03/12/2021
Dr Player was a true giant of African conservation. His legacy will indeed live on in the wilderness and wildlife that he helped to protect - for generations to come. A true hero and inspiration for all of us.
Rest peacefully, Dr Player, the wilderness is one of your greatest legacies.
Nature conservation pioneer and legend, 87 year old Dr Ian Player, passed away peacefully at midday on 30 November 2014 after a short illness.
Despite physical challenges that hounded him all his life, Ian worked tirelessly until his last day, fully committed to his life’s work of nature conservation and his quest to understand the human spirit and psyche. His legacy is without parallel, his example without equal.
DR. IAN C. PLAYER D.M.S.Ian Cedric Audley Player was born on 15 March 1927, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Educated at St. John’s College, he went on to serve in the SADF - 6th South AfricanArmoured Division attached to the American 5th Army, in Italy 1944 – 1945.
A globally recognised conservation legend, Dr Ian Player was a pioneer, a visionaryand an activist who has profoundly influenced conservation and changed the lives ofcountless people. He grew up in the pioneering days of nature conservation inAfrica, working for months on end in the wilderness.
His sporting passion was canoeing. After initiating the Pietermaritzburg to Durban Canoe Marathon (Dusi), he went on to win the race three times. His exploits are welldocumented in his book Men, Rivers and Canoes.
On his return from WWII he worked underground in the gold mines before taking a position in the (then) Natal Parks Board. He rose to the rank of Chief Conservator of Zululand by the time he took early retirement, in 1974.
He was made a member of the Board on three occasions, the only Parks Board staff member to do so. Later in life he also served on the Board of SanParks (SA National Parks Board).
(Photo: Simon Bloch copyright)