I was fortunate to have grown up within a family with deeply embedded family traditions and history and an immense interest in wild life and the South African bush.

The first of my family forefathers set foot on South African soil during the early 1700s as Dutch immigrants, who established themselves in the Cape of Good Hope.A little more than a century later, family members would partake in the Great Trek of 1[sensitive content] and would eventually settle as farmers north of the Vaal River, which would later become known as the South African Republic, or the ZAR.After the discovery of Gold in Johannesburg in 1886, events in the Transvaal would culminate into the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War 1899 to 1902. 

Both sides within my family spectrum would be involved in this war, consisting of family supporting the Boer cause, and serving under General De la Rey in the Western Transvaal, (North West province) and then on my maternal side of the family, my great grandfather, William Bracey, (a Welshman), serving within the British 18th Hussars.He would eventually settle in South Africa after the conclusion of the Anglo Boer War in 1902.

With the outbreak of World War Two, my maternal grandfather served with the Allied forces in North Africa and thereafter, from 1943 to 1945, within the 6th South African Armoured Division, liberating Italy in 1945. 

My passion for the preservation of history and the love for South African wild life, allowed me to spend many years (35 ) doing ongoing research and studies on these subjects, especially on South African history, comprising of early history (1[sensitive content]), the Anglo Zulu War (1879), First War of Independence (1[sensitive content]), Anglo Boer War (1[sensitive content]) and both World Wars.

In 2004, I enrolled to study tourism, receiving my National Certificate in Tourism, Guiding in 2007, therefore fulfilling my lifelong dream of enhancing my knowledge in South African History and Nature.This placed me into a privileged position to share the rich diversity and culture, which South Africa, as a tourism destination, provides to the global and local tourism markets.