Whom am I?

GETTING TO KNOW PAUL LAMBERTH 

Paul was born in Dorking, in the UK just two years after the end of the Second World War and still amazingly has memories of his home in Raines Park. However, his parents, at the time, became quickly disillusioned about Post War England and decided in 1952 to take the plunge and sail off to the South. They were headed for Australia but when the ship docked in Cape Town they impulsively decided that Cape Town looked like a wonderful spot to stay and stay they did.

Paul on Safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya with Samy from Entim Camp.

Paul was sent to school in Stellenbosch to Paul Roos Gimnasium, a dominantly Afrikaans school and he quickly had to learn the lingo to get by. His home was in Pinelands in Cape Town and he spent most of his formative years getting up to all sorts of mischief some of which included running away from home to join a ship as a cabin boy at age 10. He was miraculously found in time by his parents who plucked him from the arms of a very eager Ships Captain.

Paul went onto finishing his schooling in Middelburg in the Karroo where it was his intention to become a wool broker. However, on finishing school the wool market did a grand collapse and he found himself selling encyclopaedias and cookies. This did not last for long as anyone who knows Paul will attest that he is no salesman.

In 1968 he joined the ranks of the then Soekor, South Africa’s energy giant and he found his niche. He went onto an international career in the oil industry and travelled the world in search of oil. During his sojourn in the Oil Industry Paul lived in places like France, Iran, Scotland, Angola and visited many other countries. During this time he also added a wife and 3 children to his portfolio.

Paul on a Beach at Paternoster on the West Coast of South Africa

In 1983 Paul made a career change and for the next twenty odd years he worked in the Coal Mining sector, The Gold Mining Sector and even in the Water sector. He moved around from Namibia to South Africa and finally in 2003 decided that he needed a change of scene and bought the farm on which Rorke’s Drift Lodge is now established.

Paul was encouraged by the late David Rattray to participate in sharing the story of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana with the Rorke’s Drift Lodge guests and thus began another career.

Paul takes guests on a trip through the annals of history back to 1879 when European nations were pitted against each other to increase their empires. The Dutch had their foothold on the southern tip of Africa and British Empire decided it wanted to take over. As a result huge changes were in the wind and a couple of wars were thrown in starting with the Anglo Zulu War.

You will hear of unbelievable hardship, untenable conditions and the utterly desperate times that men lived through during this time. 

Paul in one of his favourite places on earth, the West Coast of Ireland with his cousin Jane and her husband Phil.

If you are in any way interested in history then this is a must stop destination in South Africa. Come and walk on the dusty plains of Zululand and feel the spirits of the fallen soldiers wrap their arms around you and welcome you to a homage to their remembrance.

Guests return from their visit to the battlefields of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana waxing lyrical about the experience. Most will leave saying they wished they had stayed longer, some leave saying that they leave with a heavy heart, some say they have never had such a wonderful experience. 

Paul on Safari at Mashatu Game Reserve another of his favourite haunts when he has some time off.

We would like to say, come to Rorke’s Drift and experience something different, something that will touch your soul. Listen to Paul’s story and become a part of the story that is Rorke’s Drift.