LIFER
THE RACONTEUR M O R E AT H O M E I N T H E B U S H T H A N H E I S I N T H E B U R B S , C A PA B L E OF FIXING ALMOST ANYTHING AND FISHIER THAN A TIN OF EXPIRED PILCHARDS, LIONEL SONG IS A CHARACTER STRAIGHT OUT OF A WILBUR SMITH NOVEL (IF THE BARD OF THE BUSH WROTE ABOUT F LY F I S H I N G ) . H E ’ S A L S O O U R I S S U E 3 6 L I F E R . Photos. Stu Harley and Mark Murray
The first fish I caught was a carp at a place called Union Park dam just outside Pietersburg (Polokwane). Ironically it was I that was the hunted, as it was a place frequented by strange Walter White (Breaking Bad) lookalikes with bags of sweets waiting in dodgy hatchbacks under the blue gums... I finished my national service in the Para battalion and went straight in to the Timbavati. Next step was the Manyeleti, where I was involved in building and running trail camps. Next stop was Savuti, Botswana where I helped run the legendary Lloyds Camp and learnt more about animal behaviour, especially how to interact with lions and how not to get killed by elephants. After that it was a move to the Natal Midlands (base camp is in the Dargle), then all over Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho, Gabon, and now Tanzania is home. I guess my real home is anywhere wild and remote. A typical day starts with my Kilombero alarm clock going off at 5am – namely hippo, fish eagle and goliath heron chiming in to kickstart my day. If we have clients in camp, it’s kitchen first to make sure that brekkie is on the go and the packed lunches are sorted. I then greet guests and make sure they are good with tea, coffee and rusks. If there are no guests in camp, I task staff and find something broken to fix. If there are guests, I get their fishing gear sorted if they need help and get them on their way to a great day’s fishing. Once guests have left, I find something broken to fix, take time out to admire the view and remind myself how lucky I am to be me and that I could, at that very moment in time, be stuck in traffic on the N3. As I fix the broken stuff, I wait in dire anticipation for my guests to return with great stories of an even greater day spent out in paradise. We have a raucous supper being entertained by hysterical stories that folks tell when they have a chance to relax without the strictures of society (add some good single malt to lubricate the thought patterns). I switch off the generator and crawl into bed exhausted and happy. My home waters at the moment are the Kilombero River and its surrounds. It’s a fascinating and challenging river to fish as it is rather unknown from a piscatorial
108
perspective. By that I mean there are fish that have been caught, but not yet classified. Yes, we have big Tanzanian tigers, and the most incredible yellowfish, but it is the smaller, less-known species that pique my interest, and it is these fish that I most want to catch. Call me a twitcher with a fly rod. The best advice I can give is: Love many, marry few, paddle your own canoe. I am most proud of my son Roan, who is an electrical engineer living down in Sedgefield in the Cape. The most amazing human being and I am very proud to be his dad. I am also very proud of all my amazing friends I am lucky to have. Something I really had to work hard at is that I found out at a late stage of my life that I wasn’t being true to myself and lacked confidence and self-belief. I was depressed. I thought that I was the only one, but it turns out it is a human condition that is often created by the society that we live in. I also had PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) just to fuck things up even more. Social norms are not always normal, it would seem. So, I sought help, and a man told me a story about myself that I found hard to believe at first, but on closer inspection realised that it was indeed me. I was a book that I had never read. I am now working hard to give this book called “Me” a great ending. Something that has come naturally to me is my ability to see into other people. I guess it must be down to being in tourism since 1987, as I think you become a fireside psychologist after meeting thousands of people in intimate settings. You won’t believe what people have confided in me. The most satisfying fish I ever caught was a 70kg tarpon off the Kwanza River in Angola. I have never been that emotional about a fish. Looking into its eye, I felt a primordial bond and it took me back to when animals ruled the planet, and we were bar snacks. Since then, I have never needed to catch another big fish.
W W W. T H E M I S S I O N F LY M A G . C O M
