Historical Photo Gallery - 1938 to today
1886 to 1934 - from Germiston to Inanda
Building the Hound Pack
The Search for Land
1990 to 2018
Inanda Blue Bird
Past & Present Office Bearers
Building the Hound Pack
When C A Hadley died in 1934, Bob Keegan took over as Master and Peter Wilson as Huntsman. The task of building a strong pack was begun in earnest and serious hunting started again. Peter Wilson's passion and dedication developed the pack into the foundation of the top class hounds we have today. He succeeded Bob Keegan as Master in 1945 and served the Hunt in this role for 46 years. To read Angie Berry's memory of Peter Wilson - Click here
Peter Wilson leads a hound display at the Inanda Club in 1960
South African conditions require hounds with good feet to withstand the hard and stony ground. Today's pack is predominantly made up of Fell hounds, imported from the Blencathra, with a infusion of some College Valley and VWH blood, these latter two both having a line back to the Blencathra. The first Fell hound was imported in 1934. The Blencathra Hunt has proved to have ideal hounds for South African conditions as they hunt in rough mountainous country. In all about 45 hounds have been imported to date.
In 1973, as it was felt that the hounds were losing their cry, so a Welsh hound called Vernon was imported from the Pentych Hunt in the Cardiff area. Welsh hounds, like their human counterparts are renowned for their good voices. The cry of the pack is essential to both hound and huntsmen to ensure efficient hunting. The Welsh hound's long wiry coat is still evident in a few of the Rand Hunt's hounds. A more recent import from the Blencathra is Traveller, a strong-willed and fast hound whose sleek black coat is already infiltrating the overall look of the pack.
Opening Meet, Inanda Country Base, November 2013