Greetings! Fred Bullock here again with some further thoughts on our beautiful
Magoebaskloof area.
I mentioned how the village seems transformed into a vibrant food, drink,
shopping and sleeping centre and, and now I want to take a quick look at a
couple of the other attractions in and around the village.
Haenertsburg was a ‘hot-spot’ during the final months of the Anglo Boer War
and next time we will visit the site where the last of the four Long Tom guns,
belonging to the Boers, was blown up to stop it falling into the hands of the
advancing British forces. In the village, close to the Community Centre, is a
monument dedicated, not only to this Long Tom gun, but also to the memory
of all local residents who perished in the Makgoba War, the Anglo Boer War,
the 1 st and 2 nd World Wars and also the Border War. It is well worth a visit as
there are plaques that tell the story of all these conflicts. Here are fragments
from the gun destroyed at in Feeskop, a few kilometers distant, as well as the
tip of the muzzle cut off after the British tried, most unsuccessfully, to blow up
this gun at the Siege of Ladysmith. There is much to tell but my space is
limited!
A short distance along Kerk Street on the edge of the Arboretum is a small
group of yellowwood trees and, nestled inside, is a brick and concrete
structure which houses the Millennium Box which was interred in this
structure at the turn of the 21 st Century. The box contains a selection of items
telling the story of the village at that time. An album of photographs of almost
all the streets and buildings in the village, press cuttings and a range of
memorabilia, including a bottle of Rhodesian red wine, were enclosed and the
small plaque on the top of this container states that it should only be opened
at the end of 2099. Many surprises await those who are here at that time!
At the top end of Kantoor Street, the tar ends and one turns right onto a
magnificent new brick-paved road that leads up to the Haenertsburg
Cemetery. This only opened I’m told, at the end of 2023 and it replaced the
old, almost completely eroded and pot-holed track along which visitors and
those destined for their final resting places had to make their way. Now
described by the locals as the Highway to Heaven, it will lead you to the most
scenic graveyard in the land. The views across the rolling forest, avocado
orchards and h ills of the area are stunning and it is a special place to enjoy a
sundowner or to watch the full moon rise over the distant horizon. There is a
concrete table and benches, kindly sponsored by the local Rotary Club and it is
the ideal spot to relax after a busy day of sight-seeing, hiking, mountain biking
or simply enjoying a meal at some local tavern, and just watching the world go
by. Your visit to this place will only be troubled by the gentle sighing of the
mountain breeze or the almost inaudible murmuration of souls.
What more can you possibly want, and them’s my sentiments.
Fred Bullock
