William Ruck Keene died in a tragic car accident in June of 1997. He was so pivotal to the style and success of Tongabezi, and the business and Ben took a big knock in his absence. We have a Will memorial spot right beside the Nut House, where the view of the Zambezi is quite spectacular as well as the school setting up a Mr William’s music room.

Under Ben’s guidance, Tongabezi grew to include the Garden House and a brand new version of the Dog House, both with two rooms for families. We built a whole new (immense!) lap pool, and a private gym, as well as the Hang Out and Look Out spaces. We even started the main dining area again from scratch, raising it to make the most of the river view. Each room crystallised into the perfect version of itself… and then Ben would come in and upgrade it all over again!

Ben carried Tongabezi forward in the way he knew Will would have wanted, constantly growing, changing, and adapting, celebrating the natural beauty of Zambia, maintaining a sense of perspective about what is really important, and encouraging confidence and creative thought in all of the Tongabezi Team members. He worked hard to maintain the spirit of social responsibility that his wife Vanessa continued to champion.

Tongabezi went from strength to strength, with Ben and his family at the wheel. But Ben knew that Tongabezi could be even more. More environmentally sustainable, specifically. He started looking for a company that would take Tongabezi to the next level, and perhaps give him more time for travelling. Ben had just started talking with a very exciting company when he fell ill at the end of 2018.

Ben's fight with cancer was incredibly courageous, but it was also brief. Within six months he had moved on to his next adventure, where we are sure Ben and Will are clearing land and building something fabulous for us to experience when we are ready. Ben’s spot at Tongabezi is just above the original pool, where you can hear the birds calling even when you cannot see them.