“Hermit Of Rufidji” Was Educated In Christchurch

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27498, 4 November 1954, Page 12

“Hermit Of Rufidji” Was Educated In Christchurch

Fifty years ago, a pupil of the Christchurch Boys’ High School won a special prize given for nature knowledge. This year, he produced a book on the animal life of Africa.

The author is Mr R. de la Bere Barker, and he attended the Christchurch Boys’ High School from 1905 to 1908, when Mr C. E. Bevan-Brown was headmaster. Among the masters were Professor R. L. Speight, later director of the Canterbury Museum, and Mr R. M. Laing. The book is a collection of stories Mr Barker wrote for the "Tanganyika Standard,” and has been published in English, French. Swedish, Danish, and Swahili. Mr Barker lives now in Dar-es-Salaam. From Christchurch, Mr Barker travelled through Australia, England, and Canada, and arrived in Africa to

become a professional elephant hunter. He gained a livelihood from his hunting and writing, and lived primitively in jungle camps. He prefers to forget his younger life as a professional hunter, but he still speaks with pride of the 5000 crocodiles he has killed. Now he likes to be known as the “Hermit of Rufidji,” and that is what he is. He is the only white man to have settled in the huge area confined by the Rufidji Delta. Although he cares more for the animal of the jungle and plains than he does for the human race, he is not lost to humanity. He lives Surrounded by natives of the Bantu tribe.

And he still remembers Rls old school. This week a copy of his book, “Rufidji”—in French—arrived for the headmaster of the Christchurch Boys’ High School (Mr J. Leggat), to place in the school library. i