The town of Pearston, like so many of the small towns and villages scattered across the Karoo, had its origins as a parish of the Dutch Reformed Church. A notice to establish a church and a town was published in the Kerkbode in 1858, and the town and church were established in September 1859. The church bought a suitable farm, subdivided it into lots, reserved some of the plots for its own purposes and then offered the remainder for sale to defray the cost of purchasing the land and the building of a church. The management by the Church of the new village of Pearston was short-lived, and in 1861, the town management board acquired all the rights to manage the village from the Church. Pearston was proclaimed a municipality in 1894.
I haven’t had a chance to visit Pearston before a drive from Graaff-Reinet to Somerset East took me through the town. The only real attraction I picked up on before my visit was the historic Dutch Reformed Church, so that’s where I headed first. After circling back to the main road through town, I was driving along slowly, taking in the town, when my eye caught sight of another church on the eastern side of town.
The gate was open and so was the church, so I headed in for a look around. Turns out the church is very much a historic building as well. The St Andrews Anglican Church was built in 1907 and is a beautiful little church.
The church is affiliated with the Anglican church in Somerset East and only has a service on the third Sunday of every month.
Above the cornerstone is a plaque put up for the church’s centenary celebrations in 1907. I had to look up what A.M.D.G means. It’s a Latin quote which can be translated as “For the greater glory of God” and has been used as a rallying cry for Catholics throughout history.
In front of the church is a memorial remembering eight men from the town who died during the Anglo-Boer War. It’s one of those monuments, like the church, that you won’t likely find in guidebooks and most travellers probably won’t even notice it, but it very much has historical significance.
I took a moment to read the names, took some photos and just realised again that if you’re not willing to explore, then places like this will pass you and eventually be forgotten by everybody but those who live there.
