Elmwood couple follows dream to Tanzania

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This article was published 24/06/2010 (5595 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Darryl and Shirley Peters are about to take a leap of faith — a leap long that will take them all the way to Africa.

The middle-aged couple from Elmwood is in the process of selling everything they own save a few family heirlooms before moving to Arusha, Tanzania. They will arrive at the 20-acre property they plan to develop as a tourist lodge on Aug. 10 — and both agree it’s been a long time coming.

Shirley Peters fell in love with Africa as a child and knew she would live there someday. She first visited Africa in 1983, spending three months in Zambia while a student at Winnipeg’s Providence College. It was everything she’d hoped for and more.

“I have Africa in my blood,” she said. “The spirit of the African people and the pace of life is amazing. I love it.”

Peters shared her love of Africa with her husband before they married in 1985. He visited Zambia that year and the couple had every intention of moving there in the summer of 1986.

However, their first child arrived prematurely and required intensive care. As the years passed by, they welcomed two more children into their family and their African adventure had to be put on hold.

It wasn’t until 1999 that they and their children moved to Gaborone, Botswana. Working on behalf of the Mennonite Central Committee, they spent three happy years in the country before returning to Winnipeg to enroll their children in high school.

Now, with their children all finished high school, the time has come to move again — this time for good.

“The land we purchased is between Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru,” Darryl Peters said.

“It’s near a town, university, gold course and an airport and is only 15 minutes from wild animals, two hours from the Serengeti.”

Darryl said the couple started with plans for a bed and breakfast but decided to think bigger and develop a tourist lodge instead. The site will feature a large main building, several cottages, gardens and orchards, and other amenities such as a swimming pool. All of the buildings will be constructed to reflect traditional African architecture on the exterior with modern, fully-equipped interiors.

The Peters intend their lodge to offer tourists a safe and comfortable setting from which to set out on excursions in the area. Its

proximity to an airport means it can also serve as a stepping stone to other popular tourist areas.

“And we want to help people,” he said, noting the couple intends to employ local Tanzanians as much as possible.

“This is something that has been in our hearts since we were dating and now we really are fulfilling a dream.”

Darryl added Tanzania boasts a warm and welcoming culture and the couple are excited about becoming a part of it.

ryan.crocker@canstarnews.com