The Boy from the Wild

The Boy from the Wild

Peter Meyer had everything going for him. He was one of the youngest directors in the Hilton hotel chain; a star sportsman; and a model with film star looks.

Then his father died, and Peter started seriously questioning his priorities. His father, James, had been one of the most successful property developers in England before seeking adventure in the wilds of Africa.

But for Peter, it was more than losing a deeply-loved father. James had been his best friend, mentor and inspiration – a man whose vast wisdom and sheer zest for life energized all round him.

James Meyer had grown up in Africa. He had been a pioneer surfer on Durban’s beaches and explored the continent when it was still untamed. As a teenager he had summited a steep hill, where below sprawled the most beautiful valley he had ever seen. The Zulus called it the Valley of Heaven. It was a Damascene moment, and James vowed one day to turn the area into a game reserve.

Thirty years later, James honoured that vow and created the Karkloof Valley Nature Reserve. That’s where his son Peter was brought up – running wild in the wilderness where his best friend was a Zulu boy, and instead of domesticated animals there were elephants in the garden and rhinos on the road.

It was an exciting life, fraught with adventure and danger. Peter was twice bitten by snakes, and had several narrow escapes when charged by wildebeest and buffalo. With his father James and other tough men of the veld as gurus, he grew up steeped in bush lore and a love of action and wide open spaces.

However, at the age of nine, Peter was sent to boarding school in England. The transition was traumatic; from sun and dust and adventure to cold, rain and conformity. The only thing that got him through those desperate days was that he was an excellent sportsman.

He lived for the holidays when he flew back to Africa. It was there that he felt truly at home.

After leaving school Peter, graduated as a top student at the Les Roches International Hotel School in Switzerland., and soon was in the fast-moving world of five-star hospitality. He worked at top resorts at Montego Bay and the Middle East, mingling with celebrities and high rollers.

Africa seemed a million miles away, but increasingly Peter discovered that the lessons he learned in the wild were invaluable, even in his glitzy new cosmopolitan life. He could easily communicate with people of different cultures, as he had with the Zulus of his youth. He was able to adapt to fast changing circumstances in business, just as he had in the bush when danger lurked around a corner or beneath a rock.

The more he realized how seminal his African experience had been, the more he knew that one day he would have to return and pay homage to the land of his birth.

Then his parents sold Karkloof and returned to England. It seemed the African adventure was over for the Meyer family.

A few years later, while managing a resort in Dubai, Peter learnt his father had terminal cancer. Against all advice, Peter resigned his executive job to spend the last few weeks of his father’s life with him.
In those final days, father and son shared intimate memories, laughter, tears and pain. They relived their days in Africa, their experiences, their triumphs and their regrets. Despite his father deteriorating daily, Peter was repeatedly awed by the wisdom, forgiveness, humility and generosity of spirit of the man.

When James passed, Peter would never be the same again.
He could not go back to his old life. So he chose to do something else; full-time fashion modelling and acting. It was a hard career choice in a gruelling industry. But it was what he needed – excitement and challenge. Just as his father could forgive anything except boredom, Peter discovered that he truly was his father’s son.

He met famous people such as Brad Pitt, Liam Neeson and Roger Moore. He seldom spoke of Africa, but when he did, people listened raptly. Here, in the heart of the showbiz world, was a boy from the wild.
The siren call of Africa never left. After being away from the continent for 17 years, guided by the spirit of his inspirational father, he returned to re-visit the Valley of Heaven of his youth.

It was a poignant odyssey, triggering floods of memories of a life well lived in an age where young boys could dream and wise fathers encouraged them.

The Boy from the Wild is a gripping tale of remarkable people fearlessly living out their ambitions with honesty, vigour and courage.

It also is a poignant story of a granite-strong bond between a father and son. A bond that could never be broken.