CURRICULUM VITAE - RON McGREGOR

(Registered National Tourist Guide, No 0231)

A BRIEF SUMMARY

Born and raised in South Africa, Ron McGregor is one of the country’s longest serving, most experienced, and highly qualified tour guides.

Starting with the original Springbok Safaris in 1968, and going free-lance in 1973, he has built up a wealth of experience, both throughout South Africa itself, and its neighbouring territories, with special emphasis on Zimbabwe.

Along the way, he has also worked in the retail travel field, and consequently has a thorough understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in the travel industry - air fares, booking procedures, reservations, documentation, etc.

He is the holder of a Bachelor’s degree, with majors in economics and African politics, and is equipped to handle the most searching and complex questions which visitors might ask.

He is equally at home with large groups, small parties, or individuals. For large groups, he handles the vital function of tour manager as a natural extension of his work as a guide. Over the years he has escorted countless successful tours for leading tour operators.

He is one of the "guides who tests the guides", sitting on the evaluation panel of the S A Tourism Corporation (SATOUR), before which guides are examined before registration is granted.

Ron operates on a free-lance basis, either as a tour guide/leader only, or as a driver-guide, for which he holds the appropriate public driving permits.

South Africa has a great many guides, ranging from experienced professionals to rank amateurs and fly-by-nights. Only an elite few can claim to be genuinely knowledgeable about all areas of South Africa, plus the neighbouring territories. Ron is proud to be one of them.

However, what is really important when it comes to judging the abilities of a tour guide/ tour manager, is not how well the individual blows his own trumpet, but what the passengers themselves have to say.........................

PASSENGER COMMENTS

Below is a selection of comments, drawn from clients’ questionnaires and personal letters of appreciation in recent years.

These comments are mostly from British, American or Canadian tourists travelling on Globus, Brendan or Saga tours, as these are the operators for which I have been most active over the last two years.

• “ .....Your competence, your boundless knowledge and experience, your attention to detail and your concern for the welfare of every person make you the perfect “trail boss.” We were most fortunate to travel with you.”
  
  Emily and Rudy Cooper, USA

• “We learned so much from you about your great country, and we commend you for your thorough and impartial comments about all aspects of South Africa. It is because of people like you who draw us back to Globus (this is our 10th tour). Congratulations to a true professional .....”
  
  Pietje and Neil McAuley, Ontario

• “Ron McGregor was learned, erudite, well-spoken with a very pleasant delivery and a marvellous knowledge of all things South African - and beyond. My wife and I feel that he is an addition which the SAGA team can be proud of. “
  
  Reg Saunders, UK

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MORE PASSENGER COMMENTS

• “Ron McGregor is one of the best guides we have ever had. His knowledge and ability to impart that knowledge made the trip wonderful.”
  
  Mr and Mrs Robert Eisenmonger, Massachusetts

• “Ron McGregor - best tour guide I have ever had - far exceeded all our expectations; fabulous amounts of information, very well presented. “
  
  Bill and Bonnie Smith, Tennessee

• “A wonderful holiday made all the more enjoyable and rewarding by the superb performance of the Tour Manager whose efforts went well beyond expected service and added several hundred per cent to the tour. He really was the best manager my wife and I have ever encountered .......”
  
  Ronald Lee, UK

• “The tour director made this holiday - he must be the best SAGA has in South Africa. His knowledge of the country, its history, customs and future development was excellent. Could not be faulted!”

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EVEN MORE PASSENGER COMMENTS

• “We have been travelling for 29 years on international tours all over the world & this tour director was one of the best we have ever met. He did a super job and is a credit to your firm.
  
  Ross & Norma McGinnis, Pennsylvania

• “Ron McGregor was the best guide I have ever encountered. His commentary made S Africa much more interesting. When everything goes smoothly on a tour it is due to one hell of a lot of work! I have led tour groups myself & know the work involved. His performance was flawless.”
  
  Sue Heffner, California

• “Ron McGregor was absolutely terrific. His ability to deftly juggle the logistics of the tour was impressive. ....... He consistently looked out for the best interests of the group, even when we were doing independent activities. He kept us on schedule, and was always available for advice.
  
  “What made Ron great though was his ability to tell a story. The way he vividly painted a picture of history with his stories and then related the story to the whole history of South Africa was amazing. After spending two weeks with Ron, we truly feel like we understand the history of South Africa and how it molded present day South Africa. Even more impressive is after two weeks with Ron, we only wish the tour could have been longer. We feel like we did not get enough time to learn from Ron, which is the way a tour should end. Leaving you craving for more.”
  
  Ron and Molly Bass, Colorado

• “There are guides, and there are guides, and there is Ron McGregor. ..... It’s been a pleasure working with you and I hope I get the opportunity to do so again in the future.”
  
  Angie Samson, Tour Leader, Solo’s Holidays, UK

CONTACT DETAILS

To e-mail me, click on ronmac@iafrica.com .

From within South Africa I can be faxed or phoned in Cape Town on (021) 689 8622

From outside South Africa, the number for fax or phone is +27 21 689 8622

Please do not use the fax or phone numbers between the hours of 1900 GMT and 0500 GMT.

(The nature of the tour guiding profession is such that our offices are also our homes, and if we are at home, we like to sleep at night, as do our families!!)

Any communications received while I am away on tour will be relayed to me promptly.

SCHOOLING AND EXPERIENCE

INDUSTRY REFERENCES

Ms Sharon Ross, Ops Manager, UTC, Cape Town TEL +27 21 419 8301

Mr Jeff Davidson, National Tour Guide, Johannesburg TEL +27 82 882 7007

Mr Ben Ralph, Manager, Field Operations, Saga Holidays, UK TEL +44 1303 77 4910

SPECIAL INTERESTS

One of the joys of my kind of work is that while others are learning from you, you are learning from others. And as time goes by, you develop particular areas of expertise. Apart from the regular tours, such as the Kruger National Park, the Garden Route, and my own "home area" of Cape Town, the menu below will describe to you some of the areas in which I have built up expertise beyond what might be expected of most guides.

HISTORY

History is the story of a country. Perhaps English history gets tedious, with all those guys called George and Edward, each with a number after his name. And the French, to be frank (!!), have far to many Louis'. The story of South Africa, on the other hand, reads like an adventure novel.

We are a big country, and often a tour must travel many miles between the "official" tourist sites. This is the opportunity for the guide to tell a few tales of who we South Africans are, how we got here, and all the things we have done that have resulted in the South Africa we have today.

Of the many nice things that people have said about my tours, one comment I really value is that made by Ron and Molly Bass, which you might have seen under the Passenger Comments section, but I'll repeat a bit of it here:

".....What made Ron great though was his ability to tell a story. The way he vividly painted a picture of history with his stories and then related the story to the whole history of South Africa was amazing. After spending two weeks with Ron, we truly feel like we understand the history of South Africa and how it molded present day South Africa."

I've never studied history in any formal sense. It's just something that I have always loved, and enjoy passing on to any interested audience.

THE BOER WAR

This, of course, is part of history, but deserves a study of its own, especially as we are now experiencing the centenary years of this bitter conflict. I am fully versed on all aspects of the war, from its possible causes (there are many conflicting theories) to its results, and all the action in between. I have visited all the major battle sites (not only the Natal ones), and I have visited them often, not just once or occasionally.

GEOGRAPHY

Everyone knows (or ought to know) that the black peoples of Africa settled everywhere excepting in the Western Cape, which they left to the original Bushman and Hottentot inhabitants. But, can they tell you why? And if they can tell you that it's because the rain doesn't fall in summer, can they explain why that is?

California has a desert. So do we. Is this coincidence? No it isn't - but how many people can explain why these two deserts are related (and why they are related to the deserts of Peru, Western Australia and the Sahara as well.

Not enough emphasis is placed on this important aspect of touring. It's not a topic as such. One seldom gets a tour of ardent geographers? And yet so much of what has happened in South Africa is a result of our geography, and the climate that goes with it.

I have been fortunate in that my years of touring Southern Africa have taken me to just about every corner of the sub-continent, and there is not a mountain range, a forest or a desert of which I have not had personal experience.

So it's not really a specialist subject on which one would give too much serious commentary. But a sound knowledge of geography makes you a much better tour guide because you are able to give far better explanations on the many topics that geography influences.

ECONOMICS

Economics is not everyone's cup of tea. Generally one is likely to be limited to explaining things in very general terms, as in "Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've got quite a bit of gold left, but it's very expensive to mine, and the gold price is low, so we are having to learn to depend on other things."

However, if one is working on top quality tours, there will inevitably be people with a keen interest in business. They may accept that their guide doesn't know more than basic economics, but they will appreciate someone who can answer questions like "What is your annual GDP?", "What is the average yield on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange?" or "What is this policy called Gear all about?"

This has always been a field that interests me, and it was one of my major subjects in my university degree. I still follow economic matters closely, both here and abroad, so I can not only talk about our own economy, but I can relate it to the economies with which my tourists are familiar.

I am hoping at some stage to take my studies further, and the University of South Africa has approved a curriculum I have submitted to them, which will lead to an Honours Degree combining my interest in Development Economics with African Politics.

Unfortunately, although one can study while one travels, the examinations always take place at the busiest time of the year for tour guides, so I have not got going on this project yet.

POLITICS

It is not only South African politics that I follow. African Politics was one of the two majors for my university degree, and I like to keep abreast of the subject throughout Africa, as well as overseas.

Most people visiting Southern Africa come to see our scenery and wildlife, and to experience our food, our wine, and the cultures of our various peoples. Perhaps they'll buy a diamond, or at least go and see how they are cut and polished. And many will buy an item of gold.

But, as a result of our recent turbulent history, we are famous for our politics. Nelson Mandela is one of the most recognisable political figures in the world. People wouldn't be human if they did not want to know at least something about the Mandela story, and the political background against which it took place.

Politics, however, can be controversial, and many people try to avoid the subject. Politics is not an area in which one can get away with "some" knowledge. And it requires particular tact to give a thoroughly impartial commentary, and to be able to handle the questions that arise.

Politics needs to be treated with care, and raised only when people are interested, but I have found that people really appreciate a guide who is not scared to tackle the subject, and can manage the debate that results.

ZIMBABWE

My early touring to Zimbabwe (or Rhodesia, as it was then) was entirely overland. I used to do two week tours by coach, which covered the whole country, not just Victoria Falls and a game park as the tours by air are inclined to do.

In more recent years I have set up similar tours, visiting Harare, Great Zimbabwe, the Bvumba, Inyanga, Kariba and the islands and Vic Falls. Currently I travel regularly to Vic Falls via Bulawayo on the fabulous Pride of Africa, the historic train operated by Rovos Rail.

I know the story of Zimbabwe as well as I know the story of South Africa, so I can turn a visit to Zimbabwe into more than just a game viewing experience and a visit to the greatest waterfall in the world.

NAMAQUALAND

Although I do not regard myself as a specialist botanist, I have a great deal of experience in this semi-desert region. I have lost count of the number of tours that I have done guided there. It has a particular charm about it, which is lost when the group is too large, so I will not guide tours to Namaqualand in anything larger than a sixteen seater. Bigger vehicles are too noisy, and have to stick on the highway.

THE RICHTERSVELD

This mountain desert is another very obscure area where I have been fortunate in gaining a great deal of experience. This is rough touring, but for lovers of open spaces, there is something magical about feeling that you are truly cut off from civilisation.

Few people have ever been to the Richtersveld. Even most tour guides never get there in a lifetime of guiding. I consider myself very privileged to have had the opportunity of visiting it regularly.