IN -FLIGHT MAGAZINE HELPS SAVE FOSSIL TREASURE
A story in Rose’s Round-up has
been instrumental in raising funds to help preserve a fossil treasure of the Great Karoo,
the recent find of an invertebrate trackway that could be the most spectacular example of
its kind yet found in the world. The news item, covering Laingsburg’s fossil
trackway, was noticed and also published by SAA's in-flight magazine, Sawabona, which is how it came to the attention of
Professor Peter Spargo and his wife. After reading the story on a flight between
Cape Town and Johannesburg they generously offered R1 000 from the Spargo Fund towards the
preservation of the site. However, after a discussion with Dr John Almond, the man
who found the rare fossilised tracks of the spectacular giant eurypterid or water
scorpion, Professor Spargo increased their donation to R2 500. "This will
enable us to carry out more work," says John. "Initially, the South African
Museum sponsored casting of a representative length of trackway. A 2,5m silicone
rubber cast was made by Dr Roger Smith, head of Karoo palaeontology at the museum. This
will now be used to make a fibreglass replica for research and display purposes.
The museum intends mounting a eurypterid display next year. We are now seeking
advice from an engineering geologist, Mike van Wieringen, on the best means of conserving
the trackway. Most of it remains buried, but we do know that it is at least 15m
long. This makes it the widest, longest and most complex invertebrate trackway
yet found in the world."
FINLAND MAAK KENNIS MET MANDLENKOSI
TOERISME ROETE
'n Suid-Afrikaner wie tans besig is met nagraadse studies by 'n Britse
universiteit het onlangs melding gemaak van 'n Karoo roete tydens 'n toerismepraatjie in
Finland. Jenny Briedenhann doen navorsing oor landelike toerisme by Buckinghamshire
Chilterns Universiteit in Engeland vir haar doktorsgraad. Toe sy gevra is om 'n
praatjie te lewer by 'n seminaar in Finland het sy besluit om melding te maak van die
Kwa-Mandlenkosi roete by Beaufort-Wes. Die roete is onder haar aandag gebring deur
streekstoerisme ko-ordineerder Rose Willis, een van 60 deskundiges in Europa en
Suid-Afrika wat Jenny help met navorsing.
MANDLENKOSI TOWNSHIP TOURIST ROUTE INTRODUCED IN FINLAND
A
South African who is currently studying at a British university recently mentioned the
Karoo in a tourism talk in Finland. Jenny Briedenhann, who is
researching rural tourism for a PhD at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University in England,
was invited to share her findings at a Finnish seminar. She decided to
include details on the Kwa-Mandelenkosi Township Tourist Route in BeaufortWest. This
route was brought to her attention by regional tourism Co-ordinator Rose Willis, who
is one of 60 specialists from Europe and South Africa who are assisting Jenny with her
research.
GALA OPENING FOR CRAFT CENTRE
Eye-catching rondavels alongside the N1 at the start of the Kwa-Mandlenkosi
Township Tourist Route south of Beaufort West have intrigued tourists for months.
This complex, designed as an arts and crafts centre, has just been completed, and
the buildings were opened during a gala function on June 14 and 15. It was
attended by several ministers, dignataries and VIPs.
BURE BEPLAN GROOT JEUGFEES
(Tel
No 044-279-3268)
Suid-Afrika se eerste Jeugfees sal volgende jaar in Oudtshoorn gehou word
vanaf 3 tot 12 Julie. Die man agter die idee, plaaslike sakeman Nic Barrow, sê :
"Die program sal alles insluit waarin die jeug belangstel van sport en sportklinieke
tot kuns en kultuur. Pogings word aangewend om minder bevoregtes te
betrek."
ALL ABOUT HERBS, VICTORIAN BUILDINGS AND
A GOLD RUSH
Three Prince Albert authors recently
published booklets dealing with natural cures, the town’s architecture and a nearby
gold rush. Hendrik Mostert, popularly known as “Hennie Hoed" because of
the strange little hat he loves to wear, has written a guide to the medicinal plants
of The Hell in collaboration with Dr Jan van Elfen. Hendrik, born and raised
in The Hell, or Gamkaskloof, has a wide knowledge of herbal remedies used in the
little valley, and increasing their efficacy with potent witblitz, or white
lightning. Jan van Elfen illustrated the booklet and another local resident, Pat
Marincowitz, added botanical and pharmacological information. This informative
and amusing booklet costs R10, and is available in English and Afrikaans. Helena
Marincowitz's long-awaited Victorian Buildings in
Prince Albert (R25) is an essential guide for those who wish to explore the village on
their own. Its concise explanations are well supported by photographs and line
drawings. Local geologist Albert Theron has captured the story of the late 19th
century gold rush in a booklet entitled Prince
Albert Goldfields (R20). Publications can be purchased at the museum.
WALLIESE RUGBY ENTOESIASTE HELP KAROO
SOKKERSPELER
Lede van die Walliese mannekoor, wat onlangs in Suid-Afrika was om ondersteuning
aan hul rugbyspan te verleen, het 'n jong Beaufort-Wes sokkerspeler se drome laat waar
word. Tydens ‘n konsert in Beaufort-Wes het hulle verneem dat Llewellyn Lakay
van Beaufort-Wes Sekondêr gekies is om in ‘n sokkertoernooi in Brazilië te speel
maar nie oor genoeg fondse beskik het vir sy reisgelde nie. Koordirekteur Mark Burrows het
gou bydraes van sy lede ingesamel en voor die einde van die aand is R5 700 aan Llewellyn
oorgehandig. 'n Bedrag van R2 500 is ook aan sy skool geskenk.
WELSH RUGBY ENTHUSIASTS HELP KAROO SOCCER PLAYER
Members
of a Welsh male choir, who visited South Africa to lend vocal support to their rugby
team in matches against the Springboks, recently turned young Beaufort West soccer
player's dreams into reality. While performing at a concert in town they they
learned that Llewellyn Lakay from Beaufort West Secondary School had been chosen to play
in a soccer tournament in Brazil, but did not have sufficient funds to meet his travel
costs. Choir master Mark Burrows quickly sent the hat around and before the end of
the evening was able to present Llewellyn with R5 700, plus an additional R2 500 donation
for his school.
‘… THE BEST OF TIMES, THE
WORST OF TIMES …’
This is the tale of two friends who spent their boyhood in Beaufort West and who
after many years returned on a nostalgic visit. Now with adult eyes, Raymond Vos and Carel
Schouten looked at some of the many buildings Carel's father, Gerrit, had built long ago.
"As a boy I was so proud. I thought my father had built the whole town.
Schouten Flats, which still bears his name, was his pride and joy. I remember Jack
Ellert buying it from him in 1944 and paying half the asking price in cash and the other
half in diamonds." A fading photograph in Beaufort West Museum shows
Carel's mother wearing a diamond brooch fashioned from the best stones. Then there were
the people of long ago. The memories are mostly good, but “there was a lad in
the same class at school with us, Marthinus Rossouw, nicknamed ‘Skollie,’ who
was the accused in the sensational Baron Dieter von Schauroth murder trial in 1961. The
case drew the attention of the world press. Rossouw claimed that Von Schauroth had begged
to be killed. His defence counsel claimed Rossouw had killed the Baron “as an act of
deep friendship.” Evidence was led of large insurance policies, diamond deals and
the Baron’s unhappy marriage." The jury found Rossouw guilty after less
than an hour’s deliberation. Raymond, who attended the hearing, still remembers the
chills he felt when the death sentence was pronounced on a former classmate. Marthinus
Rossouw was hanged at Pretoria Central Prison on June 20, 1962. As Charles Dickens went on
to say: “… it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair
…”
HEAVEN SMILES ON GOLF?
“Golf is one of the Cape’s biggest tourism drawcards,” said WCTB
chief executive Mike Fabricius during a recent meeting in the Karoo. Yet in the legal
sense it was not even considered a game during the 1800s. A quote from a
1933 Karoo newspaper clears up this anomaly: “In the Cape it is still illegal
to play sports on the Lord’s Day. According to the Sunday Observance Ordinance
of 1838, players of sport on Sunday can be prosecuted and 'instruments' used in the game
confiscated. The exception is golf, which according to a ruling by Sir Thomas Graham
(Judge-President, Eastern Districts Court) is not a game."
SWARTBERG PASS ALMOST BECAME A SALUTE TO A QUEEN
The Karoo was not left out in 1887 when almost everyone in the British Empire was
planning celebrations for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. After a public meeting in Prince
Albert, residents approached the government to change the name of the Swartberg Pass to
Victoria Pass. The government “passed” on the idea and maintained
the name “Swartberg.” Pleas for a special funding for a
celebration were acceded to.
MYSTERY SURROUNDS EARLY MAGISTRATE
One of the first government officials to arrive in Beaufort West after its
proclamation in 1818 was deputy magistrate John Baird. This gentle, kindly and
hospitable Scot is now something of an enigma. It now emerges that he is also somehow
connected to the Baird fortune, still held in trust in Scotland. John arrived in South
Africa with his sister Agnes in 1806 to join the Cape Regiment. When it was
disbanded he was sent to assist Dr Robert Hart, the manager of Somerset Farm. John
married twice, raised eight children and led an eventful life in Beaufort West. He
died at his Donkin Street home at the age of 60 and was buried on April 27, 1845.
Recently, two of John’s descendants, Lindy Sykes and her father, David Wickley Baird,
visited Beaufort West to try to find traces of their ancestor. Lindy has traced the
family history back from her father to John’s emigration from Scotland and unearthed
many mysteries along the way. "John is a bit of an enigma. I cannot locate his
Scottish connections. I can’t find his birthplace, nor his parents. I keep crossing
the paths of people trying to establish a link to the Baird fortune, still in trust in
Scotland and now worth millions. John's son, John David apparently once tried
to claim the fortune, but all the required documentation was lost when Springfontein Dam
burst its banks and flooded the town, destroying his house on October 3, 1869. I can find
no reasons for John Senior's bankruptcy in Beaufort West, nor of the corruption of
which he was accused and which allegedly led to his dismissal as magistrate. I'd
love to hear from anyone with details."
KAROO NOU OP HOOGTE VAN SAKE
Sentrale Karoo toerisme rolspelers is onlangs ingelig oor die huidige beleide en
beplanning van die Gesamentlike Bemarkings Inisiatief (GBI). Hierdie organisasie is
in die lewe geroep om 'n nouer samewerking tussen toerisme-, investering- en
handelsorganisasies in die Wes-Kaap te bewerkstellig, veral met die bemarking van
toerisme. Wes-Kaap Toerismeraad hoof uitvoerende beampte Dr Mike Fabricius,
konsultant Dirk Joubert en e.besigheid bestuurder Anneline Kriel het Sentrale Karoo
rolspelers ingelig oor die vordering sowel as toekomsplanne van die GBI en e.besigheid,
verpligte registrasie en lidmaatskap.
KAROO UPDATED
Central
Karoo tourism roleplayers were recently updated on current policies and planning of the
Joing Marketing Initiative (JMI). This organisation was created to
promote closer co-operation between tourism, investment and marketing organisations in the
Western Cape Province and particularly to streamline tourism marketing campaigns.
Western Cape Tourism Board chief executive Dr Mike Fabricius, consultant Dirk
Joubert and e.business manager Anneline Kriel, informed roleplayers attending a
meeting in Beaufort West of progress, planning, e.business, mandatory registration and
membership.
A PEEK INTO A TIME WHEN GOLD FEVER RAN
HIGH
Two old discarded photographs have given geological researcher Johan Loocke a
peek at life on Prince Albert Goldfields. Johan was guiding a student on a research
project when he discovered the two photographs among old papers in a deserted farm shed.
“One photograph shows two well-dressed gentlemen with a team of labourers busily
working their claim, and in the other they are all at their campsite,” says Johan.
“The picture of the camp is extremely interesting. It shows two tents
with open flaps. One is obviously a mess tent, while the other is a living area.
In this tent there are neatly made up beds and a dog lying on a cabin trunk. Next
to the tent is a portable wash basin and shaving mirror on its stand. A kettle is
boiling on a tripod nearby, and in the centre there is an assaying unit, set up and ready
to handle any discoveries.” Johan tried to relate the scene to the gold fields
map drawn by Sydney Cowper in 1891. It shows the huge claims belonging to Danie du Plessis
of the Early Bird Syndicate, as well as many smaller ones such as Watson' s Peg, Eyre's
Shaft and Saunders's Shaft. Also indicated are Main and One Speck creeks. N J
Gillet wrote a report on the gold fields. It was published by Juta in 1891 under the title
The Prince Albert Goldfields. A copy
is now on sale at Select Books in Cape Town. Bookstore owner Dave McLennan says:
"This rare work, which costs R5 000, contains a fold-out map, advertisements
and letters to G W Smith, government surveyor and chairman of the Union Gold Mining
Company in Port Elizabeth and to TW Chandler, who worked for Smith at Millwood Goldfields
in Knysna. These letters, dated September 3and 10, are referred to in Gillet’s
report."
SUKSESVOLLE TOETS VIR EERSTE ROTSKUNS
STAPROETE
(Tel
No 023-416-1648)
Beskermheer van die rotsgravure terrein by Nelspoort, Lawrence Rathenam, het
onlangs 'n paar kollegas genooi om die eerste staproete daar te kom toets. Onder
hulle was Henry Brown, van die Beaufort-Wes museum trusteeraad, skoolhoofde H Roman en H
Sawat, en kollega J Paulse. Hulle was dit eens, die drie-uur staptog is 'n
wonderlike ervaring. Hulle is ingelig oor die terrein, die geskiedenis van Nelspoort
en die ou Khoi en San rotsgravure sowel as die ander rotskuns. Daarna het hulle die
sanatorium se wol- en spinbedryf besigtig. "Ons sien uit na 'n opvolg besoek om
die ander staproetes te verken," sê hulle. 'n
Groot groep toeriste vanaf Engeland het al bespreek om in September hierdie terrein
te kom besoek.
SUCCESSFUL TEST FOR FIRST ROCK ART RAMBLE
The
patron of the rock art terrain at Nelspoort, Lawrence Rathenam, recently invited a few
colleagues to test the Karoo's first Rock Art Ramble. Among them was Henry
Brown, member of the Beaufort West Museum Trustee Board, school principals H Roman and H
Sawat and a colleague J Paulse. They all agreed that the ramble was a
wonderful experience and that they looked forward to testing other proposed routes once
these were laid out. The visitors were informed about the history of the terrain as
well as of the Khoi khoi and San people who once lived in the area. Thereafter the
group visited the sanatorium to see its wool and spinning projects. A large group of
British tourists have already booked to take a ramble along this route in September.
WHITE ROCK LAYER REVEALS AN ANCIENT FLOOD
Just south of Laingsburg lies a geological wonder of the
Great Karoo that constantly catches the eye. It is a band of white rock, 15 to 60cm thick,
known to geologists as the Matjiesfontein Chert Bed. The white band runs along the koppies
to the south of the N1 and is the source of many a question. "This rock layer
silently records a single brief, but immense, underwater flood which occurred in the space
of a few hours, 260-million years ago," says Dr John Almond, a keen geologist who
runs Natura Viva, a natural history, education, tourism and research organisation.
"This layer is part of a single bed that extends without interruption for over 450km
from the Tanqua Karoo in the west to Jansenville in the Eastern Cape, and for at least
150km in a north-south direction. The bed consists of a very hard sedimentary rock
called chert. It has a high content of microscopically small silica crystals, which
give it a flinty quality and make the chert ideal for stone tools, as the San quickly
discovered.” Silica is a glassy mineral derived from fine particles of volcanic ash.
John explained that this ash was deposited as a result of huge and violent volcanic
eruptions that took place during the mid-Permian Period, about 260-million years ago,
in what is now Patagonia in southern South America, or perhaps west Antarctica.
“While these regions were then about 1 500km from the Karoo, they
nevertheless formed part of the same gigantic super continent known as Pangaea.
Winds repeatedly blew dense clouds of volcanic ash across south-western Pangaea
over the newly-forming Cape Fold Mountains. It finally settled on the bed of a fairly deep
inland water body called the Ecca Sea, and gradually filtered to the bottom to form
discrete ash layers. Then a major earthquake, probably associated with contemporaneous
mountain-building to the south, shook up and destabilised the thick underwater deposits of
mud and ash which had accumulated along the shallow edges of the Ecca Sea. These
slumped downslope, in the process mixing with surrounding water to form a turbulent mass
of soupy material, much denser than the clearer waters above. This dense
sediment-water mixture then flowed under gravity along the sea bed into greater depths,
finally spreading far and wide across the almost level floor of the Ecca Sea. As the
flow gradually lost momentum, it dropped its mixed load of mud and ash to form a single,
almost horizontal layer containing a total volume of sediment exceeding 16 cubic
kilometres. The whole process probably lasted no more than a few hours at most.
Subsequent compaction of the sediment, combined with chemical alteration of the
silica-rich ash particles, cemented the deposit to form a resistant bed of cherty rock.
In time, this was gradually buried beneath several kilometres of younger Karoo
sediments and lavas. Over the past 150-million years these have been removed by extensive
erosion, revealing this narrow white band of ancient rock. Now, who can say that the Karoo
landscape is monotonous and boring!"
GROOT BOHAAI IN KAROO OOR VROUEREGTE
Die Prokureur-Generaal van die Kaap het in 1933 'n bom in dameskringe laat
ontplof toe hy geweier het om 'n vrou as staatsaanklaer van die Rondgaande Hof in die
Karoo aan te stel. Feministe het onmiddelik beswaar aangeteken by die Minister van
Justisie, Advokaat Oswald Pirow, asook by Generaal Jan Smuts. Maar voor die
bohaai kon vlam vat, het die Prokureur-Generaal weereens almal verbaas toe hy
ewe kalm te kenne gegee het dat hy in heroorweging geen besware teen die aanstelling van
mej. M Oblowitz het nie. Sy was die eerste dame wat so ‘n pos in die
Karoo beklee het, en het vanaf 15 September, 1933, in diefstal, verkragting en diamant
diefstal sake opgetree.
HUGE OUTCRY FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS
In
1933 the Advocate General of the Cape almost caused a riot when he refused to appoint a
woman as public prosecutor for the Circuit Court in the Karoo. Feminists
rushed complaints to the Minister of Justice, Advocate Oswald Pirow, and to General Jan
Smuts. Then, just before matters got out of hand the Advocate General did an about
turn and surprised everyone by calmly announcing that he in fact had no objections to the
appointment of Miss M Oblowitz. This took the wind out of everyone's sails.
Miss Oblowitz, the first women to be appointed in such a post in the Karoo,
began appearing in theft, rape and diamond smuggling cases from September 15, 1933.
WELCOME IN GERMAN
(Tel
No 023-541-1366)
Translations by local resident Bodo Tolstede have enabled Prince Albert
Tourist Bureau to include German information on its website - www.patourism.co.za.
TRAVALIA GROWS
(Tel
No 053-621-0809)
Travalia, the popular overnight stop alongside the N1 at Three Sisters, is
expanding. "Four luxury double/family rooms are currently under construction.
"Two will have en-suite bathrooms, the others will have showers and all units will
have wheelchair ramps,” says manager Kobus Albrecht.
MARATHON INSKRYWINGS
Die Beaufort-Wes Marathon vind vanjaar op 20 Augustus plaas. Inskrywings sluit op
2 Augustus, 2002.. Bel Mev Elwina Otto (023-415-2121)
vir inligting
MARATHON ENTRIES
The Beaufort West Marathon takes place again on August 20 this year.
Closing date for entries is August 2, 2002. Call Mrs
Elwina Otto (023-4-5-2121) for information.
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