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| Hi Fly Kites History |
Written by David Sampson, Hi Fly Kites Owner
It all began with a dream and started when my Dad helped me build my first kite, you know with split bamboo and paper! I must have been about 5 years old.
| I remember it clearly, it was a diamond kite (also known as a Cape Malay Kite in South Africa) with a string of paper bows for a tail. My Dad made final adjustments to the bridle and we where off to the park. There was a gentle breeze and the kite just rose into the sky and before I knew it Dad handed me the line wound on a jam tin. As I let out the line I was hooked, it was like magic, as the kite danced among the clouds my heart soared. I had found my passion. On leaving school I was offered a good job as a trainee manager in a company supplying equipment to the forestry industry. Everyone in the family was shocked when I turned it down. "What are you going to do for a living? Make kites?!". But that was my dream, that I could pass on some of that magic I had felt standing alone with my dad in the park. My parents were incredibly supportive and got involved from the beginning so in 1987 I began making kites in the garage and sold them on weekends at flea markets and fairs. |
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By 1992 we were running out of space and, so we rented premises, moved the whole operation, and employed additional staff to service our growing dealer network. The same year I met Nadia (my other passion) while exhibiting at the Rand Show in Johannesburg and it was love at first sight and we were soon engaged. "He does what for a living? Make kites?!" Fortunately her parents' initial shock and horror didn't last too long and we were married that same year. She had left her career in medical research in Johannesburg and joined the team.
Nadia's input was invaluable and the business continued to grow with exports now to Switzerland, Israel and Mauritius. Eventually the decision was made to build our own facilities and in 1996 the business was moved to our new 350m² building. Exports continued with new dealers in Germany, Dubai and USA.
In 1998 we bought a farm on an auction and in 1999 moved the whole business onto the farm. We joined the Midlands Meander route, which showcases arts and craft outlets in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands where we continue to make kites for the local and international markets.