With more than 51 years of dedicated service to conservation, Dr Player is a man who has always been ahead of his time. A deeply thoughtful man, Dr Player was one of the first thought leaders to recognize the importance of wilderness to the human soul, pioneering trails through the South African wilderness for children of all races, colours and creeds at a time when South Africa’s apartheid policies were making it a political pariah in most of the world. A dedicated Jungian; he is a “doer” also pioneering the Duzi Canoe Marathon, which in time has become one of the most important events on the South African canoeing calendar.

Dr Player believes that the establishment of wilderness as a philosophical concept and practical reality is a most important conservation milestone. He believes that “without a combination of the spiritual and the scientific understanding of nature, we will be unable to live in a sense of harmony with this planet, either personally or collectively, and wilderness is the key to this understanding because it enables us to get to learn about our inner natures, our inscapes, to find a way to the path of living with the world”.

As the most beloved and respected environmental leader in southern Africa Dr Player has a great many demands on his time, however he graciously found space in his busy schedule to invite me to breakfast with him on a cold Johannesburg winter morning in order for us to meet and get to know each other as a preamble to the possibility of him writing a Foreword for my book. He was a most genial and considerate host instantly putting me at ease. Dr Player took the task of writing the Foreword very seriously, carefully reading through the manuscript. He is not a man to suffer fools gladly and when he consented to write the Foreword I felt that I had achieved my own important milestone in the creation of this book.

Thank you Dr Player for leading the way.