Home Page: Willmore Adventures in South Africa
We have been fortunate enough to spend a weekend with Laurence's cousins at their trout farm near a place called Dullstroom, about 3 hours north east of Johannesburg. The farm is truly in the bundus. The last shop and indeed building we passed before reaching the farmhouse was about a twenty minute drive away down some dusty tracks. Shortly after turning down one track we came across a doddery old man stumbling along with a stick to steady himself. With light fading fast as it does in Africa, and with no dwellings in sight, we stopped to give this old boy a lift. Little did we realise that his stumbling along was less to do with his age and more to do with his afternoon spent in a shebeen, which is a native African public house. So we had a rather eventful few minutes trying to establish where he was headed. We dropped him off at a cross roads and left him in the capable hands of two young men, who knew our jolly friend, and then we carried on to the farm in the dark.
Our weekend at the farm was spent quad biking, trekking rather adventurously to a huge waterfall, and fishing in the many dams. It was great to see all the little cousins having so much fun together, as were the big ones too!
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| A quick spin on the quad bike with cousin Shaun and his son Matthew |
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| An early morning fish at one of the dams |
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| With cousin Jo and Elwyn's daughters, Skylar and Kiera |
We raced off on the quad bikes deep into the African countryside, the children's adrenaline in full flow and with Elowen wanting to 'win the race'. We then began our trek to a hidden waterfall. With toddlers in tow, we somewhat naively traipsed through bogs, long grass, trees and bushes, over rocks and across streams, up hills and down hills, until we arrived at this amazing cascading waterfall. Amelie rather daringly climbed right to the edge to touch the falling water and we all had a splash in the pool at the bottom, no-one feeling brave enough to jump in for a swim, (I was convinced that it was probably full of crocodiles and snakes!) Joel amazingly walked all the way there and back, on what was a really fun afternoon. Navigating our way round a herd of cows once back on the quad bikes was the final hurdle, and it was home for an evening fish at the dams.
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| Our trek to the waterfall |
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| We made it to the waterfall! |
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| Cousins on stepping stones at one of the dams |
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| Elwyn and Joel fishing together |
As with everyone in Laurence's life, I have got to know people over the years as we've sneaked a Christmas here or a wedding there, but to get to know family and friends at a slower pace, has been really special. And the weekend at the farm was one such occasion.
Since arriving in Africa, we have had the absolute pleasure of getting to know Shepherd, the gardener who comes to our house once a week. Every Thursday we spend lunch together on the veranda and often delve into African politics, family news or explore each others cultures. Shepherd has loved hearing about the UK and learning about snow or the sea. Likewise I have delighted in learning about the Venda Tribe and hearing Shepherd's story.
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| Lunchtime with Shepherd |
Shepherd is from the Limpopo Province of South Africa, where the land is covered in grassy plains and clusters of dense trees, known as the bush-veld. He also lives very close to Kruger National Park which is where all the 'Big Five' animals roam free. Shepherd never went to school but rather amazingly speaks six languages. As a child he would go for days without food, and now works six days a week to make sure that his children eat everyday. He also works with a very weak right arm as he was shot and left for dead a decade ago by someone wanting to steal his mobile phone. Needless to say, Shepherd's life is one of hardship and sacrifice, but incredibly, one of great stories and a wealth of knowledge too. Shepherd has taught me how to ward off lions with fire; and elephants by banging a pan (I guess with their big ears elephants are sensitive to noise!). He has told me how you must throw rocks in the river before you wash or swim, to scare the crocodiles away (I'm never going to try it); and he has sat with me in the garden and shown me how to thatch a roof, and explained how to plant, grow, harvest and store maize.
He has also told us, rather amusingly, how his village have put bells on the cattle and built them a nighttime pen. With all the roofs made of long grass, the cows are living in a sweet shop and if allowed to move silently at night, would indulge in a midnight feast of grass roof undetected until morning. So a late night tinkle of bells is sadly not a herd of reindeer in these parts but a cow escapee from the pen looking for a late night snack.
Shepherd lives most of the year in the township of Diepsloot, which is the area where I teach. The reason he is unable to live in the bush-veld is because his family can no longer sustain themselves off the land alone. With the population ever growing there is a lack of space to grow enough crops; and with the outlawing of hunting big animals due to all the poaching for tusks and horns in the ivory trade, Shepherd has had to look elsewhere to support his family. This is why he has worked his way up to becoming a gardener in the city and why his family now have to shop in the supermarket instead of off the land.
In a world trying to care more about the environment and live in a more efficient and sustained manner, Shepherd is a torch bearer. It is a shame that his tribe can no longer live in the way it once did. Maybe there will be a day when it becomes a way of life once more. Maybe a cow on the loose could one day become the world's biggest problem...
So as Africa is woven into our Willmore story and we experience and learn about the different cultures, it has once again been an adventure and a privilege to be in this wonderful place and to call it home.
Lots of love,
Jess xxx
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