Kalahari Gemsbok National Park & Members of the South African National Parks Board (6) 1945

This collection of 6 photographs documents early administrative inspection tours of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (proclaimed in 1931) and key figures from the early history of the South African National Parks Board.

The Legendary Le Riche Dynasty of the Kalahari

One print explicitly notes: “July 1939, Oub Rivier, Kalahari Game Reserve, Ranger le Riche”.

Johannes le Riche was appointed in 1931 as the very first warden/ranger of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. Armed with little more than a horse, cart, and a small salary, he was tasked with patrolling nearly 13,000 square kilometers of harsh desert terrain.

After Johannes passed away in 1934, his younger brother Joseph "Joep" le Riche took over as warden, serving for decades alongside his sons Stoffel and Elias. The Le Riche family managed the Kalahari Gemsbok Park continuously for nearly six decades.

"Oub Rivier" refers to the dry Auob River bed, which served as the primary natural road and patrol corridor through the park.

Senior National Parks Board Members on Tour

The group photo dated 22 May 1945 (and the card from June 1943) list key Board members and officials who shaped conservation policy during and immediately following World War II:

J.H. Orpen: A surveyor and long-time National Parks Board member. Orpen personally funded many of the early dry-land boreholes along the Auob and Nossob rivers to provide water for game. (His wife, Eileen Orpen, famously purchased and donated vast tracts of land to the Kruger National Park).

J. Joe Ludorf: A prominent lawyer and trustee/chairman of the National Parks Board, after whom several landmarks in South African national parks were later named.

W.A. Campbell: William A. Campbell was a renowned Natal conservationist, big game hunter turned protectionist, and influential board member who advocated strongly for expanded wilderness protection.

Van Breda, Krige, & Van Graan: High-ranking civil servants and Parks Board administrators involved in early land surveys and park infrastructure planning during the 1940s.

Rare 1945 Kalahari Snowfall

The group portrait from 22/5/45 shows the Board members huddled together in heavy trench coats and felt hats, standing on ground covered in snow and slush. A rare meteorological event brought heavy cold fronts and winter snow to parts of the arid interior, making for a remarkable photographic record in an otherwise desert region.

Original photographs, various sizes.

Wear, cracking and creasing.

R1,000