It appears to be the norm that most companies start to wind down towards the end of the year. But here at Barker Insurance, the last few months of the year happen to be the busiest. Each and every personal policy is being reviewed and checked by the personal insurance consultants and the claims team kept very busy with storms wreaking havoc and unwanted visitors in homes whilst people are on holiday. It’s only fitting that the BIB team take some time off in the calm before the storm.
This year the BIB team spent their Annual Weekend Away at the Askari Game Lodge in Hekpoort/Magaliesburg area. The lodge is situated on the Plumari Africa Game Reserve which plays host to the Big 5. Askari Lodge also has one of the largest private collections of ox wagons, carts and other animal drawn vehicles from the period 1800 to 1900. A variety of stone and iron-age artefacts, items from the Boer War and San Bushmen rock carvings tell the history of the area, which is also known for the nearby Battle of Nooitgedacht. A mix of modern and vintage set the scene for a fantastic weekend away.
The BIBster’s were in for a special treat this year. They had the opportunity to get up close and personal with one of Africa’s most loved gentle giants - the Elephant!
An extract from the Askari Lodge Website reads....
"Our two elephants, Damara and Nzewe are both sub-adult males aged around 12 and 14 years respectively as at Sept 2008. They arrived at Plumari in Sept 2006. They were born and living as wild elephant on a private game reserve in Limpopo Province which at the time was about 50% overpopulated with elephants. Threatened with being culled, Damara and Nzewe were acquired by Elephants for Africa Forever ("EFAF") and put into their licensed training programme. Upon satisfactory completion, they were relocated to Askari Lodge.EFAF work closely with Nature Conservation, NSPCA and other relevant groups - their training is covered by permits and involves strict protocols covering all areas from safety to the well being of the elephants. After seeing the relationship of elephant and handler / other guests, you will understand the exceptional bond in place between human and elephant. We are also very conscious of the dignity of these mighty animals, and accordingly have tried to build "interaction" activities around their normal daily routines of roaming and feeding in wild bushveld, rather than forcing the elephants into routines to fit around humans. We want our elephants to be elephants, and with this in mind, we ensure that our elephants are 'doing elephant things', roaming around in the reserve"
The BIBsters were presented with an educational presentation on Elephants, and learnt all about the Conservation of such magnificent creatures. Following the educational presentation, the group was taken to meet Damara & Nzewe, the two resident male elephants at Askari Lodge.It was such a special experience sharing the morning with these magnificent creatures, truly a once in a lifetime moment.
The rest of the weekend was filled with loads of food, celebratory drinks, game drives, nail biting rugby and plenty of laughs. The weekend always passes by way too fast, but we take away so many memories from such a short time. These weekends always remind us that we aren’t just colleagues, we are family. Until next year…