THE WATER TANK
It’s not quite a yellow brick road, but it is made of pale grey bricks and it is known to the locals as ‘The Highway to Heaven’.
Yes, indeed, it is the new road from the village of Haenertsburg up to our cemetery. High on a hill, it is probably the most scenic cemetery in the Republic with the earliest tombstones showing dates back at the end of the 19th Century.
There are grand views in all directions except to the south where a mighty plantation of pine trees blocks the view towards the Iron Crown, the highest peak in Limpopo.
Take a platter of snacks and a couple of cold beers up to this place of eternal rest on a warm summer evening and soak in the peaceful surroundings.
My most recent walk up to the top was a bit of a shock to me as I passed what used to be a concrete water reservoir which for many years held no water because it had sprung a leak, and is now a tall steel water tank shining ever so brightly in the last rays of the evening sun.
Looking back down from the cemetery, this new tank dominated what used to be a tranquil vista of rolling hills, pine and avocado plantations and the rooftops of some village houses. I looked at it for a while and whilst I was extremely happy that our village now had a much-needed second reservoir, my aesthetic soul rebelled against the starkness of this shiny tall tank.
And then, as sometimes happens to my aging mind, I had a thought. Look at those two, unused power station cooling towers near Soweto which have been decorated with a variety of images in many happy colours. Let’s simply do the same with our tank and make it an attractive and a ‘must-see’ feature for our visitors. There are several highly talented artists in our community who, I am sure, could be persuaded to paint a selection of the wild flowers, insects, reptiles and birds found on our grasslands just a hop, step and a jump across the road from this tank.
I am sure that our community would not only fund the purchase of the paints, brushes and a long ladder reaching to the top of the tank, but perhaps a suitable reward for the artists – the inimitable South African braai!
Why not, I ask? It would be fun and would look a great deal better than it does at the moment – and them’s my sentiments!
Be good!
Fred Bullock
