quote:

Originally posted by AilsaWheels:
He said Mr Smith had a "big reputation" in Zimbabwe and many people in the hunting world believed one of his heroes from his books, Sean Courtney, was based on John Sharp. "You know, big biceps, hair in a pony tail, and a double-barrelled rifle. So Wilbur Smith is probably regurgitating what John Sharp and his hunting friends have told him," he said.


I'm not sure how old John Sharp is but I doubt that when Smith created Sean Courtney and wrote "When the Lion Feeds" in 1964 that Sharp was old enough to have "big biceps". "Ponytails" weren't real stylish in 1964 as I remember. Not sure if Sharp wore one then. Also doubt that Smith would have had a clue as to who Sharp was back then.

But then again, I am not an important Johannesburg reporter, who diligently researches the subject matter prior to writing a story, so what do I know.

quote:

Originally posted by AilsaWheels:
He said Mr Smith had a "big reputation" in Zimbabwe and many people in the hunting world believed one of his heroes from his books, Sean Courtney, was based on John Sharp. "You know, big biceps, hair in a pony tail, and a double-barrelled rifle. So Wilbur Smith is probably regurgitating what John Sharp and his hunting friends have told him," he said.


I'm not sure how old John Sharp is but I doubt that when Smith created Sean Courtney and wrote "When the Lion Feeds" in 1964 that Sharp was old enough to have "big biceps". "Ponytails" weren't real stylish in 1964 as I remember. Not sure if Sharp wore one then. Also doubt that Smith would have had a clue as to who Sharp was back then.

But then again, I am not an important Johannesburg reporter, who diligently researches the subject matter prior to writing a story, so what do I know.

quote:

Originally posted by Bren7X64:

quote:

Originally posted by AilsaWheels:
He said Mr Smith had a "big reputation" in Zimbabwe and many people in the hunting world believed one of his heroes from his books, Sean Courtney, was based on John Sharp. "You know, big biceps, hair in a pony tail, and a double-barrelled rifle. So Wilbur Smith is probably regurgitating what John Sharp and his hunting friends have told him," he said.


I'm not sure how old John Sharp is but I doubt that when Smith created Sean Courtney and wrote "When the Lion Feeds" in 1964 that Sharp was old enough to have "big biceps". "Ponytails" weren't real stylish in 1964 as I remember. Not sure if Sharp wore one then. Also doubt that Smith would have had a clue as to who Sharp was back then.

But then again, I am not an important Johannesburg reporter, who diligently researches the subject matter prior to writing a story, so what do I know.

Um, the reporter didn't say any of those things. The reporter was actually quite restrained and quoted a few people - one of whom was the Oxford university researcher who said that drivel about John Sharp.

To be honest, I'd give her 9/10 for the story. She even pointed out that the animal rights lobby was powerful.

quote:

Originally posted by AilsaWheels:
He said Mr Smith had a "big reputation" in Zimbabwe and many people in the hunting world believed one of his heroes from his books, Sean Courtney, was based on John Sharp. "You know, big biceps, hair in a pony tail, and a double-barrelled rifle. So Wilbur Smith is probably regurgitating what John Sharp and his hunting friends have told him," he said.


I'm not sure how old John Sharp is but I doubt that when Smith created Sean Courtney and wrote "When the Lion Feeds" in 1964 that Sharp was old enough to have "big biceps". "Ponytails" weren't real stylish in 1964 as I remember. Not sure if Sharp wore one then. Also doubt that Smith would have had a clue as to who Sharp was back then.

But then again, I am not an important Johannesburg reporter, who diligently researches the subject matter prior to writing a story, so what do I know.

quote:

Originally posted by Gayne C. Young:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...-pride-a-favour.html

quote:

Originally posted by Barry Groulx:
Like all good characters, and Sean Courtney was one of Smith's best, he was an amalgamation of a number of folk, all before John Sharp's day. There's a little F C Selous, and even characters who appeared in the books like Barnato contributed to the mix. Maybe John's trying to be like Sean

quote:

Originally posted by AilsaWheels:
He said Mr Smith had a "big reputation" in Zimbabwe and many people in the hunting world believed one of his heroes from his books, Sean Courtney, was based on John Sharp. "You know, big biceps, hair in a pony tail, and a double-barrelled rifle. So Wilbur Smith is probably regurgitating what John Sharp and his hunting friends have told him," he said.


I'm not sure how old John Sharp is but I doubt that when Smith created Sean Courtney and wrote "When the Lion Feeds" in 1964 that Sharp was old enough to have "big biceps". "Ponytails" weren't real stylish in 1964 as I remember. Not sure if Sharp wore one then. Also doubt that Smith would have had a clue as to who Sharp was back then.

But then again, I am not an important Johannesburg reporter, who diligently researches the subject matter prior to writing a story, so what do I know.

quote:

I hope parks will prosecute the person who put the collar on withot permission

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
13 YO - BS in 20 years in parks and gettin the teeth anylised for true age in SA we never found one over 10.

Also, my father had shot well over 500 lion Before I persuaded him to stop and let me bring in clients. The skelatons we all burried out the back of the house. When a chinease buisness man came wanting to buy lion skelatons to send back to china as 'tiger bones' we dug up as many as possible. I sent about 100 teeth for aging along with the stuff from park's regular activities - still none over 10.

Not that it really matters- there was never a lion called Cecil outside the imagination of a few. I hope parks will prosecute the person who put the collar on withot permission, and infact cancel all collaring unless 'shot buy a hunter' is an accptable cause of Death if the animal moves into a hunting area.

And yes, those against hunting get really Irate when you shoot one of their 'regulars'. I shot a collared lion near Tuli. It had been collared in Botswana and had tried unsucessful attacks on people and killed quite a few goats. The photographic operator on the Botswan side had been campaining for Three years to stop the lion hunting in the Tuli Safari area, but when I shot one of the thee collared lion he Went ballistic. The fact that we had been in the same class at School and good friends not withstanding. When I sent the collar back to Botswana with the Bill for my Milage etc (T&S)...Dale has never spoken to me since.