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Schalk has a passion and dedication for training and developing guides that have grown from strength to strength over the years. He has been guiding since 1996 and has achieved his Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) Professional Field Guide, Specialized Knowledge and Skills (SKS) in Dangerous Animals and Birds, as well as the Marine Guide and Tracker Level 3 qualifications. Schalk has been an FGASA and CATHSSETA accredited trainer, assessor, and moderator since 2001. Schalk serves on the FGASA Board of Directors, where he plays an important role in the ongoing development of guiding standards and training of all guides throughout South Africa.
When in nature, Schalk is in his element and at his best, exploring and sharing his knowledge of the bush with enthusiastic learners. Most importantly his many years of experience in the industry, have made him into the mentor he is today. Schalk is an excellent motivational speaker that has coached and assisted hundreds of people over the years. He coordinates and guides the Ulovane Team to ensure that the students are provided with the best training and personal development. He also ensures that once you have spent time at Ulovane, you are able to go out into the guiding industry being the best of the best!
Advice from Schalk:
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure” – Colin Powell
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there” – Theodore Roosevelt
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose” – Robert Byrne
Candice has been involved in the hospitality industry since 1996 and has built a wide network of contacts within the lodge industry all over South Africa, as well as in other areas of Southern Africa too. Networking and organising people, places, events, and lives has always been a part of her everyday life. After school, she knew that people and nature were going to play a huge part in her future and so she set out to make it happen. After a few months of sitting in an office as a travel agent, she was offered a front of house position at Mabula Game Lodge in Limpopo, and the rest is history. Since then it has been a wonderful experience to work and live on different game reserves in South Africa, finally settling down in the beautiful Eastern Cape in 2005.
Thanks to her passion for people and places, coupled with her knowledge and experience of the lodge and hospitality industry, Candice heads up the marketing and recruitment side for Ulovane Environmental Training. She is your first point of contact, managing the PR, website, social media, marketing and sales, and all enquiries and reservations for Ulovane. Candice is also involved with developing the student’s Hospitality and hosting skills, to ensure they are prepared for guests in a lodge environment.
All students both past and current are a part of the family; Candice ensures that we have an open communication line with all students past and present, as well as getting in touch with prospective students, parents, and anyone else interested in knowing more about what we do. She is a passionate conservationist and believes that we all need to stand together and fight to keep our nature and wildlife safe – there is no planet B. Candice and Schalk are blessed with three beautiful children, who are also passionate nature and people lovers and are sure to follow in their parents’ footsteps.
“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”
―
Pieter started his guiding career in 2008 when he attended Ulovane Environmental Training for his FGASA Apprentice Guide qualification. He passed the course and started guiding on Amakhala Private Game Reserve. Pieter subsequently spent 5 years as a guide on different reserves, including Pumba Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape as well as Kapama Private Game Reserve in Limpopo. During these 5 years of guiding, he was able to further both his position to head ranger and his qualifications to FGASA Level 3, Advanced Rifle Handling and Trails Guide.
He started as an instructor at Ulovane in January 2014 and has since then attained his assessors’ qualification as well as achieving all the regional birding qualifications of all biomes in order to achieve the National Birding qualification and completed the SKS birding.
Pieter has since achieved his Trailing Level 3 qualification together with the Level 4 Track & Sign, as well as his Marine Guide qualification. He is also a Range Officer compliant with all categories of firearms.
He is extremely passionate about experiencing nature on foot and being able to get a better understanding of nature by really being part of it. It is because of this that he started to specialize in Trails Guiding (including tracking skills) and the ever-fascinating bird life out in the bush.
There are few people left who genuinely care for nature and work to preserve our wonderful diversity in South Africa; come and be part of the exceptional training in ethics and skills and be part of the change we can make to our environment.
I always like to remind myself of the sentence in the FGASA Apprentice Field Guide Manual: “An ethical guide is someone who does the right thing even when there is nobody there to see you do it” – Brilliant advice for guiding and for life.
Jacques left the South African Police Services in order to start his own business in the maintenance, plumbing, and electrical construction industry, which he successfully ran for 15 years. Jacques joined the Ulovane team in 2014, he is a great asset to everyone here. Jacques stays on top of all maintenance issues, making sure that the vehicles and the lodge are kept in tip-top shape. He has done a 4×4 and advanced driver course and will assist students with their 4×4 skills when needed. He enjoys good food and works with Mamma Thabs in the kitchen to produce healthy and exciting meal plans and delicious food. Jacques really is a part of the family being Schalk’s brother….yes we really do keep it in the family.
Falling down is part of life. Getting back up is living!
Mamma Joyce has been with us from the start. Joyce ensures the camp is always ready for visitors and is in tip-top shape. Joyce runs the campus flat and can always be found sweeping, cleaning and looking after one of us. She is there to assist us with your washing and ensures your rooms are neat and tidy. Wonder woman is most definitely Joyce’s middle name!
We love and appreciate Joyce very much! Without her, the show can definitely not go on!
Ben is our longest student at Ulovane; he arrived in 2005 and has continued his studies since then. He purchased 350 hectares of land in 2007 and began development of the land by building Ulovane Camp. Ben is 100% behind green energy and sustainable lifestyle on our campus.
He has a Degree in Economics and is a qualified concrete engineer CB1, with 25 years of managing a concrete manufacturing plant in Holland. In 2000 he retired and wanted to do something more meaningful with his life – so he came to Africa! Ben is a Level 3 Trails guide and is passionate about nature and always asks the important question – WHY? Ben enjoys helping with lectures and sharing his valuable knowledge with the students.
Never stop educating yourself and question everything.
Barefoot bush child! The perfect sentence to describe Karien. Passionate about all things nature and wildlife, Karien is an Ulovane alumni, who loves to share her passion for the natural world.
Our Jeffreys’ bay lass has always had a dream to be a guide, but first, she started out obtaining her language and literature degree at North West University in 2003 and later on continued her studies doing a CELTA course, which enabled her to teach adults and children English in South Korea and a private school in Cape Town. Karien spent time teaching in Jeffreys bay and was a private tutor in Cape Town.
Karien knew she needed to follow her dream of living and working out in nature and finally turned that dream into a reality when she joined us at Ulovane in 2018. After a stint of guiding at Shamwari Game Reserve, it was time to combine her love of teaching, learning more, and sharing this with others, by joining the Ulovane team in February 2022.
Karien truly loves her students and enjoys being a part of their journey. The joy that she finds in showing people what they are capable of and what is possible, is what we love about her teaching skills for us at Ulovane. She is a no-nonsense, independent woman and we love that Karien brings this power to the guides of the future.
During her downtime you will find her happy as can be on a horse safari or quietly taking photos of everything that moves! Truly a bush child at heart, which makes Karien a perfect fit for the Ulovane team!
Karien’s favorite quotes:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” ― Dr Suess
