Of Times Gone By - Kleinplasie Farm Museum

My afternoon ends with a monkey's wedding; the drops are minuscule, more like a drizzle, but irresistible.  Couldn’t really call the wet spot on the cement porch next door a puddle, but I did it, my first umbrella shot for the winter.  I believe it's in sympathy with the lousy bridge hands I had all afternoon.

My ungraceful fall on the steps on Saturday prompted me to look down today instead of up, and look what I got: my feet mostly, and a gaggle of geese. Instead of running away, they all came rushing towards me; thankfully, the ostrich kept his distance.  The avenue of trees in a quiet neighbourhood stood in stark contrast too much of what I encountered a mere kilometre away.

What I found at our Kleinplasie Museum left me shocked and nauseated.  The once well-kept grounds are neglected, filthy, and unkempt; the farm implements, which were so lovingly restored and donated by farmers in the district, are dilapidated.  The wood is rotting and the steel rusting away in disuse and abandonment.  Chickens are now roosting in the threshing machines, and bees are making their hives in there too.    The floors are littered with feathers and manure.  As a community, we should be ashamed of neglecting this heritage.  I am horrified.

I wonder whether the animals roaming around are being fed or must survive by eating the lawns?   The small dam is filthy, green with sludge.  

Although it wasn’t yet one o’clock (when overpaid civil servants go for lunch), the museum was locked; Trellidor bars one from entering the once inviting shop. The only sign of life was the green glow of a computer screen. This silence highlights the urgent need for community engagement to keep our heritage accessible and alive.  

Is this what we’ve been reduced to?   If it is, shame on us as a community. Preserving our history is vital; without it, we lose our identity. “If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ”

― Michael Crichton

George Orwell said it so well: “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” We must protect Kleinplasie to preserve our shared heritage and pride.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog and would like to follow my 365 challenge, please “SUBSCRIBE” I’d be thrilled to know someone is interested in my progress or enjoying my photographs.