2010-03-11
Dispatch Online - 11 March 2010
AFTER ignoring – maybe even neglecting – it for many years, Nieu Bethesda’s authorities are taking good care of outsider artist Helen Martin’s amazing Owl House these days.
And to give visitors a smoother ride on the 30km stretch from the main road to the village “untouched by time”, work is under way on tarring it at a cost of R18.3 million. It’s a bit of a worry to many residents – and, incidentally, to me, too. I fell in love with the place on my first visit last year and couldn’t wait to get back there to sample life at a different pace – where ducks, horses, dogs and geese live side-by-side in a harmony that’s reflected by the friendliness of their human helpers.
Now the access road is being tarred, what’ll happen when the village is “discovered” by the four-by-four brigade? (There’s an irony there, but I’m sure you’ll let it pass!) And what about the dusty village roads themselves – will they ever be tarred?
No, we’ll never let that happen, insists Belinda at the Pancake House.
Writing in local newsletter Kapaaislander, Tutti Graham reports – horror of horrors – that streetlighting has also been proposed by Graaff-Reinet Municipality. The ratepayers’ association’s Charles Graham points out that the village is a tourist attraction because of its untarred roads, old houses and spectacular night skies. Lighting it up at night would compromise the atmosphere of the place – then the tourist trade would diminish and the economy suffer.
Municipal supervisor Phillip Olifant says if residents refuse to have street lights they won’t be forced on them.
Good for you, Phillip. It’s a place which should stay just where it is – charmingly stuck in a simpler past, where the only traffic jams are caused by goats or cows and carefree youngsters ride bareback along the main street. There’s still no ATMs, credit card machines or petrol pumps. Obviously there’s a down-side to life like this. Economically, it can be a bit of a struggle for small businesses but those offering the best service with a smile seem to be doing okay.
Andre Cilliers, who brews three types of beer and also makes a variety of scrumptious cheeses, rushes around with a verve for life that’s a delight. Sitting under his huge pepper trees for a hearty cheese platter is a pleasure indeed.
Pop into the Inn for a cool drink and chat to Idil, an ex-teacher who’s translated Athol Fugard’s plays into Afrikaans. A second annual festival is on the cards to honour the playwright, who still has a house in the village although he lives in the US these days. There’s loads of accommodation – from backpacker simplicity to charming houses like Ian and Katrin’s Aandster, where we stayed.
There’s a newish pub in the main “street”, too. Don’t know how that’s going down, though. On a chalk board outside, a wet t-shirt contest was advertised for Saturday night. Not much old world charm in that, I thought. Maybe the villagers think so, too. When we drove past just before 9pm, it was all closed up.
AFTER ignoring maybe even neglecting it for many years, Nieu Bethesda’s authorities are taking good care of outsider artist Helen Martin’s amazing Owl House these days.
And to give visitors a smoother ride on the 30km stretch from the main road to the village “untouched by time”, work is under way on tarring it at a cost of R18.3 million. It’s a bit of a worry to many residents and, incidentally, to me, too.
I fell in love with the place on my first visit last year and couldn’t wait to get back there to sample life at a different pace - where ducks, horses, dogs and geese live side-by-side in a harmony that’s reflected by the friendliness of their human helpers.Now the access road is being tarred, what’ll happen when the village is “discovered” by the four-by-four brigade? (There’s an irony there, but I’m sure you’ll let it pass!)
And what about the dusty village roads themselves – will they ever be tarred? No, we’ll never let that happen, insists Belinda at the Pancake House.
Writing in local newsletter Kapaaislander, Tutti Graham reports – horror of horrors – that streetlighting has also been proposed by Graaff-Reinet Municipality. The ratepayers’ association’s Charles Graham points out that the village is a tourist attraction because of its untarred roads, old houses and spectacular night skies. Lighting it up at night would compromise the atmosphere of the place – then the tourist trade would diminish and the economy suffer.
Municipal supervisor Phillip Olifant says if residents refuse to have street lights they won’t be forced on them. Good for you, Phillip. It’s a place which should stay just where it is – charmingly stuck in a simpler past, where the only traffic jams are caused by goats or cows and carefree youngsters ride bareback along the main street. There’s still no ATMs, credit card machines or petrol pumps.
Obviously there’s a down-side to life like this. Economically, it can be a bit of a struggle for small businesses but those offering the best service with a smile seem to be doing okay.
Andre Cilliers, who brews three types of beer and also makes a variety of scrumptious cheeses, rushes around with a verve for life that’s a delight. Sitting under his huge pepper trees for a hearty cheese platter is a pleasure indeed.
Pop into the Inn for a cool drink and chat to Idil, an ex-teacher who’s translated Athol Fugard’s plays into Afrikaans. A second annual festival is on the cards to honour the playwright, who still has a house in the village although he lives in the US these days.
There’s loads of accommodation – from backpacker simplicity to charming houses like Ian and Katrin’s Aandster, where we stayed.
There’s a newish pub in the main “street”, too. Don’t know how that’s going down, though. On a chalk board outside, a wet t-shirt contest was advertised for Saturday night. Not much old world charm in that, I thought. Maybe the villagers think so, too. When we drove past just before 9pm, it was all closed up.
Stevie Godson. E-mail her at stevieg@dispatch.co.za
