Kamdebo’s Grade 7s enjoy amazing tour

ABERDEEN — For the first time in many years, the Grade 7 learners of Kamdebo Primary School in Lotusville went away on a tour during the recent school holiday.

Each child had a year to raise the necessary R1 000 contribution towards the cost, and with careful planning, most managed to save the necessary R100 per month. The school also helped towards the cost, and the teachers paid their share.

The children, in school uniform, gathered at school early on the Friday morning with their parents.

They set off for Oudtshoorn in the busses, proudly wearing their new caps which had been sponsored by teacher Niel Pienaar.

After a brief stop in Willowmore, they drove on to their first port of call, the Cango Wildlife ranch in Oudtshoorn.

There they were treated to a guided tour, experiencing the bat cave, seeing the big cats and crocodiles, and finishing up with a visit to the snake pit.

All of these were new experiences for the vast majority of the children.

Accommodation for the trip was at a school hostel in the Bridgeton area of Oudtshoorn, which was very central.

On Saturday, the party went to the Cango Caves, where they were taken on the standard guided tour.

They learnt about the rock formations, and the history of the Khoisan in that area.

After a lunch from KFC, and a visit to the shops, the children went back to the hostel for some free time and a braai, and an early night in preparation for the early start the next day.

Sunday was the highlight for many of the children, with their first trip to the sea!

They left early for Mossel Bay, where they went on a boat trip to Seal Island and visited the Bartolomeu Dias museum complex.

The afternoon was spent at Santos beach, where the children loved playing in the sand. That evening was also an early night, as the children were all so tired after the exciting day!

On the last day, they visited a shopping mall in Oudtshoorn, also a novel experience for many, where they enjoyed pizza and ice creams before returning to Aberdeen.

The parents expressed their gratitude to the organisers and the teachers who went on the trip, very pleased that their children had been able to enjoy such a wonderful experience. The Grade 7s were taken on a guided tour of the Cango Caves.