Lowveld Local | Lesley Ings

Posted in Interactive | Local Personalities

Lesley Ings is the dynamic lady behind some of our favourite local events such as May Day Meander, Nelspruit Motor Show and a debut Secret Supper later this year. Lesley is a “go getter” and she loves an adventure. We got to know her a little better…

Lesley Ings from Find It Promotions in Nelspruit.

What are your happiest moments?

This is going to come across as a bog standard answer I guess, but with a bit of a twist. My second marriage is right up there along with my two grown-up sons.

If you could be anyone else, who would it be?

I am a big family person and if I could be anyone else I would be gran, she set a great example for us growing up and knew just where to draw the line between spoiling us and teaching us valuable lessons.

Have you ever had a near death experience?

I was 19 when we visited the Timbavati. Back home I got a bit sick, but the doctor said it was flu so I kept going. Later I ended up in hospital and was diagnosed with cerebral malaria. It was touch and go, I got to the hospital just in time.

What is your kryptonite?

I am a bit of a travel bug. Last year my husband and I did 4000 km on our motorbike through South Africa. It was an awesome trip getting to see interesting, off the beaten track places and meeting many fantastic South African people. I call it my state of the nation tour; I wanted to see how it’s going with my people. I am super chuffed, our people are great.

What grates your carrot?

Many people don’t know this about me but I have a bit of a temper and I quickly get upset by bad drivers and ignorant people.

What have you done that you are most proud of?

Last year I participated in a wildlife volunteer program in Namibia and I got involved in a research project by Duke University. Based on the bushman’s ability to track specific animals by their spoor, they are developing software that will make it possible to track certain animals by their spoor only. This will make it possible to track animals without electronic collars etc. We also tracked Puff adders with radio trackers; this was huge fun, tracking around the bush looking for snakes. This is the first research on Puff adders since 80’s, and a lot of new information is coming from this study.

What don’t people know about you?

I am such an open person there is not much people don’t know about me. Not many deep dark secrets; and it’s been this way since school.

What is cool about Lowvelder’s?

Even though Lowvelder’s come from a very wide range of cultures, everyone seems very proud of the area. It’s a bit like a family; we bicker among ourselves, but let an outsider say something negative about the Lowveld and everyone will quickly defend the area. This is such a cool place to live.

If you could make one Lowveld Law, what would it be?

Any road or driving offence should carry a five year jail sentence. No option of a fine. Speeding, failure to indicate and just plain bad driving is so common in our area.

What is your most treasured earthly possession?

My friend Jo-Anne Wearne has made herself the official Croc police so she is going to be upset, but I just love my Crocs. I have a number of pairs of the original version, the horrible ones with holes in them, but they are just so comfortable that I can’t live without them. I wear them everywhere.

Which reality TV show would you like to participate in?

I think I am good at my job, event planning and marketing, I could do well on “The Apprentice”. I won’t do well in any of these shows where you have to eat funny things.

What do you do when there is load shedding?

We live on a farm and load shedding has not quite got to us yet. But we do have power outages and I normally head straight to bed.