A Tribute to Dr Anthony Hall-Martin
A tribute to Dr Anthony Hall-Martin given at his memorial on 6 June 2014 by African Parks CEO Peter Fearnhead.
Dear Friends,
On behalf of Catherina, Vega, and Cate, I would like to welcome you to this most stunning of venues to celebrate the life and legacy of Anthony – to me personally, for the last 18 years, someone who has been part father, part mentor, always a colleague and always a friend.
A while back I used a quote of Arthur Ashe which states that "true heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost”. It was used to describe our park managers in the field, but for me, this epitomises Anthony.
I first met Anthony when I was interviewing for a job at SANParks for the post of resource economist. I recall an easy interview with no questions – just easy conversation. Little did I know at the time, that I was actually his third choice of candidate, and it was only by some fortuitous sequence of events, that the first two choices declined the job that they were offered and so he had to settle with me. This of course was not the start of his journey in conservation – but it was mine and what a privilege it was. This was back in 1996, and more than one person said to me I was crazy - as a white, only English speaking Zimbabwean on a 6-month work permit, I was neither part of the history of SANParks, nor would I be part of its future. I cared rocks, I was working with THE Dr Hall-Martin and totally excited by it.
My first trip with Anthony, the first of so many that would eventually include travel to more than 12 countries in Africa with him, was to Karoo National Park to attend the annual park managers meeting. I have two strong recollections of that trip – the first being that it was the coldest I have ever been in my life. The second, was learning what it meant to share a room or tent with Anthony – he would wake me up soon after four in the morning, delivering a cup of tea to me in bed, and saying "young Fearnhead, this is the time we start work”. That was his work ethic – from soon after four, when he would usually write his diary like a true naturalist should, often by candle-light or paraffin lamp. This was when the thinking and planning would be done. The rest of the day was focussed on implementation, moving elephants, catching rhino, writing business plans or compiling funding proposals. By late evening, the creativity would return, often assisted by a glass or two of Zonnebloem or Nederberg, where Anthony would apply his mind to bigger issues, such as solving the Middle East crisis, or the limitations, contradictions and consequences of US foreign policy. I would often call him at 10pm, knowing full well that he was mulling over the same problem that I was. This phenomenal work ethic continued to the end – when I was with him on the Thursday, just two days before he slipped into a coma and just five days before he passed away, he told me with conviction that his latest round of chemo had had a small but positive impact on the myeloma and so his prognosis had improved. He added that the dialysis machine was a mere inconvenience that required some getting used to, and would mean a more sedentary existence, but, despite these inconveniences, he would be back at work by the end of the week and making a full contribution – he passed away on the Wednesday.
Anthony was always very supportive of me personally – and there is nothing more powerful than having the total confidence and affirmation of someone you love, respect and trust. He would use his knowledge and clarity of thought, always guiding me, but never instructing – he never had to. In my early days, I had a few ideas, which at the time were regarded by many as being a little unconventional, perhaps even radical, and for some amounting to the equivalent of conservation treason. Anthony only ever supported me - on one occasion, one of the more conservative individuals in the team, actually announced that he was not prepared to sit at the same table as me, or be in the same room. Anthony’s response to him was that he completely understood and that therefore he was free to leave!
Stephen Covey, in his book titled First Things First, spoke of our individual need to "live, to learn, to love, and to leave a lasting legacy.
In terms of the first – to live, Anthony did this to the fullest, and right to the end – never complaining, always positive despite his long and protracted fight against the cancer. A lover of good wine, always happy to share a single malt, the purveyor of good jokes and a raconteur of great stories. His life was both full and interesting and included time in the Antarctic, traipsing around places like Central African Republic, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon and Cote’d Ivoire. It involved surviving helicopter crashes and plane accidents. A man who was honourable and ethical in his ways and will be remembered by one of his favourite sayings that "the truth need not always be told, but lies never”.
The one consistent was his chivalry and charm - on more than one occasion when travelling together, I would be the one who would present myself at Avis, introducing myself to the charming young lady behind the counter, only for her to look up, notice Anthony and say "Good morning Dr Anthony – how are you today?” To which he would respond, I am well, thank you Cecilia, or Francesca or whatever her name was. She would then turn back to me and say sorry, what was your name again? As a result, instead of us getting our standard issue citi-golf we would drive away in a Honda Ballade or Mercedes C-class.
The second of Covey’s life aspirations was "To learn” – a lifelong commitment of Anthony’s and hence his considerable knowledge. Few people know that Anthony put himself through university, paying his own way for all his degrees. Every time we went to a new park or new country together, he would always research it, make contact with people who knew the area and who would be able to impart helpful information.
To love – Catherina, Vega and Kate – the three of you meant everything to him. Vega and Cate he was so proud of both of you and secretly delighted that you were so proud of him and his work. On several occasions he would tell the story of how, after an absence because of Vega being born, he took you to introduce you to the elephants of Addo, of which he knew every individual by name. On finding the herd, and with you swaddled in a blanket he got out of the car and approached the matriarch, presenting you to her. With a tear in his eye he would then relate how the matriarch reached out with her trunk sniffing you with seemingly full comprehension of what was transpiring. Then she turned, retreated to the back of the herd, and from under the bushes pulled out her own new born calf, guiding it with her trunk, and presenting it to Anthony for the very first time.
When I spent time with him in those last few days, I asked him, what on reflection he would have done differently if he had his time again. His only response was that he would have spent more time with you Catherina, Vega and Cate. The fact that the last words to pass his lips, whilst holding your hand Catherina, were "I love you” are a reflection of what, ultimately, was most important to him.
And finally "to leave a lasting legacy”: well on this on you will need to bear with me. It is difficult to know where to begin. There are few individuals who have done for conservation in South Africa what Anthony has achieved, and this contribution has spilled over South Africa’s borders into the rest of Africa. He possessed the unique combination of having immense vision, yet considered every detail that was necessary for its successful implementation. He was well known for having an attitude of getting on and doing a job, sometimes without consultation when he thought this would complicate things unnecessarily, but with the promise of an apology if he should make a mistake. The promise was sincere, but I do not recall him ever having to apologise!
His legacy is on two fronts, the first being the establishment of new national parks and the expansion of existing ones. Addo National Park is a name that will always be synonymous with Anthony – a park which was a mere 5,000 hectares in size when he started out, and which was over 120,000 hectares by the time he left. Table Mountain, Agulhas, Namaqua, Mapungubwe, were all proclaimed under Anthony’s oversight, whilst Karoo, Mountain Zebra, Augrabies, and Marakele were all expanded significantly in size by Anthony. Mike Knight who worked closely with Anthony in this process, mentioned a figure of over half a million hectares added to the national parks estate during Anthony’s tenure. Ironically, a concern that he had right until his death, was whether it was right to have worked on so many or whether he should rather have done one park and completed it properly. My response to him, was that the job is never done, and that therefore it is was surely better to have planted a forest than just a single tree! This seemed to put him at ease.
As most of you know he was also one of the co-founders of African Parks which although not focussed on the proclamation of parks is now directly responsible for the management of over 4m hectares of national parks in six countries with many more in the pipeline. He was respected and adored by all of us at African Parks, and is already being missed terribly. It is also fair to say that Majete was his favourite project, and Malawi his favourite country - a fact which he did not conceal well. Malawi will be forever grateful.
Friends, Anthony’s long lasting legacy goes beyond the establishment and expansion of parks – the hardware of conservation. The other part of the legacy is the software - the individuals whom he has inspired, and whom he has mentored and under whose watch so many parks are currently being managed today. This quality was not reserved for just the numerous Masters and Doctoral students whom he supervised, and senior officials but for all individuals working in the sector – he had time for them all and would remember the name of a field ranger with whom he had worked in Kasungu more than 30 years prior. In so many of you here today, he saw the skill, the determination and the will to succeed in conservation, and gave many of you your first opportunity to walk his journey with him in your own unique way. Through this, his legacy will be even greater and it will last all the longer.
Catherina, Vega, Cate – all of this was only possible because you shared him with us, and by doing so, so selflessly, allowed him to leave the lasting legacy that he has. For this we thank you.
The greatest tribute to Anthony that we can make is to go from here, remembering the counsel of our friend and the example he set, and to continue our work with fortitude and confidence in our ability to succeed. His final advice to me was "Peter, this is not a time to be cautious, go out and get on with it.”