ORIBI GIRLS AND WINTER with its sadness ARRIVE’S

Some time ago I was informed the ‘Oribi Wildlife Preservation Society” was to grace our area. Their task, to help concerned landowners to deal with this scarce buck. We were fed and watered at a neighboring estate before the inevitable process of ‘death by power point’ was imposed on us.
We learnt little and offered less. My impression was that they wanted to take control of our land; we would none-the-less do the work and put in the money too!
This on the basis of a tedious and lengthy presentation that told us nothing of real value to the day to day process of living in the bundu or to what to do about the stupid ungulates they were so concerned about either. So I was dubious about entertaining another.
A intense very young blond who should have been wearing an outfit with epaulets but was not, which I complained about, arrived in a large pick-up with logo’s all over it advertising ‘green’ activities but clearly identified as being paid for by those actively involved in the destruction of the planet, an oxymoron made flesh.
She was devoted to her little bokkies and all things great and small, she wanted to help, she would personally give her all in the cause, but thankfully I was spared her pitch as my Inkulu’s old lady passed and the news arrived on her heels which naturally made all plans redundant.
A death in a staff member’s family, no matter how distant, requires some considerable expense and aggravation for me. I am required by some very convenient cultural thing to give over dosh, help with transport and supply a whole lot of firewood, which I reluctantly do.
This required the entire estate to drop tools and spring to, to get this all together, and Oribi girl and I had long drive with weeping ladies clinging on to the back of the wood laden bakkie which I had to negotiate down tracks to huts in the wilderness. We were then embroiled in some dark African family disagreement over the arrangements. Drunken faces peered into our space ship to eagerly explain the wickedness that was being enacted. All quite captivating though completely incomprehensible.
We took some pictures of this strange world and departed, dumping a forlorn and troubled old man to wander into the bush to lay his woman in the ground, very poignant, sad.
We live here in this vast continent and really we can only hope to be informed visitors, the endlessness and cruelty of this land is beyond our ken.