Kameel Stoepstorie: The regenerated Post Office building

 We visited the Old Post Office at Kameel some time ago. Telkom rented it for years. The building was where the villagers would pay telephone accounts, collect mail, send telegrams & have a chat with Glen. Aunt Glen knitted the most beautiful socks for her children while operating the exchange. 

On a blue day, Rulandi asked Patrick if she could rent the old Post Office building and change it into a little house. She aims to shape the old building and, thereafter the building will shape her and her new beginnings.

On her own time, RuIandi and some help started the change. Today we popped in and are sharing with you her process. 

She changed the structure into a cute cottage into a one bedroom, a bathroom and a huge living area with the kitchen. The old entrance became a bathroom, the reception area is now her bedroom and the second entrance is her laundry. 

She is eager to start a garden to brighten her new home. We wish Rulandi the very best and we are watching her progress.

Till next time 

Sandra 

Kameel Stoepstorie: Ma Floss se Vrugtekoek

 

Ma Floss op haar troudag

Hierdie resep het Ma Floss, as jong getroude vrou, by ‘n bakker op Mafeking gekry. Die bakery was Dick’s Bakery en was in Stationweg. Ma en Pa het in Carrington Road gebly.  

Elke Oktobermaand het Ma hierdie resep uitgehaal en dan was dit vrugtekoek tyd. 

Die vrugtekoek het  'n familie tradisie geword. 

Die resep is aangepas by metrieke mates. 

Die droeëvrugte is twee dae voordat die koek gebak word, voorberei. In daardie dae moes die vrugte gewas word, die rosyne ontpit word en die dadels ontpit word. Dan is die vrugte op 'n skoon doek op ‘n sifdraad uitgegooi om droog te word. Daarna is die rosyne en dadels gesniper. Daarna is die meeste suiker van die verskuikerde skil afgekrap en is dan fyn gesny. Die kersies word deur gesny, die groenvye word grof gekap en die gemmer word ook fyn gesny. Die neute word gekap. 

Die vrugte is die aand voordat die koek gebak word gemeng in 'n skottel. Brandewyn is daaroor gegooi en die vrugte is dan bedek 'n deksel of ‘n bord. Die vrugte mengsel is dan geoornag.  

Vrugte 

1 lb rosyne;  1 lb sultans;   1 lb korente;   ½ lb dadels ; ½ lb versuikerde skil; ¼ lb kersies;  ½ lb groenvye;  ½ lb heel ingelegde gemmer; ½ kop brandewyn;  1 kop van 1 lb suiker en 'n ½ lb neute

Gebruik 1 kop suiker van die koek se bestanddele en verhit dit in ‘n pan tot dit gesmelt en ligbruin van kleur is.  Moet dit nie laat brand nie want dan sal dit b itter wees.  Voeg ¾ kop kookwater daarby en roer tot alles smelt is. 

Laat dit goed koud word om later te gebruik. 

Deeg

1 lb meel;  1½ teel fyn naeltjies;  ½ teel fyn gemmer;  1 teel sout; ½ kaneel 

1 lb botter;  1 lb suiker – 1 kop wat reeds gebruik is;  

10 eiers 

1 teel koeksoda;  2 eet appelkooskonfyt;  2 eet kitskoffie;

Koekpan

Voer die koekpan met drie lae bruinpapier en een lag botterpapier uit. 

Sny ook 3 stroke bruinpapier en een botter papier 1 duim wyer as die diepte van die pan en maak met ‘n tou om die koekpan vas.

Smeer die botterpapier met vet en voer die kante en boom van die pan uit.  

Metode

Sif die droë bestanddele saam, behalwe die koeksoda en die suiker. 

Klits die botter met ‘n houtlepel en voeg die suiker geleidelik by. Klits tot romerig is. 

Klits die eiers goed en voeg dit bietjie-bietjie by. Meng goed na elke byvoeging. Voeg ‘n bietjie van die meelmengsel ook by sodra die mengsel van botter en eier te loperig word, sodat dit nie kan skei nie. 

As al die eiers en meelmengsel met die botter en suiker gemeng is, voeg koue karamelstroop by.

Voeg die vrugte waaroor die Brandewyn gegiet is, by. 

Los die koeksode in ‘n bietjie warm, sterk koffie (omtrent 1 eetlepel), voeg konfyt by en voeg by die mengsel 

Voeg die neute by en meng alles goed. 

Die beslag moet styf genoeg wees om in stukke van die 

Voeg die neute by en meng alles goed. Die beslag moet styf genoeg wees om in stukke van die lepel af te val. As dit te slap is, sal die vrugte afsak en as dit te styf is, sal die koek bars. 

Skep die deeg in die uitgevoerde koekpan en druk die mensel na die kante van die vorm om effens ‘n holte in die middle te maak en so te voorkom dat die koek nie in die middle te veel oprys nie. 

Bak 4 – 5 uur land in ‘n stadige oond by 300ºF.  

Laat die koek ryp word vir ongeveer ‘n maand of langer in ‘n digte blik op ‘n koel plek. 

Sprinkel met ‘n bietjie brandewyn tussen deur.  

Tot 'n volgende keer 
Sandra 

Kameel Stoepstorie: Stella the town next to the Salt Pan

This blog post is dedicated to Pleasant McGregor. 

Pleasant is the granddaughter of Arthur William Fincham (1892 - 1938) and Elizabeth Anne van der Linde.  The couple lives at the farm in the area now known as Stella. Their children were Arthur Christian, Alice Gertrude, Olive May, Sarah Elizabeth, Louis Ann, Stella Susanna and Alfred Lesley. 

Alfred Lesley Fincham was Hope, Pleasant and Ivan's dad. They reside at Kinderdam about 12km from Kameel. 

You can read more about Uncle Alfie and Aunt Nellie in this blog post.

 https://kameelhuisetussenspore.blogspot.com/2018/05/kameel-stoepstorie-devondale-tot-kameel.html

With this background, we are tracking back to Stella. 

The house where Arthur and Elizabeth lived was known to everyone as the Rondesvouz. The family would love to visit the house next to the Salt Pan.

We visited the old dwelling. It is in a sorry state but we keep on wondering of the family crossing the front door. 

. 

You can read more about the Salt Pan on this blog post. 

https://kameelhuisetussenspore.blogspot.com/2020/02/kameel-stoepstorie-lonely-hill.html

Their children grew up and married and moved on. Stella Susanna was not so lucky. She married a difficult guy and later she moved back to her parent's house, pregnant and ill-treated. She died during childbirth and her Father then carried her name on in the little town next to the Salt pan. He paid for a  land surveyor to measure the town out in the form of a star and name this town Stella. With this gesture, Stella Susanna will never be forgotten. 

The community grew and the Dutch Reformed Church built a Church in 1919. A church was built using the stone from the Salt Pan. In later years a new church was built and the old Stone Church was utilized as the Church hall. 

The roof trusses of the stone building 

Hennie standing next to the building

Arthur and Elizabeth went on and become the mayor and first lady of Vryburg. The days when a mayor did not receive a salary. Arthur was the Mayor during the building process of the stone-built town hall. The cornerstone was laid by his wife Elizabeth. The little silver trowel is on display at the Vryburg Museum.  

The Town Hall in Vryburg 

The cornerstone was laid by Elizabeth. The little silver trowel is on display at the Vryburg Museum.  

You can read more about Vryburg Museum on this blog post 

https://kameelhuisetussenspore.blogspot.com/2019/10/kameel-stoepstorie-vryburg-museum.html

Also during this time, a little time capsule was built into the cornerstone. A little metal box containing a newspaper and a coin was left. Many years later the building was demolished and Uncle Alfie waited for the time capsule to be recovered. He turned around to talk to someone and then . . .  only the newspaper was returned . . .  no coin. 

Some of the stone of the Town Hall was used to build the gates at the Leon Taljaard Nature Reserve. 

The Fincham family attented the Congregational Church in Stella. I still remember Reverent Terence Blake. He would greet everyone at the double doors when entering this place of worship. My parents got married in this little church and we were all baptized in the Church. 

Congregational Church in Stella

The corner stone that was laid in 1949.

The front doors of the Congregational Church in Stella where we were greeted by Rev Blake on Sundays. 

You can read more about Stella and my Granny Barlow on this blog post. 

https://kameelhuisetussenspore.blogspot.com/2018/09/kameel-stoepstorie-ouma-barlow-en-die.html

Till next time 

Sandra 

Kameel Stoepstorie: Kameel Huise Tussen Spore

We do not have mountains or highways but we do have trains and silo's

We invite you to visit Kameel, on the R377 in the North West Province.

Situated between Delareyville and Stella.

What is on offer

Cottages for rent in a long term Lease Agreement in our complex. It was once an old railway accommodation complex.

Lang-tafel celebrations. Call us for more information

Bird-watching

Train-spotting

Pre-arrange tours to visit the social weavers' nests. 

 Excellent food at the Foreman  Cottage but booking in advance is essential.

 Information and history about Kameel

The Gardens at Kameel Huise Tussen Spore 

Self-catering accommodation at the Station Master Cottage. 

Accommodation and Camping facilities at Kameel Rust and Vrede

Shopping at Wilrick Kontreiwinkel

Kameel Huise tussen Spore

There are six cottages next to the railway line at Kameel. These cottages were part of the railway housing complex at Kameel. In 1999 my father bought the property as it was part of the original farm, Kameelbult.

Hennie en I moved to Kameel, after the passing of my mother, and we started to create a new beginning in this little village.

The little railway village is listed as a place of historical interest and a landmark in South Africa. 

We named the cottages using the different railway job titles. 

Porter Cottage 
Ploegbaas Cottage 
Conductor Cottage 
StationMaster Cottage 
Foreman Cottage 
Loadmaster Cottage

There are still two vacant stands and we named them:

Fireman 
Roepman 

We are busy developing a venue site which will be known as Die Kameel Platvorm 

We reside on the property known as Foreman Cottage. Originally a corrugated iron hostel and we erected a timber cottage.

The other properties are available for long-term lease.

The hamlet Kameel is a small human settlement. Almost like a Whistle-stop. 

A small village without a church, a farming community, situated in a very dry part of our country. Agricultural activities in the area are mainly cattle, sheep and game farming. Maize, sunflower, sorghum and groundnuts are cultivated in the area. 

It’s that small settlement you pass through along a country road. The area is filled with a rich history of days gone by. Kameel is crammed with remnants from the busy railway line that runs through it.

The railway line was built in 1894 and was built as part of a dream of Cecil John Rhodes’s dream to connect the Cape to the port in Beira. The part of the line was built on a portion of our Great-Grandfather’s farm. The average elevation is 1336 meters above sea level. The signage reads 805 miles from Cape Town with a height of 4449 feet.

In Afrikaans kameel means camel. How on earth did this place get the name of Kameel.  Kameel was part of the farm Kameelbult. 

If you look at the map you will find the name Saltpan. When the section of the farm was sold to the  British Goverment the agreement was to have a siding where Mr Fincham could load the salt that was harvested at the pans in Stella.  The name Saltpan was later changed to Kameel - a short version of the farm Kameelbult.

This area was then known as Stellaland Republic. 

Granted to the Bechuanaland Railway Company, by the late Government of Bechuanaland, for the construction of the Northern line of Railway between Vryburg and Mafeking on 23rd January 1890. 

In 1891 Rhodes contracted George Pauling to extend the line to Mafikeng and beyond. It reached the Bechuanaland (Botswana) border village of Ramathlabana in 1984

Rail network 1892

A birds eye view

The Conductor Cottage

The Conductor Cottage was built in the early 1950s.

We named the cottage the Conductor and it is a three-bedroom one-bathroom cottage. The bathroom is fitted with a bath, basin and toilet.

The lounge has a working fireplace and opens up onto a covered patio. The stoep is wonderful to enjoy a glass of wine while watching the sunsets or spot the occasional freight train going through the village. There is one shade covered parking area.

The Foreman Cottage

We erected a wooden cottage in September 2018 on the footprint of the original corrugated iron hostel. 

My grandmother on their motorcycle in front of the corrugated iron hostel.

We moved into our home on 10 December 2018. It is an ongoing process that we tweak to fit in with our needs. Everyone asks the question - why a wooden cottage? Well, it was the quickest way for us to build a home.

It is a new way of living for us. At the Foreman, things changed to open plan living areas which is sometimes a challenge for me as the kitchen needs to be clean. I can only smile as this is sometimes not possible. Our home is situated next to the R507 dirt road to Madibogo. The garden is is an on going progress, and the dust ends up on the inside of our house, but I believe that it is part of nature.

Hennie fitted the fixtures. He sometimes had to make do with what is available. Our crockery cupboard was once a dove breeder donated to us by my eldest brother. The kitchen cupboard was an old kitchen cupboard that he fitted with legs and antique tin ceiling boards. He found the top in a sheep pen. The handles of the doors to our walk-in cupboards are shoe forms. The vanity in the spare room was once the feeding trough of horses. Old drawers became shelves gives bragging rights to my little collections. We used sandstone to build the bay windows. Our then neighbour Jan Bouwer transported it from Harrismith. Originally it was a British Mess during the Anglo Boer War.

All in all, we love our spot between the dirt road and the rail line. Our home is situated 15 metres from the rail line. The line was very still. We would be lucky to see two trains per week. Lately, it became a bit busier due to problems with the main rail line, but the drivers give a little hoot as they pass our cottage. The trains offer new photo opportunities.

We planted lavender in mass and shaped it into hedges as borders for our rose garden and vegetable garden.

We live in a farming community and maize producing area where the maize stored in silos is part of our daily lives. We were privileged to visit the North West Grain silo and the SenWes silo. A wonderful experience to see our village from above.

Our garden is home to a lot of birds. We have spotted a long list which we will soon add to a blog post.

You can follow our Kameel Stoepstories on our blog by following the blog post link

The Foreman cottage at night.

The Loadmaster Cottage

This cottage was built in the late 1960s. 

It offers 3 bedrooms and a fireplace in the lounge area. The bathroom is fitted with a bath, basin and toilet. There is a huge kitchen cupboard and cupboard in the passage. The stand is 900m2. It is fenced. The electricity is on a pre-paid meter. We cut the lawn and remove rubbish on Fridays.

The Ploegbaas Cottage

This cottage features three bedrooms and one bathroom with a separate toilet. 

There is a fireplace in the lounge area. The patio area is ideal for sundowners to watch the sunsets. It is also a superb spot to do train spotting and watch the passing freight trains. The outbuildings have been converted into the laundry. The property is 900m2 and is fenced. Over the years citrus trees have been planted. There is a quince hedge for privacy. The pomegranates are always a plus factor.

The Ploegbaas cottage is surrounded by orange trees and promegranates.

The Porter Cottage 

The Porter Cottage is a three-bedroom cottage with one bathroom. There is a garage and the necessary outbuilding. 

Geraldine moved from Margate to Kameel in 2019. She calls the Porter Cottage home at Kameel Huise Tussen Spore. She is a retired teacher -- with a teaching stint in Bengazi, Libya!  

She relocates to Kameel to keep an eye on Tammy, her daughter, living on a nearby farm. Geraldine's garden is the star garden at Kameel. 

She started the garden from scratch, and today we love to watch her garden and the changes she makes to suit the different seasons. 

She works in the garden, knits, reads, hangs out with her animals. Her light-house collection is wonderful and reminds one of the seasides. She is now part and parcel a Kameeler, and like the quote says Lighthouses blow no horns to be seen, they simply shine. She simply shines.

Stationmaster cottage

The cottage was originally built as the Stationmaster house in 1945. The first occupants was Stationmaster Kleynhans. His wife, Tannie Kleyn, was the first teacher at Kameel Laerskool. 

It is a two-bedroom one-bathroom cottage fitted with wooden floors.

The bathroom is fitted with a bath, basin and toilet

There are two stoep areas to enjoy the outdoors. The front stoep is wonderful to enjoy a glass of wine while watching the sunsets or spot the occasional freight train going through the village.

The back stoep is ideal for bird watching and early morning coffee with rusks. We have spotted plus-minus 100 species of birds and for your convenience, you will find a bird list in the cottage. Kameel is a wonderful place for star-gazing.

Things to do

Enjoy the gardens at Kameel Huise Tussen Spore. It is well-known all over the province. We try to keep the gardens at all the Cottages in tip-top condition all year round. The property is situated on a hectare of land and we are using innovative ways to fill the gardens with interest. You will find a bit of interest everywhere.  

Go for a walk and visit the site where the old British Blockhouse used to stand. 

You will also find the trigonometrical beacons of the area.

There are also a lot of veldt plants that you will find on your walk.

We need your assistance to help us to locate, on behalf of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the graves of three British Soldiers who were laid to rest near the Blockhouse site.

We can arrange for a tour to show the Sociable Weaver nest nearby.

A self-drive outing to the Anglo Boer War site at Kraaipan is an interesting site to visit. This is where the first shots of the Anglo Boer War were fired to derail a train.

Watch the most beautiful sunsets.

At night time you have to watch the satellites go past in a star-filled night.

We have spotted almost 150 species of birds. How is your bird-watching list doing?

If you are lucky we can arrange a tour up a silo. 

Take a dirt road and your camera and enjoy the day. 

A little bid of our connection to the Railway

My dad, Gerald Fincham,at the age of 24, was in a terrible train accident at Westacres, in now Zimbabwe. He was a fireman on the train. The driver was TJ de Bruyn and L Vermeulen was the second fireman. The accident happened on 9 October 1955. A day after my Ouboet's, Julian's first birthday. My dad was hospitalized in Bulawayo for almost a year. He came home for a couple of months and then had to go back to Johannesburg General Hospital. Unfortunately, he carried scars for the rest of his 80 years on earth. 

 Click on the links to read some of our Kameel Stoepstories. 

Kameel Stoepstorie: Birds in the gardens and surrounding areas.

A click on the link will take you to the list of the Birds in the gardens

Kameel Stoepstorie: Kameeldoringbome

A direct link to our blog post The Camel Thorn Trees

Kameel Stoepstorie: Stations and Whistle-stops around Kameel

Click and the link to read this blog post Stations and Whistle-stops around Kameel

Kameel Stoepstorie: Sociable Weaver Birds and their nest

A direct link to our blog post Sociable Weaver Nests

Kameel Stoepstorie: Lonely Hill and the Salt Pans at Stella

A direct link to our blog post Lonely Hill and Salt Pans at Stella

Kameel Stoepstorie: Devondale tot Kameel

Devondale is a situated between Kameel and Vryburg. 

My Grandparents called it home.Victor and Hester Devondale

Veldplante in die Kameel area

There is a vast variety of veld plants in the area. 

Click on the link to see Veldplants  

Kameel Rust and Vrede offer accommodation with a difference.

You can bring your tent, stay in cute campervans, overnight in a wooden cottage or stay in style in a guest room. 

This is our take on Kameel Rust and Vrede  

Till next time 

Sandra and Hennie