ABOUT gazza
Hi folks,
My name is Gazza Butcher.
Born and raised in Sussex, England, a former forester, firefighter, rescue technician and outdoor medic, I have always had green blood in my veins.
No matter what life has served up, Nature has always been there to hold me. My connection to the natural world is my deepest relationship. It is, and always has been my most treasured and trusted companion.
The journey is long, this basket is never full and there is always more to gather.
From early childhood all my spare time has been spent in the verdant woodland of England, and I am recently returned from a seven-year adventure living in Aotearoa (New Zealand).
My connection to water and land, to community and craft have taken giant leaps on my journey. Many years have passed in the UK with some of the most gifted men and women in the field of bushcraft and primitive living skills. This ‘dirt-time as we call it formed the foundation for more ambitious expeditions.
More recently a month in the Namibian Kalahari with the Ju Hoansi San Bushmen showed me the sacred fragility of our connection to water and afforded me a golden opportunity to hone my tracking skills with arguably some of the best trackers on the planet.
The years spent in work and play with the Kiwi, Māori and Pasifika communities in Aotearoa / New Zealand brought home the deep significance of true food sovereignty, the power of reverential gratitude, and the treasure of fully connected community.
It also ignited the burning desire to truly understand my ‘place’ in the world and my connection to the bones of the land I call home.
My skillset includes natural skin tanning; using the whole animal; foraging for wild food and medicinal plants; nature connection through movement, wild-craft, and play; primitive tool making and ancestral skills; tracking and trailing animal sign; primitive and modern archery; a wide variety of fire lighting and use; and camp craft with minimal modern and improvised gear to name but a few.
This is a combination of the ancient and the modern, of ancestry and invention. Resiliency with Heart.
Over the many years I have taught classes, held events, co-lead expeditions and facilitated rites of passage for children and adults of all ages.
Whatever gift I present, my goal is always to bring people back to the land, to deepen their connection to themselves, to each other, and to the land itself. To truly live ‘with’ the land in this place we call home.
Primal Trail is the expression of all these elements gathered on the long wandering path of my life so far.
Join me and as we explore the next steps in this wonderful journey.
