DHARNA HASSIJA

With her parents and older brother,Dharna moved to Tanzania during her second year of life but moved back to India years later to study Political Science with Economics at Delhi University. Working and Studying For the next five years she worked for British Airways in Tanzania before leaving for the UK for work. It was there that her childhood passion for clothes and fashion resurfaced and at the age of twenty five she went back to university to study “Fashion Design for Women's Wear” at the London College of Fashion. India beckoned once more and Dharna headed back to Delhi to study jewellery manufacture and design. She wasted no time putting her new skills to practice and in March 2004 held her first exhibition at the Sea Cliff Hotel in Dar es Salaam, which kindly hosted the event and provided waiters to serve drinks –all free of charge.

With a meagre twenty four hours of advertising by word-of-mouth and leaflets, Dharna managed to sell sixty five percent of her stock in just one show and this success encouraged her to continue her efforts.Coming to Mauritius Dharna had been in touch with a Mauritian
named Roddy Ramsamy, on the internet for quite while, but they actually met for the first time in India when he flew out to visit her and her father who was in hospital for treatment. It was this act of kindness which decided Dharna to marry him and the wedding took place in December 2004.

Moving to Mauritius, Dharna attempted to continue her fledgling jewellery business but was now faced by a new challenge “People did not know how to wear the jewellery I was offering them, what to wear it with, when to wear it or where to wear it.” With the support of her husband and
family she was determined to break the ice. Another problem was that Mauritians preferred gold rather than silver. But she still continued to use silver as it is less expensive than gold and helps her to keep costs down. For the same reason she uses semi precious stones and “AAA” quality zircons and her goal is to achieve the look of Cartier but at a reasonable price.

Having noticed a gap in the clothes market in Mauritius, Dharna put her jewellery manufacturing on hold and began designing dresses to cater to that niche market. In October 2008 she opened a women's fashion shop, “Dharna Hassija”, in Floreal Square selling clothes of her own design and
accessories to go with them. Her dresses range from casual to formal, glamour to evening wear, and are designed to be more “fluid” – having more movement – than others on the market.They are made from light materials such as silk, satin, georgette and chiffon and, like her jewellery, each item is guaranteed to be unique. A new range of designs will be coming out in June.

Advising clients on what suits them and what does not, is an important part of Dharna's work. She prefers to sell a less expensive dress which looks good on a person rather than a more expensive one which looks terrible.The last thing she wants is for customers, “... to be wearing a
dress, and telling their friends that I recommended something which doesn't suit them at all.” Dharna's advice is taken to heart by many of her customers and they even bring other clothes, bought elsewhere, to ask about how to wear them or what to wear them with. It is here that Dharna's jewellery comes into its own for, along with other accessories, it can be used to form the perfect ensemble for fashionable women.As she explained to me,“For every person it's entirely different.A dress will fit differently, colours will look different and people have their own personal tastes to take into consideration.”

Hobbies By her own admission, Dharna is too lazy for sports, but she does like a good book or listening to soft music with a bit of soul. She often buys books on a wide range of artistic subjects to act as inspiration for her own design work. Interior decorating, painting, even origami all serve to stimulate her imagination and while she may not read those books, she will look at the pictures again and again.

Big Ambitions In the near future Dharna plans to extend the shop at Floreal and open two others and also looks forward to expanding into the Indian market in a couple of years. For the long term she is happy to settle down in Mauritius and fervently hopes that the country will become a shopper's paradise and that, eventually, her name will become synonymous with high design and fashion.

©Islandinfo

Muriel Roussel Prior

“In 2006 Muriel moved to Mauritius and initially worked as a high school teacher at La Bourdonnais for almost two years, but later became a professor at Alliance Française university lecturing in Economics. Interestingly and to her credit, she saw the first signs of the coming of the current world economic situation back in early 2007. In 2009, following a visit and some advice from a friend who runs a concierge in France, Muriel started a new business, La Conciergerie de Maurice."




Born in Paris to French parents, Muriel hailed from a very “European” family,
with german and Italian uncles and a Swiss sister. Educated in Paris, she studied
Turkish, Pachtoun and Farsi at Paris university with a view to working for the
French Foreign Office. However, upon graduating in 1972 she went on an eleven
month tour of Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan with three friends, and spent four of
those months living in the palace grounds of the Shah of Iran in Tehran, during the
winter. When asked what it was like she replied demurely ? “It’s very nice.”

Upon returning to Paris, Muriel and her friends made a documentary about their travels
abroad, on the strength of which she landed a job as a journalist and camera woman for
a French news programme which broadcast on cinemas just before the main movie.
She worked for them for two years. It was in 1975 that Muriel met and fell in love
with her husband Colin, an English computer scientist. They were happily married for
ten years and had four children, Cedric,Alexandra, Barbara and Mary.
Tragically, Colin died at the age of thirty five due to a sports accident and Muriel
was faced with a dramatic and unexpected change in her life. Recalling those events
and asked how she managed,
Muriel shrugged slightly saying, "I coped." She went back to university, this
time in Aix en Provence and Marseille, to study Political Science and Economics &
Management. Shortly afterwards, in 1988, Muriel formed part of a delegation which was
sent to French Guiana in South America to audit the Ariane space rocket programme.
Their mandate was to determine the funds that the project would require to continue
operating, which worked out as something in the region of one thousand million Francs.
Muriel remained there for three years with her children and in their spare time they
visited numerous islands in the Caribbean, such as Martinique and Guadeloupe and
countries such as Venezuela, Peru and Brazil. Returning to the South of France,
Muriel worked for an American company, ICA, for a while as commissioner
of auditing and for Val Adour as a financial manager. She then left France for New
Caledonia, a French island in the South.

Pacific, but the travel time between the two countries was too long and so she
relocated to Reunion. There she was again a financial manager, this time for Sterne
and later became a teacher for the Reunion Chamber of Commerce. In 2006 Muriel moved
to Mauritius and initially worked as a high school teacher at La Bourdonnais for almost
two years, but later became a professor at Alliance Française university lecturing
in Economics. Interestingly and to her credit, she saw the first signs of the coming
of the current world economic situation back in early 2007. In 2009, following a visit
and some advice from a friend who runs a concierge in France, Muriel started a new
business, La Conciergerie de Maurice. The goal of the company is to provide personal
and organisational facilities to organisations and individuals.Whether it is
catering services for a simple meal or a party, or organising corporate transportation
by helicopter, La Conciergerie will endeavour to provide the best services possible.
The company also specialises as a relocation agent and will help with such problems
as finding a place to live, organizing residence and occupation permits and
locating good schools for children.
La-conciergerie-of-mauritius.com has all the information a person might need.
Now a grandmother of four, Muriel enjoys swimming, golf and walking with the
Mauritius Hash House Harriers as well as visiting Reunion and France to see her
children. Her main ambition is to see La Conciergerie become one of the most
important companies in Mauritius and to prove to herself that at over fifty
years of age she still has what it takes to create a flourishing business.
I have no doubt at all that she will be successful.

© Islandinfo

The Life & Times of Alan Grihault (Part Two)

Last post we left Alan seemingly jobless in the UK, after 50 years of dedication to teaching and teacher training. What follows next is a story of determination and perseverance that should be an example to us all. Read part 1 of The Life & Times of Alan Grihault).

Having been refused further employment by DfID (Department for International Development) because he was over 60, Alan received a further blow when an Indonesian Educational Project with Cambridge Education ended, due to Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor where he was to be posted.

For the next 6 months Alan and his wife Sara lived in Plymouth, but in 2000 Sara’s mother passed away and they visited Mauritius for the funeral. Being on the island inspired Alan to find out more about the Dodo, but he was surprised to discover that several paragraphs in the Encyclopaedia Britannica was the best information that could be found.

Back in Plymouth, Alan began to research and write about the Dodo himself. Then, with the book almost complete and his wife’s work contract over, they decided to move back to Mauritius for a trial period of 3 years.

Once settled on the island, Alan’s priority was to find a publisher for his book. This was easier said than done. The first publisher took 3 months to decide whether or not they would publish and the second said they would publish, but in black and white. Finally, lucky number three took only 2 days to decide that they would publish.

Did I say lucky? Two Christmases and nineteen months later the book was ready for printing, with Alan having worked at the printers many times and helped with the page layout himself. It was, to say the least, “a terrible and frustrating experience!” Finally, the owner of the company admitted that he could not print the book himself, but that another printer could, on Sundays...

So, one Sunday 1000 copies of the book were printed and 50 were bound. Alan bought all 50 but, upon receiving them, he stopped his cheque as the book was a complete mess. Now, unbeknown to Alan, stopping cheques is illegal in Mauritius. The police were called and Alan paid the cheque.

In the mean time another printer, Mr Michel Coquet of IPC limited, had gone through the book page by page and highlighted all the printing errors. Following an acrimonious meeting with the original printer Alan was offered the other 950 books for Rs150 each, but as they were of such poor quality and unsellable, Alan refused.

Michel came to the rescue. The dodo is an integral part of Mauritian history and he wanted to make his mark by printing and publishing the book himself and leaving something for posterity.

The whole debacle turned out to be something of a blessing, as the delay allowed Alan to conduct further research and he was able to re-write the book including the latest information. It is now a book that he is justly proud of. Alan also wrote two other small books during this period, “How to Get a Job” and “How to Study and Pass Exams”.

Alan has also ventured into the arena of broadcasting. The Mauritian Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) broadcast the Mauritius College of the Air (MCA) which produces children’s programmes for television. With no prior experience, Alan offered his help and they agreed that he could present a series of ten programmes, for radio, in which he would narrate stories such as Aladdin and Dick Wittington.

Although the series was of excellent quality it was, inexplicably, never aired. A pity for, as Alan notes, radio is an excellent format for teaching children as it stimulates the imagination and creativity. In contrast, television has a hypnotic effect and evidence suggests that it may actually retard early brain development.

Despite this unexpected turn of events, Alan continued to work with the MCA and produced ten new stories, this time for television. He also presented a new Maths series called ‘Maths Alive’. Alan felt that children didn’t want to switch on their television sets and see the same sort of mathematics as they had been doing in their classroom. They wanted to see something lively and in real life situations. The series was a tremendous success and Alan has become a mini-celebrity amongst young children. Alan has also presented many science programmes such as “Science is Fun”, and a new venture is a couple of programmes on ‘Pirates’.

The President’s Fund for Creative Writing in English, was another excellent project that Alan has worked on since “retirement”. It consisted of regional workshops with primary school teachers, instructing them how to teach creative writing through storytelling, poetry and drama. The scheme was very successful and participants benefited enormously from the experience. Alan would dearly like to do more!

The success of “Dodo – The bird behind the Legend” prompted Alan to write his next book, “Solitaire – The Dodo of Rodrigues Island”. Published in 2007, it is about the dodo’s cousin, another extinct bird, and is a very interesting read.

Now 72 years old, Alan can be an inspiration for us all. He still runs regularly and is at present Grandmaster of the Mauritian Hash House Harriers. He has spent the last three years researching the pirates and treasures of Mauritius and has recently aired two programmes for the MCA on the subject. He has another children’s book, “Pirates’ Treasure on Dodo Island” in the pipeline... but, as they say, that’s another story.
Alan’s website is: www.dodosite.com

© Islandinfo

The Life & Times of Alan Grihault (Part One)

Born inauspiciously in the Channel Islands on July 10th 1936, Alan left with his mother at the age of 6 months never to look back. Little did he know that over the course of his lifetime he would travel much of the world, help educate thousands of children, become an expert on two extinct birds and eventually settle on another small island, this one in the Indian Ocean some six thousand miles from where he was born – here in Mauritius.
Alan’s mother was a nurse, a valuable profession at the best of times and invaluable during World War Two, which dominated Alan’s early childhood. From the age of two he was boarded out to care facilities while his mother lived and worked in the hospital at Teignmouth, Devon, in Southern England. Some of his earliest memories are of bombs exploding in the distance, but these are tempered by pleasant memories of visiting his grandparents in Derby during the holidays.
From the age of 11 to 17 Alan was a pupil at the Queen Elizabeth’s school in Crediton, Devon. A rare “Democratic” school where the boys governed themselves in a structure not dissimilar to the parliament structure of Britain itself. Alan’s experiences there are worthy of an entire book and a few sentences cannot possibly do it justice. Suffice it to say that as “Under-minister of Agriculture” and later “Minister of Home Affairs” Alan gained valuable experience in responsibility and management that was to stand him in good stead for the rest of his life.
After leaving school Alan did nine months as a Farm Pupil before going to agricultural college to do a two year National Diploma in Poultry Husbandry. During this period he attained a NCR (National Certificate in Rabbit Husbandry) and BBKA (Certificate in Bee Keeping Husbandry) but left before completing the main part of the course, to his mother’s chagrin.
Ten weeks later it was time for National Service which Alan did with the Royal Army Medical Corp. Two years later and Alan found himself cutting nettles in the rain, on a farm in Teignmouth, for a grumpy old pastor, for two pounds fifty per week. Needless to say he quit.
Young Alan still hadn’t found his vocation in life, but fate drew him onwards. A job with the Teignmouth Urban District Council saw him driving tractors on the seafront and beach, putting up huts & working on pedal boats. This brought him into contact with a student teacher called Andy Wood who suggested that Alan also try teaching.
On July 10 1958, precisely twenty two years after his birth, Alan attended an interview at Kesteven Teacher Training College in Lincolnshire. With five O-levels he would be the least qualified student there, but as luck would have it the Principal was keen on rugby and the rugby captain needed a new wing-three-quarter. Alan fitted the bill and graduated two years later with a Distinction in teaching practice. Thus began a career in teaching which was to span for 50 years from the UK and Africa to the South Pacific.
From 1960 to 1966 Alan was a primary school teacher in Derby, England and also achieved a Diploma in Child Drama. He married and had two children and at age 30 began work for the ODA (Overseas Development Administration which later became DfID (Department for International Development) which sparked a wanderlust which was to last much of his life.
His first ODA assignment was in Kenya where he was quickly promoted from primary school teacher to teacher trainer & lecturer in science, maths, physical education and drama. He also had his third child while in Kenya and adopted one cow and a clutch of chickens.
1969 saw Alan return to the land of his forefathers, Derbyshire, where he became headmaster of Clifton Primary School. What became of the cow and chickens? One can only guess.
The travelling itch struck again in 1973 and this time Malawi was the destination. Alan arrived there just as Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda banned New Mathematics, so instead of lecturing in New Mathematics Alan became Officer in Charge of Teacher Upgrading.
By this time Alan was doing jobs reserved for graduates and so was advised by the ODA to do a degree. To this end he became a student at Birmingham University at the tender age of 38, reading a B.Phil degree in Child Psychology.
Next, Alan became lecturer of Educational Psychology and Sociology at St. Luke’s Teacher Training College at the University of Exeter. Following that post, Alan first came to Mauritius lecturing at the College of Higher Education and running educational workshops. It was also in Mauritius that he met and married his wife Sara.
The travelling continued as did Alan’s love for Africa. The next decade saw him working in Botswana, the Seychelles, Zambia, UK, and briefly in Sierra Leone, followed by two years on the beautiful island of Vanuatu, situated in the South Pacific.
But Africa beckoned yet again; in the Kenyan Rift Valley Alan trained school inspectors and advisory teachers, and while in Swaziland he also trained school inspectors in the teaching of primary mathematics and science. Indeed, maths and science has been a consistent theme throughout most of Alan’s life and he has published many textbooks and guides on how the subject should be taught at the primary level.
In 1999, while applying for work in Malawi, Alan was informed by DfID that he was over the age limit, being over 60. Thus began part two of the Life & Times of Alan Grihault and a journey into the as yet unexplored arena of his creativity...

© Islandinfo

Patrice Dumont in Mauritius

The man behind the chef Patrice met his lovely wife.

Murielle 8 years ago in Singapore. They have three gorgeous children, two daughters along with a 1 year old son. Patrice himself grew up in Metz, France with his two brothers and one sister. After completing his studies in a catering school, he began his career as a pastry chef in Luxembourg, following which he worked for 7 years as a chef in a 2 Michelin Star restaurant in Paris and Lyon. Patrice funnily recalls how "for years my brother and I used to help our mother while she was cooking for the many family gatherings…doing a little bit of preparation and dish washing. Then we went to a catering school.

From then on, we were doing all the cooking and our mother only the dish washing…."
He recognizes that he was lucky to have a mother who was a great cook. Most days he would come home and it smelt divine, in retrospect he now understands where the few extra kilos originate from.

Working as a Chef in a 2 Michelin Star Restaurant in
Paris When probed on his working experience as a chef for a 2 Michelin Star restaurant in Paris, Patrice has several points to make. Paris is undoubtedly a great city when working for that category of restaurant. He enjoyed the ease with which he could meet with colleagues and discuss the latest trend. Furthermore, many events
were regularly being organized within the catering community.There was also no dearth of ingredients but rather an extensive selection of ingredients including exclusive products for one to chose from and be the very first to offer to customers. The natural curiosity of customers was a great source of motivation and pleasure for him and it also allowed him to be very creative.

Patrice considers Mr. Seguin, a Chef he trained under to have had the most significant influence on him: "He was one of the first chef offering a sale-sucre style.He taught me many traditional skills,
often put aside by some chefs today; he shared his know-how unreservedly and I believe in his motto to always deliver what you have promised, to be the key in
our business." Whilst in Paris, Patrice had the opportunity to cook for some very famous French singers and actors. Even in Mauritius he has concocted dishes for some distinguished people both foreigners and Mauritians. He recalls cooking for the nephew of Giscard.D'Estaings (former French president)who even bought one of his
paintings.

Back to Mauritius,As compared to Europe, the staff numbers here is comprehensive,
this however allows one to go further. A lot of emphasis is placed on training as well since the gastronomic culture here is different,but at the end of the day, Patrice believes that "Mauritians are very motivated and willing to learn.The
level of service is of high quality, there is a large variety of food on offer. People are friendly with professional manners, coupled with positive attitude and ease of communication."Always one to rise up to new challenges and explore new avenues,Patrice has recently launched his very own company -Dumont Catering. His objective is to be recognized as the first choice for outside catering.With the help of a professional and dedicated team of experienced chefs and 'maitres d'hotels,' Dumont Catering caters for sit down dinners, lunches, cocktails, weddings,finger buffets, parties and anything in-between.A wide selection of products is available. Based in Floreal, they cater to the whole island with a choice of food ranging
from French, Mauritian, Classic or Fusion to Thai or Japanese After living in many countries such as Luxembourg, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Belgium, and of course France, Patrice and his family are happy to be back here in Mauritius. He concludes that " we have always had the feeling that our home is here".According to Patrice the advantages of settling here are numerous : "the pace of life is calmer, the quality of air better, the people are kind and authentic, generally there is less stress, and everywhere is easily accessible."Finally Patrice is just content to be able to savor all the pleasures of life, even and more importantly,the simplest ones, like being at home soaking in happiness in the company of happy children.

© Islandinfo

Graham Parley in Mauritius

Interview of Graham Parley

Meet Graham Parley, Director of Manufacturing for the Esquel Group, one of the world’s largest and most progressive textile companies.

Settled in Mauritius for the last five years, Graham has recently taken over the additional responsibility of Esquel’s garment manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka. In this interview he shares with us the group’s ethos and highlights the rewards of living and working in Mauritius,
Graham began his career in the garment industry more than 25 years ago in Fife, Scotland where he originates from. A prominent and exciting career which led him to work in various countries including England , Zambia , Zimbabwe, South Africa , Malawi , China , Mauritius and more recently Sri Lanka.
He fondly recalls his parents as the two people who have had the most significant influence over him. His father, a coal miner with a challenging and difficult job, was a contented person whose admirable work ethic and cheerful predisposition to life continues to be a source of inspiration to Graham till today.
His mother abided by the motto “if you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, then better to say nothing at all”, and Graham is proud to add “it is to their parenting skills and their moral example that I attribute my success in life”
The Esquel Group -

Embracing the Esquel Group five years ago, Graham firmly believes in the principles and philosophy that the founder YL Yang had in mind when he started this company and which still apply today 30 years down the line. The Chairman Ms Marjorie Yang and the CEO John Cheh have five guiding business principles; ethics, environment, exploration, excellence and education. These form Esquel’s “e-culture” and the values which continue to be used to grow their business which in 2007 produced sales of almost 70 million shirts and revenue exceeding US$ 650 Million.
With around 47,000 employees worldwide the group is regarded as the premier global shirt designer and manufacturer. Esquel has a totally vertical supply chain, from growing cotton in North West China, to spinning , dyeing and weaving in Southern China, and has Garment manufacturing operations in several countries, including China , Malaysia , Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. Even though the ending of the MFA (multi fiber arrangement) in Jan 2005 resulted in comprehensive job losses in the Mauritius textile & garment industry, it is worthy to mention that this did not have an impact for Esquel ( Mauritius ) Ltd, The company grew substantially during this period and is currently the largest exporter of garments form Mauritius to the US
As Graham puts it “If you purchase a 100% cotton shirt in the USA or Europe from brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Brooks Brothers, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike, Lands End, JC Penney, Marks & Spencer, and Nordstrom, then there is a very good chance it was manufactured and supplied by Esquel.”
Recently promoted to take over the additional responsibility of Esquel’s garment manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, with a current total of 5,000 employees distributed over 4 factories, Graham has come to further appreciate in comparison the relative safety and security that living and working in Mauritius offers.

Family –
Graham is the proud father of four wonderful children and the husband to the lovely and dynamic Simone from South Africa whose zest for life is quick to rub off on her entourage. The children are particularly fond of attending school in Mauritius and the couple is delighted with the balanced approach to study provided by both Le Clavis Primary School & Le Boccage Secondary School. The multicultural and multiracial environment of these two very fine educational establishments contributed largely to the family’s smooth relocation to Mauritius. Graham trusts that “the wide cross section of various nationalities with whom our children have made friends while attending school in Mauritius is something which we hope they will maintain and cherish as they look back at their school years.”
It is little wonder that Graham places Mauritius at the forefront of the most enjoyable location in which he happens to be employed “the climate , the environment , the sheer beauty of Mauritius makes living here a pleasure.” Further to that his predilection and passion for golf are amply gratified in this golfers’ paradise.
“After 5 years in Mauritius I still feel extremely privileged to have the opportunity to play golf on a regular basis in one of the most beautiful locations in the world. The combination of the Indian Ocean coupled with the lush green vegetation makes the experience truly unforgettable I would encourage any visitor to Mauritius to try at least one or two of the many spectacular courses available on the island”
A lingering custom from the many years spent in South Africa is the weekend barbecue or “Braai” in which the family regularly indulge in over the weekend. And according to Graham washing it down with a local Phoenix beer is an additional satisfying bonus. Graham also enjoys snorkeling with his children around the many reefs of the island. Lately one of the Sunday rituals enjoyed by the entire family has been a late breakfast at the Sunset Café in Grand Bay where in Graham’s opinion the bacon and eggs and picturesque setting right on the bay are second to none !
To conclude with Graham believes that "Usually in life there are no such things as a “QUICK FIX” , be it success in business , or at school , or at making a relationship work , “ we will always reap what we sow”

© Islandinfo

Julie and Graeme Bristow in Mauritius

Interview of Graeme and Julie.

Meet Julie and Graeme Bristow and chance upon a close encounter with the wild. From hand raising cheetah and lion cubs to setting up the innovative concept of ‘Walk with the Pride’ at several locations, this privileged couple shares with us their exciting story, a life reserved for a chosen few.

Julie Bristow was born in Marlborough Wiltshire, in the United Kingdom. As a child she was already passionate about animals, secretly ambitioning to become a vet. A regular visitor to the Longleat Safari Park in Warminster, she clearly recalls at a young age, stating “I’m going to work here one day” and amazingly enough in 1986, she actually did go to work there in the “Giraffery”, with giraffes, camels, zebras, kangaroos and lamas! And this is exactly where she met Graeme Bristow who had just brought four baby elephants from Zimbabwe to the Longleat Safari Park. As fate would have it, Graeme whisked her off her feet and they took off for Zimbabwe. There she settled very well to life in the bush with all the African wildlife around them as Graeme owned a Game Reserve called Pamuzinda in Selous. This is where Julie got introduced to the big cats – the lions and the cheetah.

The couple had the extraordinary opportunity to live with a lovely lion called ‘Caesar’ in their house! Raised from a cub, he stayed with them until he was two years old, at which point with Julie’s advanced pregnancy he was returned to the park. It was Caesar that changed how Julie felt about big cats and it was from him that she found the confidence to work alongside them. Graeme is remarkable with lions and has infinite patience with them when working, especially in the film making world. He is the third generation in his family to be handling and training the lions, with expertise and techniques passed down from his grandfather.

Another defining moment in their lives was when they made a film together with the BBC Wildlife Unit directed by John Downer called “Lions Spy in the Den”. This was an incredible experience and Julie remembers working all day with lions of all ages and the famous boulder camera, hard work but infinitely rewarding.

Graeme’s most distinct memory of animals in his childhood is the one of the night his father came into his room and placed two new born lion cubs at his feet and asked him to keep them warm!

Before coming to Mauritius the couple was based in Zimbabwe but often took lions and cheetah to other countries for film work such as the Kenya Masai Mara, South Africa, Botswana & Namibia. Graeme also took 137 head of game to Bangkok to start a new safari park; he traveled for 35 days on a ship from Durban, and whilst on that trip he had two lion cubs born that he hand raised as he felt they were in danger from the other lions also traveling with the mother.

Seeing an opportunity in Graeme’s expertise with big cats, Julie suggested that they should start a ‘walk with the lions activity’ and this is how ‘walk with the pride’ was first conceived in Zimbabwe in 1995 at the Pamuzinda Safari Lodge. The couple went on to initiate another ‘walk with the lions’ project in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in conjunction with Shearwater, to date a very popular activity there. From Zimbabwe, they set sail for Mauritius where they joined up with some returning Mauritians Jano and Odile Labat, ex sugar cane farmers and wildlife enthusiasts in Zimbabwe and the four of them started the company Safari Adventures.

Julie believes that working with big cats in Mauritius is no different to working in Africa but is thrilled to see that the experience is thoroughly enjoyed by the locals and visitors alike. An average day begins with the cleaning and feeding routines of the lions and cheetah, bottle feeding can be very time consuming and has to be monitored carefully. There is also time set aside for training which is all done on a reward basis, then the couple take the cheetah and the lions for a walk on a lead around the park and finally there is play time, the cheetah cubs love playing football!

As Julie puts it : ‘raising any cub is a very rewarding experience. To get the animals to take the bottle and then to watch them develop and trust you is a fantastic feeling, it can be very tiring, time consuming and sometimes heart breaking, you get so attached to them. Patience and understanding are the biggest skills required.’

The Bristow’s ambition is to develop this venture along with Casela into a natural safari park for the enjoyment and education of the locals and visitors. Their aim is to educate people about wildlife and how to conserve it and why it is so important for future generations.

The clients they have had so far are from all walks of life and all the comments they have had are positive ones. People that have walked with the lions often say “it’s the best experience they have ever had” Some find it quite emotional but all find it amazing that this can be done and they say “it’s the highlight of their trip to Mauritius”

The motto of Safari Adventures is to be “in touch with the wild”. Julie and Graeme are a couple who go a step beyond that. They can vouch to change the way you look at the big cats again.

read the online magazine Islandinfo

© Islandinfo

Sue Barber in Mauritius

Interview of Sue Barber

Born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 1960, Sue spent her formative years in Cape Town before moving to East London at the age of eleven. A love for cooking saw her return to Cape Town in 1977 to do a three year Grand Diploma in Cordon Bleu Cooking at the Silwood Kitchens Cordon Bleu Cookery School.

Having finished her diploma, Sue worked for a time with Magimix in marketing and public relations, before starting her own cookery school in Green Point. In 1985 she opened a restaurant in Hout Bay and in reminiscence says, “I think I had rocks in my head because I had my first child that year, Nicky.”

The family moved to Mauritius in January 2006 and with the change in Mauritian law in 2007, to allow the wives of ex-patriots to work, Sue started the “Re-location Company Ltd.”. With a great fondness for people and networking, Sue is the perfect person to help people settle in Mauritius. Her “Look-See” package lasts two days and starts with a welcome at the airport and transportation to pre-booked accommodation.

The most popular areas for ex-pats to live are Grand Bay and the Black River area and Sue also has a four day package which looks at the island in more detail. Her main package makes her invaluable expertise available to clients for the first three months after their relocation, in order to ensure a smooth trouble free transition. Another business which Sue is in the process of expanding is “Cooking in Paradise” which focuses on her passion and forte and involves cooking trips and lessons for ex-pats and locals alike.

In her spare time Sue loves to travel and has a particular fondness for Asia, having visited Thailand, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and India. She is also a keen golfer and a member of the Ladies Golf Union and has improved enormously over the last two years, from being barely able to hit a ball to having a handicap in the low twenties. Her daughter Samantha, who is only thirteen, seems to have inherited her father’s talent for golf and not only has a very good handicap of nine, but already has a hole in one, has won numerous competitions and is the ex-pats ladies champion.

Another of Sue’s past-times is reading, particularly autobiographies such as “In Black & White” which is a book by Jake White, the rugby coach of the Springboks World Cup winning side of 2007. She finds nothing more therapeutic than lying by the sea and listening to the waves tumble onto the beach.

What, with the reading and the golf, one might be forgiven for thinking that Sue prefers a quiet, slow-paced existence. You would however be quite mistaken! Zip-lining over gorges, parasailing, trekking through the mountains of Peru to Machu Pichu and alligator hunting at night are all a part of Sue’s colourful history.

In particular she recalls a trip up the Amazon River in Brazil. Where, while dangling chunks of meat from a nylon line, through the floor boards of a house floating in the middle of the river, she saw, to her astonishment, children swimming only yards away from where she was fishing for piranha!

Indeed, Sue is a woman of startling contrasts and though very much a lady she admits, “I don’t like to rough it, but I can get my hands dirty... I’ll muck in with everyone.” And as we parted company she said something quite profound, “Mauritius has taught me humility, you don’t need all the fine things in life to be happy.”

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