Just a click away from adventure

Writer Elaine Davie

The moment in Standard 5 when Roger de la Harpe held an old instamatic camera and a roll of film in his hands, shaped most of the life choices he was to make from then on. His infinite curiosity and love of adventure was another driving passion, and he was fortunate to find a willing partner in his wife, Pat.

Dyed-in-the-wool citizens of the Last Outpost, they decided in 2018 to discover how the other half lived, and explore the Western Cape, cameras and eBikes at the ready. After a short sojourn in George, they found their way to Onrus two months ago and because they fell instantly in love with the Whale Coast, have decided at last to put down roots here. Having jointly produced 27 travel and wildlife coffee table books (Roger is responsible for the photography and Pat the writing), they have decided they’ve been there, done that and the T-shirt no longer fits.

It all started when Roger received that first instamatic. His school class was going on an educational trip to the Kruger National Park, but as Roger remembers, the roll of film was already used up by the time they arrived there. “Nevertheless,” he says, “that experience in the Park made such a strong impression on me that I decided to become a game ranger. So, after I left school, I joined the Natal Parks Board.

“At first, photography was just a hobby; I always had my camera with me on patrols and was privileged to witness and photograph some remarkable wildlife activity. Eventually, the bosses became aware of my pics and asked if I would like to become the Board’s official photographer. You can imagine how quickly I jumped at that opportunity!

“What a wonderful experience! I ended up spending 16 years there, taking pictures in all of the scenic, bio-diverse parks in its stable. I photographed a croc undergoing surgery, innumerable game capture operations… it was just an incredible education for me.”

Eventually, he and Pat decided it was time to turn their hands to something else. She resigned from a job in the Howick Municipality and because Roger had already built up a huge library of photographs, she started managing it as a commercial enterprise, supplying pictures for other people’s publications, while Roger freelanced.

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