At the start of 2010 and what will be my 25th hunting season, it is time to reflect on the past decade and offer up our hopes and prayers for the one ahead.

Depending on ones perspective it could have been the best of times and the worst of times. Time magazine called it the decade from hell.
A decade of unprecedented natural disasters, nauseating excess, bad judgment, scandals and inexcusable greed.
For us it signaled the real beginning of a great deal of hard work and a dream in the making. God sure knew what he was doing when he made it difficult for us to see into the future. Even if we could we would not believe or be able to comprehend what the universe has in store for us.
It would bring unrealistic expectations and sheer horror so unimaginable that we would all end up with a nervous breakdown at the very least.

This has been the decade of paradoxes for us.

2000 saw a severe flooding in Africa, the Air France Concorde crash, Al-Queda suicide bombers hit the USS Cole and the US presidential election in chaos. I was the lucky dog who got to marry the love of my life on May 6th, dressed in a kilt and never happier even though I only owned one old land cruiser, some rifles, lived in a rented house and my bride had only an old kombi and sixty thousand rand in the bank. She also had an unshakable belief in me. Her love and confidence in me put the wind beneath my wings and made me dream again.

2001 Who would forget the gut wrenching despair of 9/11 or the bankruptcy of Enron. Stan Burger Safaris turned the corner and we had our best year ever. Our beautiful Susannah was born on 22nd of December and together Jac and I gave our first wary steps onto the path of planned- parenthood. Many of you who were with us then are still with us now.

2002 The beltway sniper in DC kills 10 people, congress authorizes US military action against Iraq.

We have our best business year ever and I get a surprise brand new land cruiser. My first ever new vehicle. Our lives could not be better or happier, we think.

2003 Space shuttle Colombia disintegrates on re-entry; power failures black out millions in the US.
For us business is good and we start to look for a place of our own. We have no idea what we’re looking for, but we look anyway. Life is extremely good and we are growing in confidence. Our business acumen reaches new heights and we get bolder and take calculated risks that pay off.

2004 US death toll in Iraq reaches 1000. Islamic terror attack on trains in Madrid and the mother of all Tsunamis kills 200 000 in Southern Asia.

Stan Burger Safaris goes from strength to strength and we return from the US with our hunting year fully booked. Gareth unexpectedly has a family crisis and leaves us holding the baby. We find huge debts but save ourselves by using all our savings. We grow enormously, mentally and in business and we learn a lesson. Jac has our bright blue-eyed boy, Sebastian on the 5th of July and our happiness is complete, the best is yet to come.
For us life moves fast and we become partners in Iwamanzi in October when John unexpectedly offers us a share. We grab this opportunity with both hands and move to “the farm” and start building the lodge and rehabilitating an overgrazed cattle farm. I had a vision of what I could do with all the water and the first dams were built and stocked with fish.

2005 The threat of bird flu surfaces; 80 000 die in an earthquake in Kashmir; North Korea discloses it has nuclear capability.
We recover fully from our financial crisis and are able to buy our second new land cruiser. Truly another milestone for our business.
Our marketing efforts pay off and we are flying.
We open Iwamanzi Game Lodge on the 19th of May, exactly 11 months after we started building it. For us this is just another incredible miracle on our journey to the future together.

2006 Three school shootings in one week. Gas tops US$ 3 a gallon; housing bubble starts to burst.
We live in paradise, our own game farm, our own lodge, or own house, two great kids, wonderful loyal clients who believe in us and keep coming back for more.
We put our first hippo on the “farm”, now we have dangerous game. We also get our first rhino and sable antelope.

2007 Decline in the Chinese market triggers global market crash; global warming warning; a highway bridge in Minneapolis collapses.
Our rhino have 4 babies, another miracle. One of our hippos decides to go for a walk and never returns. Business is good and the farm is flourishing. Pieter Maarten buys John out and becomes our new business partner. Things have never been better and we have another record- breaking year.

2008 Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy; the markets crash, the dow drops 34% for the year; the entire world is in the worst recession since 1931. Oil hits U$ 147 per barrel.
Stompie is tragically taken from us while we are in the states.
Things are really starting to happen at Iwamanzi. We add more property and take down fences. Now we are sort of complete with enough land and a great mix of animals and the lodge of which we are very proud.

2009 Chrysler and GM declare bankruptcy; Bernie Madoff pleads guilty to U$ 65 billion fraud; swine flu pandemic causes panic world -wide.
On Iwamanzi a palpable calm reins. The recent good rains have turned the dry winter bush into a sweet grass paradise. All the dams are overflowing and every female animal is suckling a calf, lamb or foal. Our rhino start having their second calves. We introduce buffalo onto Iwamanzi and the first calf is born, what a milestone, it may be the first one born on this land for 300 years. The pod of hippo have increased from 4 to 7. Talk about cute. The word was invented to describe a pink baby hippo. Sebastian, Daddy’s boy, starts school. Susannah brings home a brilliant report card.

Life moves at such a pace these days, that one seldom has time to reflect, to stop and smell the roses. I had that time this year, only because I managed to totally wreck and write off the new land cruiser by driving it over the edge of a mountain pass, on Sebastian’s birthday 5th of July. That I survived was unbelievable, that I got out and walked back up to the road, was a miracle. The broken ribs and cracked sternum forced me to slow down for a month or so and I had time to ponder life’s issues and realize just how much Jac and I have achieved in such a short space of time.

We changed a rundown cattle and sheep farm into a wilderness, a sanctuary for wild creatures to do as they please. 10 000 acres of pristine bushveld rehabilitated for future generations to enjoy. Pass it On!
A decades work has gone into developing a world class experience for you, our guests. We have made our dreams come true and created thousands of memories for others, we have been blessed to create that number many times over for our family.
We look forward to sharing our paradise with you for many years to come. Join us at Stan Burger Safaris and Iwamanzi and make some memories for yourself.