The Paringa branch of Women in Agriculture and Business had former Renmark Paringa 2024 Active Citizenship Award winner Grant Schwartzkopff as their first speaker of the year. 
Grant, who lives in Paringa, was born in the flood year of 1956, to Bill and Ruth, and attended Renmark Infant, Primary and High Schools. 
Immediately after completing high school he had the shortest of interviews with Gil Falland and found himself working the next 34 years for Falland’s Dairy. When that business closed he was employed by Paul’s Dairy, of Mildura, and this was followed by 14 years as a school support officer in Renmark.
Grant took up photography about 15 years ago with the purchase of a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera and has been on a permanent learning curve since then. He is well known in the Riverland as the roving photographer of all sports,  whose photos are published in The Murray Pioneer.
The chance to take the trip of a lifetime in 2024 saw Grant travel to Uganda, a third world country with beautiful scenery and whose people he described as “happy, inviting and helpful”. He saw very few bitumen roads and the dirt streets are lined with stalls selling fruit and vegetables and items as diverse as pigs, chooks, coffins and sugar cane. Outdoor cooking is also a normal street feature.
The highlight of his trip was a jungle trek to view the protected silverback gorillas (he had undertaken a fitness regime in Renmark in readiness for the arduous trek). He was a member of one of four groups of six – all had their pants tucked into socks to avoid leeches – and each group was accompanied by armed rangers and trackers. After only trekking for 45 minutes they came upon a silverback male, eight females and eight baby gorillas. Everyone took their photos and then just stopped to enjoy being in the presence of such magnificent animals and watched the young at play.
The next part of his adventure was a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park,  where one armed soldier per person was the rule and the party’s tents were set up next to an army encampment. The nearby Congo River was a mass of hippos,  which kept up noisy feeding and socialising throughout the night. On his safari Grant observed most African animals, with the exception of a leopard. Some special moments were seeing lions relaxing in trees and a view of the very-rare shoebill stork, which is 1.2m in height and has a 2.4m wingspan. Elephants were seen digging with their trunks in a dry creek bed until they found water, which they then splashed on their young.
An experience Grant is not keen to repeat was white water rafting down rapids, a frightening experience which included capsizing. 
The Ugandan villages have no power, telephones or roadways, but the people are content to walk everywhere carrying their belongings. There are a few motorbikes that carry up to six people at the same time, and in contrast are the school children dressed in immaculate uniforms who walk several kilometres to school.
Grant took 20,000 photos and has planned his next trip to Africa this year, keen to capture its wildlife once again.
WAB’s next meeting is 25 March, at 9.30am, at the Renmark Skate Park, where we will car pool for a mystery trip around Renmark.