Footprints in the veld
Peter Martin interviews Gordon Bailey, author of ‘Game Ranging A Life worth Living’, on his years as a ranger
A lifetime spent working in the wilds of the South African bush has provided Gordon Bailey with hundreds of tales to tell.
Bailey, now 78 and living in Chintsa East, was a game ranger at a number of game reserves in and around KwaZulu-Natal from 1962 until 1975.
His recently released book records the period he worked at Hluhluwe and iMfolozi Park and Giants Castle soon after leaving school.
Throughout his narrative, Bailey keeps the reader’s attention, with some amusing anecdotes from his various experiences and insights into what life on a game reserve entails.
And it’s not just about working with animals. He had to learn to ride a horse, master the Zulu language, and become an accurate shooter.
“Conservation is a field asking the full spectrum of skills, and then demanding you give extra,” Bailey says.
“Fencing, soil erosion, game capture, rhino capture, patrols, horse work, wilderness trails, game counts, filming, starting up new game reserves and meeting with people from all over the world,” are just some of the aspects a game ranger comes across in his career, explains Bailey.
The reader will be astounded at the number of times he experienced some rather narrow escapes.
Two of his horses, however, were not so fortunate, one was taken by a crocodile and another was gored by a bad-tempered rhino.
During his career, Bailey was stalked by lions, leopards, crocodiles and worst of all, a ferocious black rhino which, on occasions, would explode from nearby bushes and charge at him.
He quickly became friends with Ian Player, a renowned conservationist, brother of famous golfer, Gary.
Bailey remembers asking Player, “where is conservation headed?” to which Player replied: “All conservation will one day be the preserve of the rich and famous.”
Bailey recalls: “Gary was master of ceremonies at the fourth World Wilderness Congress. He opened with the following; ‘You all know that Ian and I are brothers and I want you to know that we truly love each other. There is nothing I would not do for Ian and there is nothing Ian would not do for me. So we spend our lives doing nothing for each other.’”
Bailey writes of the love of his life, Molly, to whom he’s been married for over well 50 years.
He relates their courtship and the changes marriage wrought on his life. They built a cottage on the game reserve where he was working and the couple brought up three children while working there.
They also raised a variety of animals, including Soelie, a hyena, which sometimes scared the wits out of visitors with hilarious results.
“When I sign the books I frequently inscribe them with the following; ‘To be seated on the back of a trusted workhorse at the start of a new day, when the whole body is one sense, surrounded by wilderness, is to know the very essence of completeness.’
“It was something I experienced so many times while working in iMfolozi. I so appreciated the working horse and the bond that grows during the hours spent together. They are also the best source of helping us humans maintain our humility.”
What would he say to someone thinking about game ranging as a career?
“At all my talks there was always someone who would say afterwards how much they would have loved the life of a game ranger and that feeling is still strong among many.
“When asked by people about whether to embark on it as a career, I always suggest that they ask some questions [of those who own or manage game reserves] to make sure they will be happy with what they are going into.”
Bailey’s book is a real eye-opener, particularly to city-dwellers. But you don’t have to be a lover of the great outdoors to enjoy his book.
To order a copy of Game Ranging A Life
worth Living contact the author on gordonandmollybaliey@gmail.com
Bailey was stalked by lions, leopards, crocodiles and a ferocious black rhino which would explode from nearby bushes to charge him