Page 42 - Waterfall_Issue 5_2022

Waterfall Book Review

IT’S THE PEOPLE

WHO MAKE A TOWN

By James Clarke

Steytlerville Main Road
I the far south, there’s Baviaanskloof. loved resident gardener. It had also
think I’ve been to Steytlerville.
In fact, I must have, for I’ve
Beyond that is Humansdorp and
stopped cleaning the streets.
St Francis Bay. All around, it’s sheep
been through the Eastern Cape
Karoo a few times. But, in those
and her friends who conceived the
days, I suppose it was one of those and Angora goat country. Linda Henderson, a local entrepreneur,
places of which Dorothy Parker A little while ago, a long row of idea of the banners, decided to
would have said, “when you get masts were erected down the uplift their town. As Linda put it, “En
there, there is no there there”. length of the central island of the dis mense wat jou ‘n dorp gee” – it’s
main road. Hanging from each mast the people who make a town.
I have now vowed that when I am in there is a pair of large vinyl banners
that area again, I will stop at Steytlerville bearing the crests and even coats They began interviewing the families of
and I will walk down its main road and, of arms reflecting the past of many which a few had family crests and one
at the end, have a cup of coffee at Lizzy’s of the families and clans who live or two clans possessed coats of arms.
Khaya which is, in fact, part of her house. among Steytlerville’s 4 000 people, For those who had neither, Linda’s
of whom 70% are Coloured. group delved into their histories and,
The town gets a chapter to itself in a with the help of the anthropology
very entertaining new book, Karoo The road was, until recently, a dusty, department of the Albany Museum in
Road II – more tales from the heartland littered avenue. The municipality nearby Grahamstown (now Makhanda),
by Julienne du Toit and Chris Marais. had long given up watering the set about designing individual family
250 bougainvillea shrubs along the crests and coats of arms. This is why
The main road through the town central island – shrubs that were the banners bear some unusual
is an extraordinarily wide road. To planted years before by a much- armorial symbols: cooking pots,

40 Waterfall Issue 5 2022