Helping hands on the open road

We recently returned from a wonderful holiday in Kenton-on-Sea (pictured above). But the real magic happened on our return journey to Joburg. About 20 km before Smithfield in the Free State, the tyre on our trailer burst. Out with the luggage, out with the jack. I was about to start lifting the trailer when a local farmer Piet and his son Michael pulled over in their bakkie and insisted on changing the tyre for us. They were huge guys and even considered lifting the trailer by hand instead of using the jack! We stayed at Trading Places Guesthouse in Smithfield that night. Our plan was to drive to Bloem to fit a new tyre, but owner Gus Uys reckoned that my spare, now being used on the trailer, wasn’t looking good. Without hesitation he insisted that I use a wheel from his trailer and leave it at the tyre garage in Bloem for him to collect in a week or two. To Piet and Gus, thank you for your kindness. This country is much richer because of people like you! RICK BALL, Craighall Park