Bathurst celebrates 200 years with food parcels, not pints
The quaint and quirky village of Bathurst in the Eastern Cape turned 200 on Saturday with barely a whisper.
The town, renowned for the Historic Pig & Whistle Inn, which opened in 1832, would have been a hive of activity to celebrate the milestone, but the national lockdown put paid to those plans.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the postponement of many celebratory events, including the Bathurst Birthday Bash planned for May.
The annual Bathurst Agricultural Show, meant to be from April 3 to 5 this year, was also cancelled. Show president Danny Wepener said this would have been its 112th edition.
“We had an 1820 theme planned with a traditional settler village, historical talks, ox wagons and agriculture-related stalls. The most prestigious event would’ve been our highclass cattle auction,” he said.
The Pig & Whistle Inn has been owned by Gavin and Lucille Came for almost 10 years.
“The jewel in the crown remains our pub with its long unchanged legacy. It’s thanks to local support and a steady increase in visitors from further afield and overseas that we have been able to maintain a vibrant centre of fun and heritage in our village,” Gavin Came said.
The inn has started a “Save My Spot” campaign to support local business owners.
“This initiative allows concerned guests and past visitors to these iconic spots to financially support the security of these spots.
“At the same time buyers of the coupons are able to nominate a charity they believe will benefit from a portion of their funds, as well as the projects of the Bathurst Development Trust (BDT).”
Tourism initiatives are the main source of the village’s income. It boasts nine heritage sites, including Bradshaw’s Mill, built in 1821.
The 1820 settler toposcope has been restored and extended to recognise the Xhosa leaders who were present during the frontier wars.
“We are very proud of the achievements of our growing group of volunteers and look forward to tackling the old town hall and the Victorian bandstand at the showgrounds,” Historic Bathurst chair Tom Barrett said.
Spearheading development in the town is the BDT, which aims to provide the community with resources for skills development.
The Bathurst community and BDT are driving a Covid-19 feeding scheme to help those most in need.
“We have delivered over R700,000 worth of food to the poorest people in the community. As the lockdown levels fall and people can go back to work, this project will gradually blend into projects supporting food production,” the trust said.