Matriarch – every family should have one

Welcome to 2012 and our first post for the year! Wishing you and yours a very successful and happy 2012 – may this be the year that all your dreams come alive!

The January group will be arriving on Sunday, so keep a look out for their stories and updates.

In 2012 :

• We have many changes happening in our courses, including bringing back the 1 year course (yay) and offering 4 specialised courses for exsisting guides
• We look forward to the challenges that the new courses will bring us, change is good to we accept the challenge 
• Changing lives is what we love to do and we look forward to supporting our students in reaching their goals and aspirations
• Watching people grow and develop as they realise they have found their passion – one of the best things about our job
• Travelling – we are looking forward to working with reserves outside of South Africa and assisting their guides in obtaining their FGASA qualifications
• We have plenty to keep us busy this year and lots to look forward to – BRING IT ON!

Sarah has writted us a great piece on Matriarch’s, to get us started for the year ENJOY it ->

The leader of the pack

We pretty much all have one. They can drive you crazy sometimes, they can make you laugh, make you cry, make you mad, but mostly they give us guidance and without then we would no doubt not have become who we are today.

I am talking about a matriarch. Generally deemed as an older female in the animal kingdom it is not always the case in ours. It could be your mum, your aunt, your grandma, your older sister , your younger sister or even a friend. For us a matriarch is a strong female leader who we look to for advice, a shoulder, an ear and a truthful word. Our animal friends it seems are not too different to us.

 The most famous of all the matriarchs has to be the elephant.  These gentle giants of the savannah have over hundreds, thousands maybe even millions of years been led by a loan female. Accompanied by her close knit family she is the one who holds all the knowledge. She leads them to water and food over distances we cannot even comprehend and through climatic conditions that we would never survive. She guides her daughters and granddaughters through the woes of motherhood. She will show tenderness, compassion and affection but is a terrifying sight to behold if she feels the need to protect her own. If she is lost, it leaves her family in despair and grief. Should her passing be too soon her knowledge will be gone forever.

Nature has provided us with one of the most powerful forces on earth “the Matriarch”. Without her who would we be and where would we go?

Wishing you all a great weekend!

‘Our attitude towards life determines life’s attitude towards us’ – Earl Nightingale

Until Next time,

Candice and The Ulovane Team