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Home Field Guides Day One of FGASA Guide of The Year Competition

Day One of FGASA Guide of The Year Competition

After all the preparation and build-up, day one of the Guide of the Year Competition has come to a close, which marks the start of one of our favourite weeks of the year. Now that the nerves have settled, the competition is bound to get fierce!

Aiken Mandlbaur
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After all the preparation and build-up, day one of the Guide of the Year Competition has come to a close, which marks the start of one of our favourite weeks of the year. Now that the nerves have settled, the competition is bound to get fierce!

It started off with an arrival at the incredibly beautiful Kariega Game Reserve. This is the first time that the competition is being hosted in the Eastern Cape, and what a fantastic venue it is.

Everyone waited with excitement for the arrival of the stars of the week, the competing guides, of course! Namely:

1.⁠ ⁠Cameron Schmidt
2.⁠ ⁠Jason Gipson
3.⁠ ⁠Moatlhodi Kalie Otimile
4.⁠ ⁠atthew Edward Derry
5.⁠ ⁠Megan Heramb‑Smith

Cameron Schmidt – left
Matthew Edward Derry – middle
Jason Gipson – right
Megan Heramb‑Smith – A
Cameron Schmidt – B
Jason Gipson- C
Moatlhodi Kalie Otimile – D
Matthew Edward Derry – E

We covered all of their stories in the article we did on the build-up to the competition:

Once the competing guides arrived, all the nerves were broken with a few friendly games of table tennis. It was a fantastic way to break the ice and acquaint the competing guides.

Jason Gipson playing table tennis
Cameron Schmidt playing table tennis

Then, after everyone had arrived, it was time for the opening ceremony and speeches. Again, Kariega’s facilities were quick to impress. The speeches were held in a picturesque boma area.

Mike Karantonis – Co-founder of Safari Guide of the Year, Tintswalo Group Head Guide
Cameron Schmidt’s opening speech

The large bonfire provided the perfect winter setting as everyone sat around and listened to the guides as they introduced themselves.

With the competition now fully underway, stay tuned for daily updates. And this year, we’re involving you, our community, with all sorts of themed quizzes and games similar to what the guides will be doing.


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