To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Battle at Majuba, Boer representatives gathered from far and wide for a re-enactment on the site of the Boer encampment.
Under
Ron Lock's expert organization and guidance, 16 members set off on the morning
of Friday, March 2nd to further their knowledge or, should we say, reduce their
ignorance of the First Boer War, the Transvaal War of Independence, 1880-81. Appropriate
nutrition was ensured by stops for morning tea in Howick, and an excellent lunch
at the Spionkop Lodge. Our target for the evening was the Newcastle Country Lodge,
but we were able to visit Fort Amiel.
The fort was built in 1876 by men
of the 80th Regiment (Staffordshire Volunteers) as part of a string
of forts to protect the route to the interior. It was extensively used in the
Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and both Boer Wars, but was never the scene of battle.
Dinner, bed and breakfast at the Newcastle Country Lodge was well up to Ron's
usual standard. Particularly appreciated after a sweltering day was the air-conditioning
in all rooms.
Saturday 3rd provided the main interest of the
tour viz. the sites of all three major battles of the War apart from the initial
British debacle at Bronkhorstspruit in the Transvaal. We had good views of Laing's
Nek which was defended by the Boers, and Mount Prospect, where the British under
General Colley were encamped.
We could well visualize the attempted
assault and costly retreat of the morning of 28th of January, 1881.
Ten days later, Colley led a force of 393 men South to the insignificant hill
of Schuinshoogte to deal with the Boers who were harrying his supply lines. In
the skirmish which followed, British losses amounted to 133, the Boers’
to about 20, and it would have been vastly more disastrous had a fierce thunderstorm
not put an end to the day at 5 pm.
Colley, licking his wounds but encouraged
by reinforcements, then decided to take Majuba in the hope of thus commanding
the Laing's Nek pass and retrieving some of his honour before the arrival of the
much more experienced General, Sir Evelyn Wood. This battle turned out to be the
third and worst British disaster with losses of 282 men as opposed to the Boer
losses of two killed and four wounded! Colley himself was fatally shot on the
top of Majuba.
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On
arrival at Majuba, we had no idea we were about to witness a re-enactment of the
battle to celebrate the 125th anniversary. The re-enactment was staged on the site of the Boer encampment and to this we were most hospitably invited. Boer representatives had ridden on horseback from far and wide, some having been on the road for up to a week. The British were represented by a small squad of "Diehards" in full military dress. As part of the celebrations, there were several speeches, and some singing (including the notorious De la Rey). We were struck by the friendliness exhibited towards a crowd of Rooineks, for we were largely mistaken for British tourists. |
We returned to the Lodge for a substantial lunch, and then visited Utrecht which does not seem to know whether it's in the Transvaal or Natal and probably wishes it was still an independent Boer republic!
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The
Battlefields Country Lodge near Dundee was known to many of us from a previous
tour. Accommodation in the quaint silos (double storey rondavels) was most comfortable
and the food superb. After dinner our group, seated at two separate tables, competed in a quiz and thanks to heavy pre-prandial swotting the better table won, handing over only a few dregs of the prize to the disappointed losers. |
Sunday was a day of relaxation. We stopped in Ladysmith to examine the replica of a "Big Tom" cannon, then hastened on to a stupendous and stupefying lunch at the Hilton Hotel. Arriving back in Durban at about four, every one agreed that the tour had been a most enjoyable experience, instructive, companionable, and very good value. Thank-you, Ron.
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Fly-on-the-Wall is to be a regular column, which reports on the modus operandi of various U3A courses and activities. Since debates at Basil and Suzanne's home have been on the course list since the inception of U3A Durban, it was decided to look-in on a TOPICAL DEBATE.
The
Topical Debate
group meet twice a month at the home of Basil and Suzanne Edge. There are 14 on
the course including the hosts. Participants take turns to choose and present
the topic for debate.
The course leader, Basil, has drawn up a roster
which gives the names of each member and the dates scheduled for their presentations.
The presenter for this session was Jeremy Faure-Field. He told me that this was
his first presentation, and he was somewhat apprehensive about having Fly-on-the-wall
homing in at his debut! "Why today? Can't it be next week?" He jokingly asked.
Well, the answer to that is the course has been popular for so long, that it would
be nice to know what makes it tick and as the deadline for this newsletter was
the following day there was to be no escape for him!
Wendy Hales, one
of the participants who is also involved with the Bergthiel Minds Alive Group,
explained that the difference between the Minds Alive groups and the Topical
Debate group was clearly in the name - Topical! Well, on 13th March,
the subject matter was certainly that. In fact it was so topical, that one wonders
how Jeremy managed to gather as much background information as he did.
Once everyone was seated in the comfortable living room, Jeremy announced that
the debate was to be on 'Canned Hunting'. For those not familiar with this terminology,
'Canned Hunting' describes the killing of wild animals such as lion, rhinoceros
and elephant without the animals having any chance of escape as they are fenced
in and have been bred on game farms specifically for the purpose of being hunted
for trophies.
Basil had told me that the role of the presenter is to
generate debate. This Jeremy certainly did, despite the fact that the entire group
were against the practice of canned hunting. The first ten to fifteen minutes
were devoted to sharing facts he had gleaned from internet websites, his own experience
and the media. Some of the information obtained from American websites was so
unacceptable that the whole group was aghast – for example the fact that
there is an online site which enables the 'hunter' to kill animals simply by pointing
the computer's mouse at the desired target and 'firing'. This is not a computer
game, but a genuine method of killing live animals fenced in and lined-up for
the kill.
Consensus on the key subject, however, opened up related issues
- the killing of game on farms for trophies; the slaughter of domestic animals
for food and the feeding of donkeys to lions. The issues turned out to be not
as simple as first perceived. Where does one draw the line between culling and
permitting the overpopulation of lions or elephants? Does one condone the breeding
of donkeys to feed the lions ... what is the role of zoos? Are we for or against?
Not easy answers when one looks at the wider issues.
Related topics such
as tourism, nature conservation, the encroachment of golf-course developments
on the coastal eco-system were discussed. They also looked at the ethical and
moral issues from the point of view of other cultures and societies who may not
see matters in the same way that we do. As one member taking the stance of Devil's
Advocate said, "Who are we to say that our moral code is the correct one?"
On the positive side, the Minister of Tourism and Environment Martinus van
Schalkwyk, was given much praise for the bills he has introduced and the effectiveness
of his nature conservation laws.
That a positive environmental message
is filtering through to school leavers, is suggested by a story related by Brian.
He had gone to a local petrol station to fill the gas cylinder. This pleased Nosipho,
the young shop assistant, who endorsed the use of gas, saying that it was not
good to use wood for cooking, as it meant chopping down valuable trees; a most
encouraging anecdote illustrating that one of the answers to nature conservation
and the treatment of animals is education.
It was clear that the debate
broadened one's outlook. Ideas were raised which gave depth to the subject, linking
related facts and sourcing fresh information. Mature arguments (matured with age
no doubt!) helped one look at contentious issues in a new light, not necessarily
to change one's opinions, but certainly to help one understand and respect different
points of view. The meeting per se lasted one hour, but it stimulated such
a degree of interest that it took our hostess, Suzanne several minutes to call
everyone to the patio tea table, where we enjoyed freshly made sandwiches and
home-baked raisin loaf in the friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
As Fly-on-the-Wall,
this was a wonderful exercise for yours truly to keep her opinions to herself
and her mouth shut. The issues were emotive, but the group were attentive and
thoughtful with no one trying to force their own ideas or prove a point. Seated
with a group of eight or more, even if you do not speak out, can be a very useful
experience. This particular course has its maximum quota, but as Basil has said,
anyone wishing to run a similar one would be given the necessary guidance and
encouragement.
The photo shows Basil, Jeremy and Suzanne chatting
over tea after the morning's debate.
Jill Stevens