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Dear Jerome,
It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of my grandfather, the esteemed Professional Hunter Jorge Alves de Lima Filho (https://www.africahunting.com/threads/jorge-alves-de-lima-professional-hunter.3278/). He passed away peacefully at home in São Paulo on May 4, 2024.
His remarkable life leaves behind a legacy through his five children, nine grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, six published books, and the Kirongozi Foundation, which he established on his farm in Álvaro de Carvalho, São Paulo.
I would be deeply grateful if you could inform your readers about his passing. Additionally, I kindly ask your consideration for the publication of a tribute written by his friend Brian Herne, celebrating his extraordinary legacy. Please see the text below.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Michelle Alves de Lima
www.kirongozi.com
"A Fond Remembrance of Jorge Alves de Lima
One day in 1956 at Arusha, Tanganyika, the charming town amid coffee plantations and cold, rushing streams at the foot of towering Mount Meru, sister mountain to nearby Kilimanjaro, was a lucky day for me. The owner of the only gunshop summoned me to meet his friend the great Brazillian hunter and explorer, Jorge Alves de Lima. Like most in the safari world of professional hunters, game wardens and travel operators I had heard of this unusual man. Unusual because he seemed to be a solo rolling stone penetrating the most distant, little known territories on the African continent in search of adventure and opportunities to hunt and explore.
As we shook hands in that gunshop, de Lima suggested we have a coffee next door at the Safari Hotel. As de Lima spoke it was soon apparent this tall, handsome man was well-read, educated, spoke several languages and perfect English, He was as interested as he was interesting. His easy-going, direct manner, quick wit and great sense of humor won him friends, myself among them. Speaking of recent travels he said he had hunted in Angola and Bechuanaland (now Botswana) Barotseland (now in Zambia), Nyasaland and thern Tanganyika as though these distant, mostly undeveloped countries were merely a stroll through wonderland. Of course that was not the case at all because there were numerous obstacles to overcome simply because he had sought the remotest least known regions. As our friendship progressed over time I came to know Jorge quite well.
Jorge came from a prominent Sao Paulo, Brazilian family. He had spent an adventurous youth hunting, horseback riding and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara but he was already fascinated by Africa. Reading about some of the famous old time hunters further sparked his interest, and in 1947 after correspondence with iconic London gunsmiths, Holland and Holland, Jorge armed only with a small sum of money sailed for England. In London he purchased a second-hand double-barreled .500/.465 Holland and Holland and a light .30-06 rifle. He bought a few items of safari equipment and flew to the outpost of Fort Archambault on the Chari River in Chad, French West Africa, He had happily found the first of his little-known but great big game environs. From there Jorge set about gaining experience and learned all he could from some of the old time French hunters there and in French Equatorial Africa, the Cameroons and the Belgian Congo. Over the following years he hunted in more African countries than anybody has ever done.
Shortly after I met Jorge at Arusha he persuaded the great Stan Lawrence-Brown, my employer, to go into partnership with him forming Kirongozi Safaris (Kirongozi is Swahili for a “Guide”) to operate a safari company in East Africa and from Beira, Mozambique and later on the other side of Africa in Angola where he led professional safaris for clients from around the world. In later years his thriving tourist camp was attacked and burned to the ground by terrorists.
Jorge continued to hunt in many countries with clients, sometimes on his own including shikaris to India. He went on to write six books about his adventures, all of them classics.
Farewell, Old Friend. Diana and I along with a legion of friends, family and admirers will will miss you greatly."
It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of my grandfather, the esteemed Professional Hunter Jorge Alves de Lima Filho (https://www.africahunting.com/threads/jorge-alves-de-lima-professional-hunter.3278/). He passed away peacefully at home in São Paulo on May 4, 2024.
His remarkable life leaves behind a legacy through his five children, nine grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, six published books, and the Kirongozi Foundation, which he established on his farm in Álvaro de Carvalho, São Paulo.
I would be deeply grateful if you could inform your readers about his passing. Additionally, I kindly ask your consideration for the publication of a tribute written by his friend Brian Herne, celebrating his extraordinary legacy. Please see the text below.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Michelle Alves de Lima
HOME | Kirongozi
"A Fond Remembrance of Jorge Alves de Lima
One day in 1956 at Arusha, Tanganyika, the charming town amid coffee plantations and cold, rushing streams at the foot of towering Mount Meru, sister mountain to nearby Kilimanjaro, was a lucky day for me. The owner of the only gunshop summoned me to meet his friend the great Brazillian hunter and explorer, Jorge Alves de Lima. Like most in the safari world of professional hunters, game wardens and travel operators I had heard of this unusual man. Unusual because he seemed to be a solo rolling stone penetrating the most distant, little known territories on the African continent in search of adventure and opportunities to hunt and explore.
As we shook hands in that gunshop, de Lima suggested we have a coffee next door at the Safari Hotel. As de Lima spoke it was soon apparent this tall, handsome man was well-read, educated, spoke several languages and perfect English, He was as interested as he was interesting. His easy-going, direct manner, quick wit and great sense of humor won him friends, myself among them. Speaking of recent travels he said he had hunted in Angola and Bechuanaland (now Botswana) Barotseland (now in Zambia), Nyasaland and thern Tanganyika as though these distant, mostly undeveloped countries were merely a stroll through wonderland. Of course that was not the case at all because there were numerous obstacles to overcome simply because he had sought the remotest least known regions. As our friendship progressed over time I came to know Jorge quite well.
Jorge came from a prominent Sao Paulo, Brazilian family. He had spent an adventurous youth hunting, horseback riding and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara but he was already fascinated by Africa. Reading about some of the famous old time hunters further sparked his interest, and in 1947 after correspondence with iconic London gunsmiths, Holland and Holland, Jorge armed only with a small sum of money sailed for England. In London he purchased a second-hand double-barreled .500/.465 Holland and Holland and a light .30-06 rifle. He bought a few items of safari equipment and flew to the outpost of Fort Archambault on the Chari River in Chad, French West Africa, He had happily found the first of his little-known but great big game environs. From there Jorge set about gaining experience and learned all he could from some of the old time French hunters there and in French Equatorial Africa, the Cameroons and the Belgian Congo. Over the following years he hunted in more African countries than anybody has ever done.
Shortly after I met Jorge at Arusha he persuaded the great Stan Lawrence-Brown, my employer, to go into partnership with him forming Kirongozi Safaris (Kirongozi is Swahili for a “Guide”) to operate a safari company in East Africa and from Beira, Mozambique and later on the other side of Africa in Angola where he led professional safaris for clients from around the world. In later years his thriving tourist camp was attacked and burned to the ground by terrorists.
Jorge continued to hunt in many countries with clients, sometimes on his own including shikaris to India. He went on to write six books about his adventures, all of them classics.
Farewell, Old Friend. Diana and I along with a legion of friends, family and admirers will will miss you greatly."