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Walmer War Memorial

Last Thursday, 11 November, was Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day.  It is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries to remember the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War.  Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918, as the major hostilities of World War I were formally ended "at…

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16/11/2010
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Broad-leaf sugarbush

The Protea eximia or Broad-leaf sugerbush as its commonly known as, are quite widespread throughout the mountains of the Southern Cape, stretching from the mountains near Worcester through the Langeberg, Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains as far as Lady Slipper outside Port Elizabeth.  The Protea eximia flowers mainly from August to October and gets grown on Protea farms as they make a very good cut flower.  This one I photographed at the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve near Port Elizabeth. For more information on this beautiful member…

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16/11/2010
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Despatch Museum

One of the things that Despatch is well known for is the amount of top sports personalities that have originated from the town.  Despatch is synonymous with names such as Danie Gerber, Adri Geldenhuys, Rudi Koertzen and Charl Matthys to name only a few.  Its for this reason that a big part of the Despatch Museum has been dedicated to the top sport men from the town and numerous sporting memorabilia has pride of places on its wall. Amongst them six…

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15/11/2010
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Sukume Museum

The Sukume Human Dignity Centre next to the Walmer Township (Gqebera) consist of a creche, feeding scheme and hand craft project to assist people from the nearby township.  The centre recently started a small museum to help visitors understand the township and the culture of the Xhosa people.  They still have a lot of different plans for the centre and the museum, but as they do it out of their own pockets its a slow and ongoing project.

5 Comments
13/11/2010
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Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve

Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve is situated just off the N2 about 35km west of Port Elizabeth.  This 450 hectare reserve is probably the best place close to Port Elizabeth to go and marvel at the wonders of fynbos and to see flowering proteas.  The reserve covers both a large plateau area covered mostly in Fynbos as well as the slopes of the Van Stadens gorge consisting of indigenous coastal forest.  The main purpose of the reserve is to protect and propagate the…

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12/11/2010
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Chimney

I'm sure you all know the saying "standing out like a sore finger".  One of Despatch's main landmarks literally and figuratively embodies that saying.  The Despatch Brickworks Chimney was built in 1882 as part of the area's flourishing brick making industry.  In the last 1800's a railway siding was built forking off the main railway line between Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage.  This siding was used to dispatch bricks from the brickworks to Port Elizabeth where most of the buildings of…

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11/11/2010
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Karoo roads

Driving through the Karoo should be an adventure, not a rush.  It has so many interesting nooks and crannies to explore, but to get there one has to travel many interesting roads and paths. Travelling is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. Travelling through the Karoo one firstly encounters tar roads. On these we depart the big towns and cities, but from them, somewhere along the way, you have to turn off onto ... ... a dirt road.  It…

15 Comments
11/11/2010
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Old Power Station

The old Swartkops Power Station makes for a very unusual landmark where it stands next to the Swartkops River.  The power station came into operation in 1954 and was used by the Port Elizabeth Municipality to generate power until 1996 when ESKOM (South Africa's power utility) offered them electricity at a rate that couldn't be matched by themselves.  Today the power station with its six 76 meter high chimneys stand empty and nobody really knows what the plans are with…

7 Comments
10/11/2010
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The Pink Church

What would be one of the most unusual sights you can imagine finding in a little plattelandse (rural) town in the Karoo?  Well, I bet you didn't just think a pink church, but after saying it it would probably be on your list.  Driving into the Karoo town of Hofmeyr, one immediately sees the bell tower and clock towering out above the surrounding town and its difficult not changing direction to check it out.The Hofmeyr Dutch Reformed Church was built in…

5 Comments
10/11/2010