FAMOUS HUNTER

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1931, Page 2

FAMOUS HUNTER

NEW ZEALANDER IN AFRICA

WELLINGTON, Nov. IS.

There is in Africa a New Zealander whose exploits have included taking a two and a half ton hippopotamus and turning her into a film star, declares M r R. G. Hughes, who returned from abroard this week.

The New Zealander referred to is Mr A. .J. Siggins, who for 30 years has lived in the African outposts of civilisation, and spent nineteen of those year s in the heart of the bush. He is famous as a big game hunter and lias bagged many elephants and lions. His chief exploits in recent yearjj were made during the filming of “The Four Feathers,” which was shown in New Zealand last year. During this picturisation of the A. E. IV. Mason novel, Mr Siggins accompanied the director, E. B. Schoedsack, maker of “Rango” and “Chang” into the heart of Africa and was “director of wild animals”. He was engaged because of his intimate knowledge of the country, and he took wdiole a herd of hippopotami and, using their feeding pool, managed .to make use of their habits to make them into actors for the scenes shown in the picture. ‘ .

Mr Siggins ran away to sea when lie was 'fourteen years .old. 'He spent three years on a coastal schooner, and after sheep fanning in Australia he went to South Africa, shortly after the Boer War, There, with the Rhodesian Mounted Police.’ hp became a sergeant ar.d was chosen to represent his corps at the funeral of Cecil P.hodes, and the Coronation of King Edward VII. After some yeaps he went prospecting in Portuguese East Africa, and since' then has been big game hunter, trapper, trader, planter, prospector and pearl fisher. He is said to speak over 30 native dialects. His wife is a film actress named Molly Adair, and they met when he was filming “The Blue Lagoon” a de Vere Star no ole novel. Miss Adaip was then 17 and after she b-’d completed the film she returned home to complete her contract, after which she went back to Africa to many Mr Siggins. She was then 18 years old.