South Africa 2025

Born of a series of events or circumstances that morphed into a trip, no necessarily happy or easy to explain. Firstly, back to the western Cape to the town in which my parents had resided upon retirement; and secondly, joining a major family expedition to the game reserves of the Eastern Transvaal.
The Cape is notorious for the summer south easterly winds, and did not disappoint on arrival snd my sister’s little Jimny pushed bravely up Sir Lowrys Pass along with the trucks and speeding weekenders. From the top of the pass I look back at the playground of my younger years, the Cape Peninsula and Table Mountain.
Dropping down the other side of the pass to Hermanus and the spectacular coastline. Stanford is a quiet yet vibrant little town with an active community. That evening, we were treated to a performance and a small hall called Die Ou-Lap Saal, a bit like Wauchope Arts or Kendal Hall. Peter Stacey, as a young man, aspires to be a singer songwriter and started out as they all do, playing gigs around Johannesburg or Durban and making his way in artistic poverty. His first album, at the height of the apartheid era, The Road Is Much Longer (1979), included outspoken political songs. Soon he found his gigs were being cancelled and no one would book him. His album was censored by the record company after receiving legal advice. Unable to support himself, he abandoned music and took a job as a camera man, travelling to areas of conflict around the world. Ten years later, as the steel grip of apartheid eased, he re-emerged as a musician with some success. Strangely, perhaps, he met the policeman who was responsible for shutting down his music life. They paired up and toured Europe, spreading a message of reconciliation. Gotta love Africa.Read more