Having grown up in Matabele-land, Zimbabwe, Fee Halsted-Berning has always had a great affinity with the African bush. Fellow Zimbabwean and a friend to Fee, Anthea Erasmus of the new Constantia Uitsig Wine Farm Estate share the same love for their homeland. In conversation, together they came up with the idea of holding an Ardmore auction made up of endangered wildlife animal sculptures, to raise funds for the Bhejane trust, A not-for-profit wildlife trust based in Victoria Falls north of Zimbabwe, Led by Trevor Lang and his team. The primary function of the trust is to assist the Zimbabwe parks and wildlife management authority, as they are handicapped by poor budgets and a lack of equipment.
Throughout the year, Singita and Ardmore have joined together in raising funds for the Rhino. Ardmore artists were given the wonderful opportunity to spend time in the bush, walking with the anti-poaching unit of Southern Sabi. This experience has influenced many of the sculptors to create works that have a far more evocative sentiment, rather than just a realistic rendering. The artists and Fee have so enjoyed working on this collection over the past 8 months, creating Ardmore’s finest ceramic masterworks to this day.