John Rendall tells of Christian the Lion
W
ildlife conservationist
John Rendall delivered a
brilliant illustrated talk on
Christian, his London Lion, to
a packed, rapt and
enthusiastic audience at a
recent lunch at the Polish
Hearth Club in Kensington.
John Rendall and Anthony ‘Ace’
Bourke arrived in London as
young Australian travellers and in
1969 bought a lion cub at
Harrods. Naming him Christian
they took him to their trendy
London Chelsea home, confident
of looking after him and doing
their best to secure the animal’s
future. The trio became the
centre of attention as they
paraded Christian along the
King’s Road, took him for drives
in the back of their Mercedes,
and let him roam around their
furniture shop.
Photo Courtesy of Edward Lloyd Photography
Eventually the lion outgrew his
urban surroundings and John
and Ace moved to the country,
staying with Bill Travers MBE and
his wife Virginia McKenna OBE,
stars of the film Born Free, while
waiting to rehome Christian in
Kenya in preparation for
returning him to the wild.
John Rendall at the launch of his book ‘Christian the Lion’ in 2009.
It was at this stage that George
Adamson, a Kenyan
conservationist, with his wife Joy,
became involved. George
assembled a man-made pride
around Christian at their
compound in the Kora National
Reserve, ready for his
reintegration into the wild.
On two subsequent trips to
Kenya, extraordinarily, Christian
recognised John and Ace, and
rushed to them in an
affectionate bear hug, a
profoundly touching and deeply
moving experience. Christian
was last seen in 1972 and is
believed to have ended his days
in the Meru National Reserve a
few miles up-stream from the
Kora National Reserve.
Among his many work pursuits,
John Rendall was the Society
Diary Editor of Hello Magazine,
where he knowingly chronicled
the social activities of the rich
and famous. John’s book, A Lion
Called Christian, is now a film.
Editor’s Note: John Rendall is
also a special friend of The
DatebooK as he helped to name
the publication!
Asthma Gift Fair
S
ince it began in 1982,
the Asthma Gift Fair,
which takes place at the
Hurlingham Club in Fulham,
has raised more than
£1 million for the charity
Asthma UK and sees an
attendance of more than
800 people each year, Pretty
impressive considering the
Fair was first created with
the simple aim of raising
awareness of the condition.
A shoppers delight!
6
THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
The Fair has a Preview
Evening, which we attended,
followed by a full day of
shopping. With over 70
stallholders, the choices are
endless. There is everything
from chic jewellery and
accessories to toys, sweaters,
shawls, designer fashions and
even gourmet food.
A warm greeting by committee
members, the offer of a glass
of wine and a
shopping bag,
courtesy of Fair
sponsor Knight
Frank, was a lovely
way to start the
evening. The Fair is
also a great way to
start your Christmas
shopping.
In addition to the
variety of stallholders
there is a tombola –
where anyone who
participates wins
something – and the
Gift Fair Cake Stall.
How could you not
stop for this. This
stall is manned by
Asthma UK
Volunteers and all of
the items are
homemade. This is
certainly a
‘delicious’ way to
raise funds.
Asthma UK is the
UK’s leading asthma
charity. The charity
supports people with
asthma when they
need help the most and funds
world-leading research to find
better treatments and
ultimately a cure. The charity’s
goal is to prevent asthma
attacks, especially those that
result in death or emergency
hospitalization. The money
raised each year at the Gift
Fair helps to fund worldleading research,
Tempting and delicious taste treats.
award-winning information and
services and life-changing
influencing work.
Mark you calendar now for the
2016 Gift Fair … 22nd and
23rd November.
www.asthma.org.uk/events/
asthmagiftfair
MKE