Zandvlei Trust

Annual General Meeting  – Wednesday 24 May 2006.

Part of the audience at the AGM listening to Ian McCallum.

About 40 members and friends attended the meeting and there was a warm fire to keep the chill out of the bones.
After the reports by the Chairman and Treasurer and adoption thereof, the new Executive Committee was elected with the help of the Ward 64 Councillor Demetri Qually who is also a member.

Elected were;
Chairman - Gavin Lawson,
Deputy Chairman - position to be filled,
Treasurer - Gerard Wigram,
Secretary - Lucia Rodrigues,
Exco 1 - Wolf Brandt,
Exco 2 - Clive Sieglaar,
Exco 3 - Martin Struthmann

Welcome to the new members.

Then, what most people came for was to listen to Ian McCallum - medical doctor, psychiatrist, natural writer, poet and former rugby Springbok.

He gave us a visual presentation and talk on Rediscovering ourselves in Nature based on his new book which was researched in Botswana, Uganda and Zambia. Ian also emphasised what a "special place Zandvlei is" when returning "home" after spending months researching. His selection of  photographs taken with an artistic eye to illusrate subjects and themes were outstanding, to show some of the realistic aspects of life in remote parts of Africa. Ian writes poetry and quoted some of his own and others effortlessly to enhanse the message we should look into ourselves more honestly.

His knowledge and interpretation of how we are very closely linked to the natural world, even if "we - mankind" have taken the domineering position of objectifying all other life forms presumed less intelligent than us. We need to relook at ourselves, he suggests, and went some way to explain with illustrations and accepted scientific fact we are not that different whatever we might believe. He suggests that even our behaviour patterns and socialising skills are similar to the primates who live in the remaining natural areas.

He certainly has given those present something to think about and contemplate, in the next while.

We finished off with refreshments and informal discussions afterwards.

ISBN 0 620 33650 1 

Also available from www.africa-geographic.com