FOR many a boy, hunting his first antelope is his initial step into the world of manhood and an important milestone on the road to coming of age. This is the story of how my son Christoff, who turned ten this year, took this memorable step.
Long ago, boys would be taught the family trade under the watchful eye of their father and grandfathers. The industrial revolution and two world wars brought an end to this age-old tradition and meant that, over the past century, many boys grew up without fathers or with absentee fathers who came back broken from the battlefields. This has had some serious repercussions in our modern-day society with generations of boys who have not identified with their own cultural and social mores and responsibilities. After attending a fatherhood course at our local church, I realised the importance of making something memorable of important milestones. And, as part of the course, we had a pledge ceremony where we promised our sons that we would raise them to be men of honour. Since
