I joined the Boland Falconry Club (BFC) in 2004 and was elected BFC secretary in 2005. 

As falconry progressed in the Western Cape, as in any perfect world, the bad apples will also emerge. In 2006, a then CFC member, becoming a breeder, advertised gyr/saker falcon hybrids in Franschoek. I was offered a nine-month-old parent-reared female hybrid for sale. Having only flown indigenous raptors, I was eager to try a hybrid and purchased the bird. Upon receipt, I noticed the bird banded and I followed up on the band number and discovered that the bird originally belonged to Mr Manfred Cords, a breeder in Germany, who confirmed that the bird was not a hybrid, but at the time, an already sixteen-year-old saker falcon. Despite attempts to contact the seller, I was forced to file criminal charges for fraud. Following a police intervention, the falconer responded, offered to pay damages, and exchange the bird. I withdrew the charges and was offered a replacement hybrid.

The saker falcon was returned in February 2006, and I collected the agreed-upon hybrid. To my dismay, the hybrid was infected with aspergillosis and, despite treatment, soon afterwards died. This experience dampened my hybrid motivation and highlighted the fact that within the falconry brotherhood, there were opportunists who would make a buck at any cost. Mr Guy Palmer retired from CapeNature (CN) in 2006. Before this, from 1991, he served as the key liaison between the Western Cape falconry clubs and CN. His departure created a significant gap, as CN did not appoint or identify a successor for this crucial role. Consequently, after Mr. Palmer’s retirement, the Western Cape falconry clubs had to navigate interactions with various CN departments without a dedicated CN representative/liaison official.