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In 1993, what was to become Hog Hollow Country Lodge, was an alien wattle plantation set in the semi wilds of a little known area called the Crags. Twenty five years ago, farmers were encouraged to do away with the rare, indigenous forest and fynbos which grow only in this small Tsitsikamma area, to plant the fast-growing, invasive and alien strangling species of Australian Wattle which produced commercially viable tannin and pulp for the leather industry.
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Andy Fermor, after a six year sojourn in England and South East Asia, decided to use his skills and energy to invest in the fledgling democracy of the New South Africa. With not much financial backing but lots of enthusiasm, what started out as a dream has become a paradise within paradise.
While Hog Hollow rose from the wattle wasteland, Debbie Reyneke was considering her options. Years of hard work put her at the top of her profession in the hotel industry, but always at the back of her mind was the idea of being involved in the creation something within tourism in a more meaningful and hands-on manner.
A great walker and enthusiastic lover of nature, Debbie invited a friend to walk the Otter Trail ~ a five day trail on the edges of wild coast of the Tsitsikamma. Tired and hungry at the end of a successful walk, her friend suggested they have dinner in a newly created lodge she'd heard about, built on the edge of a gorge ~ a place called Hog Hollow.
A fine idea! And when Debbie met Andy ... well, the rest, they say, is herstory.
Both South African-born and bred, one of their strongest desires was to employ and train local people from the surrounding communities to work at Hog Hollow in the various facets of the tourism industry. People, who had spent most of their lives either unemployed, in menial jobs and overlooked in the fields of advancement, were now on the threshold of a new experience. Right here, within our community, was a new and vital energy with lots of exceptional talent waiting to be unleashed.
It’s an interesting journey Hog Hollow is embarked upon, not without it’s hiccups, but ultimately, very satisfying.
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