NCC Program Presentation by JoMar Alwes & Leslie Gertie on January 13, 2012

The Nevada Camera Club January 2012 Program Meeting features a presentation by JoMar Alwes and Leslie Gertie in which they present their program, JoMar Alwes & Leslie Gertie Shed a Little Light on the Dark Continent - Africa. Leslie and JoMar will show their best photographs from three weeks on safari in Kenya and Tanzania in 2008 and over a month on safari in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Uganda in 2011. Leslie and JoMar will also share the process they went through to plan these trips and discuss what photographers need to know when going on a safari in Africa. The presentation also includes short videos produced by Leslie from a hot air balloon ride over the Namib desert, a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls and a close encounter with a large mountain gorilla.

Growing up as an "army brat", Leslie Gertie moved frequently with her family to various locations around the world including Cambodia while she was in grade school and Thailand while she was in high school. Until 1973 when Leslie arrived in Las Vegas, she had never resided in any one place longer than three years. Leslie has been employed in the Clark County Public Works Department as a construction inspector for the last 19 years. In recent years, Leslie has pursued her photographic interest through travel, hiking and camping in a variety of unique locations including Alaska, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Africa.

JoMar Alwes grew up on a dairy farm in Illinois and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois. He served in the Navy during the Viet Nam War as the Diving Officer and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) aircraft carrier. For personal recreation, JoMar has hiked over 1,000 miles within the Grand Canyon and has led a backpack trip from Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Devils Post Pile near Mammoth Lakes. In 2001, JoMar hiked Mount Kilimanjaro and reached the 19,341 foot Kibo summit. He then spent a week tent camping on safari in the Serengeti and other parks in Tanzania and then a week on safari in Kenya. JoMar recently retired as a right-of-way agent from the City of North Las Vegas.

The public is invited to the Nevada Camera Club Program Meeting and admission is free. Please see the Nevada Camera Club web sitePrograms page for more information.