‘SHAMWARI: ‘SOUL OF THE EARTH’ BOOK LAUNCH

- 12 July 2010

“The history of Shamwari Game Reserve written by Heather Dugmore is a remarkable story and without precedent in the modern history of Southern African wildlife conservation” – concludes Dr Ian Player, one of the world’s outstanding conservationist and founder of the Wilderness Foundation.

Acclaimed world leading conservation company, game reserve and safari for thirteen consecutive years, Shamwari Game Reserve, a 24 000 hectare reserve situated along the Bushmans River halfway between Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, historically acknowledged as the richest zones in Africa was devastated by drought and infestation of exotic plants and incorrect usage, came into international success, as a direct result of one man’s determination, drive, dedication and business skills - Adrian Gardiner.

As a young man, Adrian was deeply moved by his visit to World Heritage Site, the Matopos Hills located in Zimbabwe’s oldest national park with his late father. Matopos is a sacred place, and a place of great significance to many inhabitants such as the San Bushmen to the founder of the state of Rhodesia, Cecil Rhodes. It comes as no surprise, that the natural habitat and untamed surrounds of Matopos touched Adrian’s soul. As a consequence of this profound attachment, a businessman-cum-conservationist was born, and the foundation for Shamwari Game Reserve was created.

As Adrian Gardiner stood on a hill overlooking the diverse lands in 1990, land that he has just purchased between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, a deep sense of loss arose in Adrian, and in that moment he decided against all odds to rehabilitate the land, reintroduce the wild animals and create Shamwari. His vision was to establish the ultimate Big Five game reserve in Africa, one that would stand out as the flagship for private enterprise in the wildlife conservation world. No one could have predicated the immensity of the Shamwari project and how it would grow and what it would take from Adrian Gardiner and his pioneering team. The book Shamwari: Soul of the Earth touches on the reserve’s journey long before environmental sustainability entered the world vocabulary, and shows Adrian Gardiners and his team’s years of commitment, hope, heartache, trial-and-error and investment that poured into the earth.

The book, Shamwari: Soul of the Earth is an inspiring tale. Shamwari: Soul of the Earth book costs R295-00 inclusive of VAT. National Postage cost per direct order amounts to R55 inclusive of VAT.    The book is in A4 format and consists of 135 pages.

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