When you walk into his presence and look into his eyes, placed flawlessly within a mature bone structure, something in them tells a thousand stories. They glisten like a silver stream pouring out as he tragically unsuccessfully attempts to conceal his story: you can tell you stand before divinity of craft.
The one Patrick Mavros, himself an emulator of the creator, whose own fingers have conquered silver from the belly of Zimbabwe primarily, and created some of the most recognisable works of silver sculpture ever put togteher by man, creating a legendary name in his wake.
Himself the creator who has given life to similarly gifted spawn, his children, who have also inherited his coveted remarkable gift.
When his voice explodes, a voice as nuanced as the sculptures that adorn his studio in the picturesque Umwinsidale rolling hills, it is not to sing praises to his works and talent but to speak about one creation in particular. The Zimbabwe Open Golf Trophy. A trophy he sculpted as a proud symbol of his nation.
Itself the premeir golf tournament in the country, the committee of the Zimbabwe Open no doubt wanted something iconic for the winner to lift.Something that says no matter where the winner comes from, they conquered under the African skies and within the glorious enclosure of the nation named Zimbabwe.
The tournament had previously taken a hiatus from 2001 to 2009 and had been resuscitated back in 2010.
Now what to do? Who to commission? Who to gift with both the honour and burden to sculpt a trophy for a tournament that in posterity has been raised by some of the greatest legends of the game.
“...And then I received a call from my old friend Michael Mahachi and he asked me to make a trophy for the tournament! I was so honoured!” said Mavros, his excitement palpable still, more than a decade later as if it were the day of the actual commissioning.
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At that he set to work to put together the beautiful work of art that now is the symbol and epitome of the tournament. He went for the beauty of Africa. As a Mberengwa boy, born and raised in the rurals and enchanted by all things rural and regal in the African context, he drew from his upbringing.
He pulled out the African umbrella; the Acacia tree, which adorns vast plains across the continent not least of all the land of his upbrining. No tree said ‘Africa’ more than it did-at least to Mavros.
He then summoned another beauty, the mound of earth in which the tree is planted. Add to that, the national animal, the Sable, in his glory, with its upright majestic horns curved towards its mane like a regal creature, standing firm on that glorious mound of land. To complete the work, a golf pall perched atop the Acacia tree and yet mimicking the African sun in its celestial grandeur.
The story of the summoning of elements uniquely and quintessentially Zimbabwean and the work of the sculptor took him almost a quarter of an entire year to unite. The end result is a visual story of captivating beauty and an enduring icon.
Patrick Mavros sought to leave a legacy when he took on the task to make the Zimbabwe Open trophy. And yet after all is said and done, he created not just a lasting visual legacy for a premier beautiful event on the sporting calendar, he created a work of art whose nuances the keen eye can swear posess the fingerprints of the gods!
Here are some names to look out for this tournament:
Claire Minter (1st lady ever to play in the Zim Open)
Mathew Bramford - plenty exploits including placing 4th at the Inaugural Africa Amateur championship at Leopard Creek this past February
Keegan Shutt - Broke course record at the Inaugural Africa Amateur championship at Leopard Creek this past February
Darren Fickard - 5 time winner DP World tour and former Zim Open winner. His son Ethan Fickard is also playing
J.B Kruger 2010 and 2013 Zim Open winner
Ronald Rugumayo - from Uganda. Made DP Word tour cut and the Kenya
Robson Chinhoi (you all know him)
Scott and Kieran Vincent
