Tusk Trust and Prince William are a force to be reckoned with….!

A toast to Tusk Trust- 25 years of Conservation efforts

25 years of tireless efforts on behalf of endangered African wildlife such as rhinos, elephants and wild dogs culminated in a glittering dinner event hosted by Prince William and Tusk at Windsor Castle recently.

Windsor Castle

After his acceptance of the 2013 Prince William Award for a Lifetime of Conservation in Africa, Clive Stockil and I were invited to attend this heartwarming event.
In preparation for the trip, Julie Hagan, founder of  Gogo Olive, kindly sent me three elephants – mum and baby, plus dad, all hand-knitted by the ladies of the Gogo Olive team in Mutare.

gogos

This little family travelled with me from Chilo Gorge Lodge into Gonarezhou National Park, through the junction of the Save and Runde Rivers…..

taking in the spectacle of the magnificent Chilojo Cliffs, from below,

GOGOs at Chilojo Cliffs….

and from above!!!….

The high view….

and on to London, where they were given as a gift to the newly born Princess Charlotte.

Prince George and Baby Charlotte, Taken by Princess Kate

A complimentary trio to the Gogo Olive rhino family that we gave to Prince George in 2013…..

gogos, packaged for a Princess.

Artemis, ably represented by Dick Turpin, hosted a special cocktail party the night before the main dinner, and it was wonderful to be able to network with friends, new and old, from the Conservation and corporate world.

Our gift to Tusk Trust and Charlie Mayhew on the occasion of their 25th Anniversary, was a carved wooden rhino by master craftsman Lambert, from Senuko, in the Save Valley Conservancy.

The night of the dinner we were picked up and taken to the Castle along with Tom Lalampaa from Northern Rangelands Trust in Kenya. Wonderful to see old friends again.

Tom Lalampaa and Prince William at Windsor Castle, with Charlie Mayhew in the background…

Tom Lalampaa and Prince William at Windsor Castle

Jeremy and Emma Borg of Painted Wolf Wines in front of Windsor Castle….

Jeremy and Emma Borg at Windsor Castle

Peter And Catherine Blinston of Painted Dog Conservation joined us….

kat and pete at windsor

I wore a green dress embellished by beading from our Mahenye Ladies beading Project, and the beads were much noticed…well done ladies….

The evening was a feast of stimulating conversation, elegant canapés, (delicious food exquisitely constructed from tasty and simple produce, I noticed), superb Champagne and great wine….

Walking into that awesome and venerable castle was an amazing experience, layer upon layer of history and fascinating decor, what a building!

Catherine and Peter Blinston looked the part in those fantastic surroundings…Catherine wearing a creation by Joyce Chimanye, of Zuva….proudly Zimbabwean!

the gorgeous Zuva Dress

Heartfelt Speeches inspired the listeners to deeper understanding of issues-and challenges for protecting wildlife and empowering communities in Africa.

The evening spent at Windsor Castle was superb, heartwarming and forever memorable –
Saint George’s Hall: