4 minute read
HOLLY BUDGE // 58-66 ALDO KANE
FROM THE SKY TO THE SAVANNA
Holly Budge has, over the last twenty years, been at the forefront of some of the most daring and important adventures. We spoke to Holly about her journey from skydiving camera operator to charity founder, and her ongoing desire to empower women along the way.
WORDS & INTERVIEW JAI MCINTOSH
JAI How do you define adventure?
HB My definition of adventure has changed over the past two decades. In my twenties, I was chasing world firsts and world records. In my thirties, I was looking for more purposeful adventures. Through my conservation work, adventure is now patrolling on the front lines with anti-poaching teams in Africa. These experiences have blown any other adventure I’ve done out of the water. JAI Aged 21, you experienced your first skydive, which subsequently changed your life. How did this happen?
HB At 21, I threw myself out of a perfectly good aeroplane for the first time. That 60 second shot of adrenaline changed my life forever. It dawned on me that people were getting paid to jump out of aeroplanes every day of the year. I decided that I wanted to work as a skydiving camerawoman. Yet, I didn't know how to skydive. I worked as a graphic designer in London and saved up enough money to return to New Zealand and firstly learn how to skydive and then how to get employed as a skydiver.
At the time, less than a handful of women had ever worked as skydivers in New Zealand. This motivated me even more. Eventually, I landed my job and was getting paid to jump out of aeroplanes up to 12 times a day, with bulky film cameras strapped to my body. I didn't overthink it; I didn't talk myself out of it or let the fear of failing get in the way. JAI You became the first woman to skydive Everest and have also summited the mountain later on in your life, tell us how that experience came about?
HB I knew skydiving next to the highest mountain in the world was an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss.
So I worked hard to get sponsored and became the first woman to skydive Everest. I jumped out of a plane at 29,500ft, getting a bird’s eye view of some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery before landing at 12,350ft. I freefalled in excess of 140mph in temperatures of -40C. It was an incredible experience.
I knew I would be back to try and climb to the summit one day. So, I learned how to climb mountains. Eventually, I attempted to climb Everest from the north side. Everest was my home for 47 days, above 5000m. I climbed Everest as a two-person team; we battled ferocious winds, -30C temperatures and got caught overnight in a storm in
The Death Zone. Our reward was sitting by ourselves on the summit for 30 minutes on a spectacular bluebird day.
JAI Tell me about your journey from skydiver to sustainable designer specialising in the use of vegetable ivory, all with the aim of attracting attention to the struggles experienced by wild elephants in Africa.
HB I wanted to return to my roots in graphic design. In 2013, I studied for a Masters in Sustainable Design. The idea for 'How Many Elephants', now a UK registered charity, was born. As I began researching the African Elephant crisis, I was shocked by the poaching statistics and set about creating a new, design-led awareness campaign. I designed and built a necklace displaying 96 elephants - the daily poaching rate in Africa - cut in vegetable ivory, a sustainable plant material from South America. I then designed an exhibition displaying 35,000 elephant silhouettes to represent the annual poaching rate. JAI In June, your World Female Ranger Week initiative begins, can you tell us about that?
HB I launched World Female Ranger Week, taking place on June 23-30th, to find, connect and amplify the voices of female wildlife rangers on a global stage. They're paving the way for women to stand alongside men at the forefront of conservation, but they need allies.
Women are proving to be highly successful at easing local tension and strengthening relationships within communities, as well as their patrolling skills. However, there is still a significant gender imbalance in environmental conservation, with just 11% of the global ranger workforce being female. Through World Female Ranger Week, my team and I have identified over 4500 female rangers in 18 African countries. We are collating gender-specific data about female rangers to identify their specific needs, find tangible solutions and help build effective policies toward positive outcomes for female rangers and conservation.
My work has highlighted that many female rangers face similar challenges, including a lack of access to adequate sanitary or health products, a lack of security in the workplace, social stigma, and wearing illfitting equipment designed for men. World Female Ranger Week seeks to address these needs through awareness and funding.
JAI After all that you have experienced throughout your lifetime of adventures so far, how would you characterise your message?
HB I've found that passion is contagious but combined with purpose, it's powerful. The sky's the limit for what you can achieve with passion, dedication, skills and a positive active mindset.
Think Big. Dream Bigger.
