Into the River of Life

Into the River of Life is the story of Dr Ian Player, internationally recognised environmentalist and conservationist. But Player is a man of many facets and contradictions, not just a ranger: a man of culture and the arts, a deep thinker and Jungian, an irascible campaigner and a maverick. He is a writer, a lecturer and international diplomat and a deeply committed man to all he believes in. Player was a young man when he pioneered the Duzi Canoe Marathon in 1950. He expected to see an abundance of wildlife along the river bank but, to his dismay, he saw almost none. So began an epic journey to fight for nature conservation. He joined the Natal Parks Board in 1952 and spearheaded two initiatives. He pioneered Operation Rhino, which succeeded in saving the white rhino from extinction, and he obtained protected status for the Umfolozi and St Lucia Wilderness areas – a first in South Africa and on the African continent. He also founded the Wilderness Leadership School during the troubled days of apartheid, a multi-racial and experiential program, which was to spawn a global network of conservationists committed to saving wilderness and wildlife throughout the world. His work has been recognised globally and among his numerous accolades he has been awarded Knight of the Order of the Golden Ark and the Decoration for Meritorious Service, the highest civilian decoration in South Africa. He lives with his wife near Howick in Natal and is the brother of golfing legend Gary Player.