September 2007
Giving away a part of myself
In 1997 at the age of 23, I joined a consultancy firm operating from Nelspruit (about 60 km south west of the Kruger National Park). During my first job interview I noticed immediately that both the directors I spoke with had Leathermans. This was an item that I soon came to associate with hard fieldwork in the outdoors. Just after my appointment, I also purchased my own Leatherman Super Tool (still with the black leather holster) - I was part of the 'Leatherman Club'! (This was something our resident architects could never really understand - but we did not blame them: THEY never ventured into remote areas for days at a time...)
Since that day, my Leatherman Super Tool has been an integral part of my life. When I stalled a bike in a remote riverbed in Swaziland during a week spent on site, it got me back on course again. It was on my belt when I was charged by a lioness on a game farm near Malelane a couple of years later. It was THE first thing to be packed for camping trips to Mozambique, where it served in many a role: cutting sticks, ropes, cable ties, fixing camping chairs, getting nails out of tires, opening bottles of warm cider (story for another day). It has accompanied me on nocturnal operations performed near the Swaziland border with the local commando unit (= US National Guard). When I met my wife it was on my belt; it went with us on our honeymoon.
One night, sitting on a hotel bed cleaning my Leatherman, I finished oiling it and attempted to open it with a flick of my wrist. I say 'attempted' because my hand was covered in oil and it promptly flew out of my hand, cracking a large window.... (I think this is one of the only documented cases of a Leatherman getting someone IN trouble). A couple of years ago I took an award winning night photograph of Nelspruit from the top of an extremely high light tower. For this the Super Tool was used to help secure and remove my tripod. I have performed numerous minor operations with it to remove thorns and splinters, fixed countless household items; in itself it is my entire computer repair toolkit.
This week my wife's son turned 15, and I gave my Leatherman Super Tool a service, had it polished, engraved (with some difficulty .... they had to put it through three runs on the engraver), and I also bought a new sheath for it. I gave this part of myself to him for his birthday along, with all the stories and the memories of places where we have been. Nb: I have since bought a Leatherman Surge, and I am now equipped for taking the first steps in a new journey of adventure.... but I guess you will never forget your first Leatherman.
Rian G.
White River, Mpumalanga
OK, you voyeur, you. Enough of reading other people's stories. It's time you told your own tale of gripping heroism or even just neat DIY'ism. We know there's a Shakespeare in you somewhere. Don't make us use the Steens to find it.