Working Together in Prosperity

Swaziland is not the name of the first African country that springs to mind. Swaziland is a small, one party democratic kingdom; it has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1985. Swaziland is surrounded by South African territory about 450km and a 40min flight or 3-4 hour drive NW of Johannesburg. This country of just under 1million people is 26deg south of the equator and 31 deg east of Greenwich.

On a recent visit to Swaziland Conor Hughes a business partner suggested that an interesting venue for our working weekend was Reilly’s Rock Game Park Mlilwane Hill near Mbabanne. Swaziland has in recent years been denuded of much of its big game but there are a number of devoted locals who are importing and building the stock. Some of the larger parks now have elephant and big cats as well as Rhinoceros and a huge range of grazers. Reilly’s Rock however has limited acreage and supports a smaller number of species but includes many Wildebeest (or Gnus), Zebra, Wild Boar, and several different Antelope; there are also Hippopotamus and Crocodile in the rivers and lakes. Perhaps the most spectacular wildlife is the smallest! the amazing variety and number of bird life.

"You're going to get married, so you'll be needing a house. I need an ox-wagon. If you buy me an ox-wagon I'll build you a house."

The offer proved too much to refuse for Mickey Reilly, a member of the notorious Steinackers Horse Regiment during the Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902. As a young Irish adventurer, Reilly had settled on the Mlilwane Farm to start a successful tin mining career managing the McCreedy Mines and embarking on a mixed farming operation. He built himself a modest mud hut at the top of the Mlilwane Hill in 1908, which was struck and gutted by lightening - a common occurrence in the area, which coined the Swazi name "Mlilwane" meaning "little fire".

Reilly then built a second mud hut a little further down the hill, which again suffered the same fate. Taking ‘if at first you don’t succeed’ as a motto a third attempt to build a home, that would last at least until the weekend, was made, this time a wood and iron shack even further down the hill to avoid the lightning strikes!. On Mickey's passing, the Reilly family converted Mlilwane into Swaziland 's first game reserve, governed by a non-profit making Trust. Billie and her sister, both widowed by this time, spent their later years in the tranquillity and safety of Reilly's Rock.
Two full years were spent creatively fulfilling the task of tasteful renovation and adding the next generation's personal touch in many subtle ways. The result is a top quality, comfortably rustic, historically colonial masterpiece.

The accommodation at Reilly’s Rock is very limited consisting of a bungalow with a twin and a double bedroom sharing a private lounge with an open fireplace for the cool winter nights (which being South of the equator means May to September). There are also four double/twin bedrooms in the main house. All the guest rooms have en-suite facilities and are very comfortable.

The pleasure of Reilly’s Rock is in the ambience however; the visitors main lounge conjures visions of Hemingway and the Raj. Wonderful heavy wooden furniture fashioned, amazingly, from disused railway sleepers of all things, hard to visualise the elegance and luxury that has been conjured up from such unlikely origins, put as baldly as that, but incredibly atmospheric. Overstuffed lounge chairs and sofas to sink into and the upright Chesterfield styles that soon have one imagining the safari suited White Hunters sipping their G&Ts whilst surrounded by clouds of cigar and pipe smoke and discussing the days adventures and the herds of wildlife slaughtered! Nowadays of course the only shooting welcomed is with a camera.

he surrounding area of small mountains and hills, including Execution Rock so named for its less friendly use in previous times, is quite spectacular and the Park will arrange a Landover Safari for a late afternoon game drive, arriving for sundowners overlooking the River and watching the sun sink below the skyline, the trees silhouetted in incredible detail on the crest of the mountains in the backdrop.

The main camp of the park further down the hill from Reilly’s Rock offers more accommodation, in rather more basic style, but also provides game drives and treks on horseback around the park. The most enduring memory for visitors will beyond doubt be enjoying the wonderful full breakfast served on the terrace of the lodge while as the sun rises over the valley and the mist clears, the grazing herds below appear below as the most brilliant selection of birds come down to feed at the tables provided and a cheeky pair of hornbills, that the staff reared by hand, join the meal, muscling in on the toast.

It may not be the most rugged of Safari living or even the most prolific game park but the overall Reilly’s Rock Experience should not be missed by anyone who has the opportunity.

Ross Pays is the Chairman of The FAA based in Cyprus. FAA offer advice on wills, tax registration services, home, health and car insurance, investment services and tax planning, including Inheritance Tax Planning, together with full accounting services.

Visit Ross Pays website at www.rosspays.com, Telephone 00 357 25 82 58 76, Fax 00 357 25 33 35 93 or e-mail ross@rosspays.com
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