conversation about the wilderness that has brought us all to this point, from all our different origins in life. 

Togara Joseph (TJ) Charingira is originally from Zimbabwe. He has 10 years of guiding experience under his belt after training under the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority, he's spent parts of his professional career on the Zambezi Escarpment, and has trained under some industry legends and friends of ours: Massimo Rebuzzi, Brenden Pienaar (find him on S1 E2 of our podcast!), Charles Delport, and Trevor Carnaby. Perhaps most significantly in his professional career, TJ earned himself the title of the FGASA Safari Guide of the Year in 2021!

Benji Solms is also sharing our riverbed studio this episode - he is the Assistant Manager and a Guide at Serondella, and this is not our first meeting with him. Brett first connected with Benji on a post-lockdown wilderness trail on the Klein Letaba River with our friend Massi. Benji is most at home when on foot in the bush - something he describes as offering a whole new perspective. 

Alfred Ndlovu - our third guest in this episode - has a fascinating history and a career that has evolved within the tourism industry. He has continuously worked and trained under some of the most prestigious establishments on the South African safari scene, taking him from transfer driver, into reserve maintenance, to a position in community health outreach programmes, and eventually training as a tracker and then a guide. Alfred's passion for all the roles he has performed is evident in the way he speaks, and his career transitions have been a result of enthusiasm and determination. 

Find glimpses of all three of these guys on social media at @serondella_safarilodge 

It's the season three kick-off and we are in the prestigious company of Trevor Jordan - Lowveld legend in the property development and conservation space, and CEO of Thornybush Nature Reserve where this season of the podcast is being recorded!

Just the week before we sat down to have this conversation, Trevor and his wife Lisa had just jumped off a morning flight over Thornybush when they had seen wild dogs, hyena, buffalo, elephant, and more from the air. A testament to the real density and diversity of wildlife here! What a pleasure to have had the opportunity to talk to the man behind some of the most significant moves that have been made in conservation in this area to date. 

Trevor’s is a well-known name in the Greater Kruger and beyond. He is a property developer of note, with over 50 years of industry experience. He is a trained military man, a pilot, a very successful businessman, and a passionate wildlife conservationist. Trevor initiated the opening up of the Greater Kruger Park – the removal of the fences between the KNP and the private reserves on its western border – one of the biggest milestones in South Africa’s conservation history.

Some of the properties he has famously developed include Welgevonden Game Reserve, Umbabat, N’tsiri, and Thornybush here in the Greater Kruger; Khaya Ndlovu Game Reserve, Blue Canyon Conservancy, Wild Rivers, and a major part of the residential property in Hoedspruit – the Raptor’s View estates.

The list of contributions to conservation continues, including the founding of Rhino Revolution – the first organisation to pioneer dehorning of rhinos in the area. The Trevor Jordan name is synonymous with the Lowveld, but while these incredibly impressive enterprises continue to spearhead largescale conservation initiatives, Trevor is contributing to our community on a personal level. He has been known to help individuals treat their sick or injured domestic animals, and he has made incredibly generous donations to education on a local level.

There is so much more to this man that we haven’t been able to fit into an intro! We can't wait for you to dive in and hear from one of the most interesting people to have join a Campfire Conversation. 

Welcome, Trevor, thank you so much for your time.

Our second season of the podcast draws to a close in a spectacular manner, in the company of Lowveld safari legend and return offender on Campfire Conversations, John JD Dixon, and our neighbour here in Klaserie, Troy TC Zambezi Meeser! We sat down under Big Jack - the 400-odd-year-old Jackalberry tree under which some of our guests at Tulela might have enjoyed a bush breakfast - and got down to some seriously good safari stories. Between Brett, JD, and Troy, there are decades worth of guiding wins and epic fails, which let's face it, are more fun to talk about than the wins. 

We chat about hair-raising wildlife encounters (thanks Troy!) and talk about the particularly special history and sentimental value of the Klaserie Reserve. Another couple of bonus stories you will love hearing make this episode one of our most entertaining yet!

Both JD and Troy are linked forever to the Lowveld, having spent the vast majority of their lives on these game trails, tracking in these riverbeds, sleeping under these stars, and telling stories around campfires. Finally, we have them here together to tell us a story or two about their eventful lives around this campfire, and we are so happy to put it on record to share with the world. 

JD calls himself a 1960s model, and like a fine wine, he really does get better with age. His life and experiences among wildlife in the bush have both aged him and kept him young! He has been professionally involved in safari guiding, elephant and leopard research projects, game capture, wildlife filming and photographic work, lodge development, and... he sings – a talent we were lucky enough to witness in his last appearance on the pod!

Troy arrived on the Manyeleti soil in the 90s as a baby. There was no way Troy wasn’t going to lead a life in the bush given his background, and in fact he and his sister are both incredible guides working in the bushveld neighbourhood they were raised - full circle! Troy has guided all over Africa, including many trips as an overland guide including Namibia, Tuli, Chobe, Zimbabwe, Kafue, Luangwa, and right here in the GK where he is now based at Tuskers with his business partner and friend Brave Dave Hancock. 

Please enjoy the authentic connection between these guests and the ease of storytelling they share. Season two has been a whopper - we are looking so forward to what's to come!

Find JD on Instagram at @bush_explorations_africa and Troy at @tczambezi and @natural.earth.safaris

We have the team from Wild Wonderful World around our "campfire" this afternoon, which nothing short of an honour! This is by far the most civilised chat we've had - seated in the luxury lounge here at Tulela rather than circled around a fire. Unfortunately the weather wasn't playing along for our recording, so we moved inside, but nevertheless - the Klaserie is all around us and these three guests have some bush stories you won't believe! Settle in and spend an hour listening to hilarious and inspiring tales from all over the African continent where Michelle, Grant, and Jonty have spent a lot of time. 

You'll be amazed by Grant's vervet monkey alarm call impersonation and Jonty has a cute joke up his sleeve, but once we get into it you will be enthralled by the stories these guys have to tell. Favourite places in Africa, brand new bird species seen all over the continent, a year spent living in a Land Rover (which made it through the dodgy muddy roads in Uganda!), and rescuing a trapped kudu in a Kalahari fence line. All this and more from conservation-minded couple, Grant and Michelle. Highs, lows, and the truth behind community-led conservation in Africa. 

Jonty is someone we've known for a long time and his guiding history is stellar! He is also an entertainer and a lekker chat around the fire. He has led and participated in some incredible journeys driven by the desire to make a difference in wildlife and habitat conservation, and the wellbeing and future security of our communities. He's a collaborator and an ideas man and occasionally dives deep to have a serious conversation before he surfaces to deliver some funnies! What a character and an inspiring member of the bushveld community. 

Find these guys on social media and support their very good work @wildwonderful_world and @jontybozas https://www.wildwonderfulworld.com 

On one side of the campfire, we sit in the esteemed company of safari mentor, doyen, and great friend, Michel Girardin, and on the other, our fellow black leopard enthusiast, powerhouse, and conservation leader, Sharon Haussmann. This is an episode for the nature lovers, the seekers of authenticity, and those of you who might know these famous names in the Lowveld and in the eco tourism industry. Sharon and Mich are old friends of Brett Horley Safaris and we have now introduced them to Tulela - and it did not take long for the campfire conversation to swing from soulful observations to sneaky comments that might be #notsafeforwork! 

If you can hear over the dawn chorus of the crested francolins, zebras, and hyenas, you'll hear some awesome stories from Michel, who was in the Sabi Sand in the mid-1980s, at the start of safari in South Africa, where he earned a salary of R250 (only so much because he had a degree in Journalism!) He has since made an enormous impact in the industry, in tourism, training, guiding, and management. This man has some stories. Likewise, Sharon - CEO of GKEPF and Chairperson of the Balule Nature Reserve - is a force, a friend, and an inspiration. Her impressive credentials only speak to a fraction of her capabilities as a woman in a very male-dominated field. She is admired by her peers, she's a very proud parent, and a dedicated dog-mom who never misses a sunset and the chance to sip an excellent whiskey. 

Tune in and enjoy hearing from true legends. 

This is an episode we are happy to have put together after finally convincing these guests to spend an hour in the "spotlight". These two human beings have plenty of stories to tell from their lives working in the bush and we have spent many a night under the stars and around a fire. This time, we recorded the conversation and we promise, you'll thank us. Kevin Maclaughlin and Luan Oosthuizen both started their careers right here in the Klaserie as guides at Africa on Foot. Luan, whose family history in Klaserie dates back to 1948, now runs a walking trails operation in Maseke Game Reserve, while Kevin has spent the better part of the last two years filming the white lion of central Kruger for a National Geographic documentary. These guys have a lot of stories and memorable moments that are both hilarious and breathtaking - some are better left off record but we managed to sneak a couple for a laugh! Some quality listening for the weekend - pour yourself a drink and enjoy!

Follow our esteemed guests on Instagram for some inspiring wildlife feeds @kevinmaclaughlin and @oosthuizenluan and keep up to date with us in our beautiful Place of Peace - Tulela @tulela_za. 

Find us at @bretthorleysafaris across all platforms and subscribe to podcast to catch all our other episodes. 

The boma at Tulela was given its first run as the new podcast location and we were honoured to be in the company of incredible travel, wildlife, and lifestyle photographer, Em Gatland, and machine videographer, Rogan Kerr. These two are good friends of ours and we've shared the wonderful Klaserie with them for many years, but before they were bush bedonnered, they were coastal kids from Natal! We could not have had better quality humans with us to photograph and shoot the complete lodge, and we just knew we had to nail them down for a session of Campfire Conversations. Em has a very entertaining engagement story and Rogan gives us a Pearl Jam rendition you do NOT want to miss. This was a privilege to record. Please enjoy!

And help a brother out and follow @roaming.media so Rogan can catch up with his girlfriend in terms of Instagram followers!

Find Em's sublime photos on the Gram at @emmagatlandphotography 

Catch our updates from Tulela at @tulela_za and on @bretthorleysafaris

This is the first episode of our second season on the podcast, and we are joined by two familiar faces and two new guests! You'll recognise Kruger Park wild dog expert Grant Beverley and ecologist and human-wildlife conflict innovator, Michael Grover. And new to the "campfire" are Tristan Dicks of WildEarth fame, and Ben Muller, who is a wildlife veterinarian who works side by side with Joel Alves (season 1, episode 5) and has recently spent lockdown in Iraq! Tristan "the leopard whisperer" Dicks spends so much time on camera that it's caught him out a few times (Youtube "Tristan falls out of the car at 02:15 - you will not be disappointed). He is also a private guide at Wandering Thru, alongside his girlfriend Ale Olivieri and Tayla McCurdy who were in the hot seat on episode 2. Ben gets up close and personal with Africa's wildest species,  flies in planes with sleeping lions, and does bush surgery on the continent's endangered species. He's just spent the better part of a year in the Middle Eastern desert, far away from his dog Roxy in and his better half, Leah. 

It was an honour to sit in the company of these four guys early in the morning in the middle of the Klaserie. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!

Find our guests on social media:

@tristan_dicks_sa

@ben10_muller

@activ8africa

@knpwilddogs

Catch us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook at @bretthorleysafaris

Shannon Wild invited us to her beautiful home in the bush and we did our thing with gin and tonic, local Zwakala lager and a gently smouldering fire! It was a true honour to sit opposite this woman of wildlife and chat to her about her illustrious career behind the lens. She needs no introduction - her phenomenal photography and cinematography speaks for itself, but what we can say is that this Aussie in Africa leads with her heart and integrity in all that she does. She is humble and one of the hardest working people we've met. And don't call her an Influencer! Brett talks about his 3.5-second glimpse of the black leopard in Kenya while Shannon shares about her months spent pursuing the real Black Panther in India for her National Geographic documentary. 

Dave McLerran joins us too, all the way from Texas, where we believe he ran away from the President in favour of a quiet life in Africa. Too bad, though, because he has joined Shannon and her husband Russell MacLaughlin in their fast-paced world of wildlife filmmaking! Dave made the big decision to leave his high stress life in the US and pursue his passion for wildlife photography instead. He first met Shannon when he waved at Shannon from a tourist vehicle in India where he too was looking for a glimpse of the rare black panther of Kabini. Now, based in Hoedspruit, he makes sure we are all well fed with Texan slow-smoked meat and he is acing his new life behind the lens in the African bushveld! 

Welcome to Campfire Conversations, Shannon and Dave!

Do yourself a favour (if you haven't already) and buy Shannon Wild's jewellery for conservation (Instagram @shannonwildjewellwery); follow her on @shannon__wild and find Dave at @davemacphoto. 

Dr Joel Alves is a wildlife veterinarian with some WILD stories to tell. You can be sure to see him throughout the Greater Kruger region where he races between numerous rhino dehorning operations and performs life-saving treatments in the field on all sorts of animals, from small antelope species to elephants. He has flown in planes with sedated lions (or not so sedated...) and African wild dogs en route to their new home, and he has had the enormous privilege of working on forest elephants in the Wild West of Africa - the Congo. We spent a few weeks trying to pin him down purely because of his fast-paced lifestyle, which is fuelled equally by passion and his superhuman energy levels, so a big thank you to Joel for joining us for a beer and a chat! 

Mike Grover is back for more on this episode, adding insight and perspective from his field of expertise in human-wildlife conflict and environmental health. An invaluable member of this conversation, thank you Mike!

As always, this episode is mingled with a bit PG 13 humour, but most of all we hope it entertains our listeners and stokes that little fire for Africa in our hearts.

Thank you, too, to Katherine Kuntz and John Dixon (guests on episode 4) for joining us again, and a special mention to JD for leading us in song at the end! 

Be sure to follow Joel on Instagram and see some of the crazy stuff he gets up to, saving wildlife alongside a team of excellent ground-based and aerial conservationists: https://www.instagram.com/the_conservation_vet/

John Dixon - JD to most - refers to himself as a 1960s model, which means he has decades of safari experience behind him. He is a true legend of the region and knows all the songs to prove his hours spent around campfires! His career spans 35 years and his collection of stories, memories, and (often inappropriate) anecdotes are always told with excellent humour. No one has seen JD's face since the 1980s and we're almost convinced he was born with a grey beard and a cigarette in his mouth. He gave up drinking a few years ago when a bout of malaria knocked his liver for a six and we can say with certainty that trading in the brandy for coke has changed absolutely nothing about JD's fireside manner. What a gem to have on the game viewer and right here on our podcast.

Katherine Kuntz brought her Texan twang to our African campfire, but if we hadn't heard her speak, we'd never guess that this gal wasn't born in the bushveld. Khaki-clad and sporting some quality veldskoen, Katherine is more than ready for her life in the wild. She's a safari guide and a nature enthusiast - something she brings from her childhood appreciation of her native Texan wilderness - and these days she creates journeys for others wanting to travel to the continent. We're in awe of Katherine's Mount Kilimanjaro climb of 2015 and we loved having her around the fire with us, firing off some questions for Brett and JD!

Check out our esteemed guests on their social media accounts:

Katherine Kuntz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopeafricanadventures 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeafricanadventures/ 

John Dixon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bushexplorationsafrica

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bush_explorations_africa/

Get comfortable, pour yourself something cold and join us for this firecracker of an episode of Campfire Conversations: stories from the African continent. Fair warning that this episode is momentarily NSFW about 9 minutes in, but we recommend not missing a minute!  

Sitting on the other side of the fire today is Kruger Park's African wild dog expert, Grant Beverley, who is a local celebrity and Endangered Wildlife Trust's wild dog researcher. He is guaranteed to teach you something about these absolutely amazing endangered predators, and you will also be treated to a serenade in his second language, which is an exclusive performance reserved for fireside sessions after at least one gin and tonic.  

Sitting next to him is YouTube sensation and undeniably safari's finest funny man, Brian Masters. Don't let his mature-audience joke content fool you, this guy is one of the best field guides out there. Fuelled by passion and armed with encyclopaedic knowledge, Brian's Open Skies Wilderness Expeditions are bound to offer you an insane experience in nature.   

We all agree that by going back to nature, as humans, is the most powerful thing we can do for our short lives on this Earth. If you take anything away from this conversation, let it be that you should and must plan another trip to the bush when this is all over. And that now we know who came first, the chicken or the egg.  

Follow Grant's work in wild dog conservation at https://www.instagram.com/knpwilddogs/ and support the important work by the EWT at https://www.facebook.com/EndangeredWildlifeTrust   

Find Brian and follow his trails adventures and safari expeditions at https://www.instagram.com/openskieswild/ and https://www.facebook.com/openskieswild   

As always, get in touch with us about anything you hear on our podcasts or anything safari related on info@bretthorley.com.  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretthorleysafaris/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrettHorleySafaris 

Website: https://www.bretthorley.com

Some would say Tayla McCurdy was born for her role on SafariLive where she guided virtual game drives live-streamed to tens of thousands of listeners around the globe. She is entertaining, quick-witted, kind and energetic.  Her (one-sided) dialogue with various animals she encounters in her life as a safari guide makes her Instagram stories addictively amusing, but there is no mistaking her authentic knowledge and passion for nature and wildlife. We sat her in the hot seat for episode 2 of Campfire Conversations, and next to her was Ale Olivieri, who tolerates Tayla as both a friend and a colleague (kidding, T!) 

Ale Olivieri is the founder of private safari company called Wandering Thru and while that it familiar territory for us, she is by far the most exotic guest we will have on this show! Half Italian and half Venezuelan, Ale also speaks four languages fluently, as well as Russian, Latvian, Afrikaans and Shangaan conversationally. She is a leopard expert and a baker of delicious things. Her academic qualifications are something to be admired, and her modesty even more so. 

Last, but certainly not least is Brenden Pienaar, who is a great friend and mentor and trails guide Ninja! What we learned was that to many school peers, Brenden was known as Bots and nothing else. Growing up in Botswana and South Africa, this man has stayed true to the African roots he was born with. He is obsessed with primitive wilderness trails and is undoubtedly THE person you want to get lost in the bush with. His professional qualifications make him the best in his business, which is the well known and superb walking safari operator, Lowveld Trails Co. 

We thoroughly enjoyed sitting around a fire with these legendary humans and recording this episode. Please take a seat and let our campfire conversations entertain you!

Show some support for today's guests and follow their shenanigans on Instagram:

Tayla McCurdy: @tay_mccurdy @tayla_in_real_life

Ale Olivieri: @wanderingthru @aleolivieris

Brenden Pienaar: @loweld_trails_co @africa_trails_co

Walking up the coast of South Africa in a sarong with a 28kg backpack has been a highlight of Footsteps Through Africa founder and safari guide Jo Cooper's career so far.  His life and death moments from the journey made for some epic fireside stories to kick off this FIRST episode of Campfire Conversations, hosted by Brett Horley! Sitting alongside Jo is Michael Grover, co-director of Activating Africa and consultant for conservation initiatives that boost socio-economic development in African communities living alongside wildlife areas. Both these guys do incredible work and as good friends we were so thrilled to have them as our first ever guests! Pour yourself a drink and listen to our chat around an African campfire. 

Find Jo at @footstepsthroughafrica on Facebook and Instagram and at footstepsthroughafrica.com where you can read about his overland safari tour itineraries and the community projects he is supporting through his safari business. 

Find Mike at @ActivatingAfrica on Facebook and track his inspiring work with various conservation organisations initiating community engagement in conservation.

Watch this episode with video on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/_yQDIB4gRDs 

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @bretthorleysafaris