Inungi

A remarkable memoir of life on a remote farm in the wild country of East Griqualand. Long before rural South Africa became easily accessible by modern roads and 4x4s, there were places where the river, the mountains and the weather dictated the rhythm of everyday life. Inungi takes us into one of them. Born in 1929 on his father's remote farm in East Griqualand, John Stanford eventually returned there after qualifying as a civil engineer and working briefly in Canada. In 1965 he took over the running of the farm, which was cut off from the rest of the Kokstad district by the Umzimvubu River. Horses were indispensable, while fire, flood and the rugged mountainous terrain presented very real challenges. Written in a factual, vigorous and wonderfully no-nonsense style, Stanford recalls a self-sufficient life of fishing, hunting, rivers, horses, veld and farming - disasters as well as the everyday adventures of living in a remote corner of South Africa. For fly fishers, "Inungi" offers something particularly appealing: the atmosphere of a South African landscape where rivers and wild country were not simply scenery, but an integral part of life. A wonderful local find for readers who enjoy South African wilderness, hunting, fishing and stories of lives lived close to the land. B&w photographs throughout. Very good condition. Softcover, 21cm x 15cm, 125 pages.