Carry on camping

My wife, Gillian, and I have just returned home after a short getaway to Scottburgh Caravan Park on the KZN South Coast and we felt compelled to share the respect and admiration that we had for our campsite neighbours, Johnny and Ria Jordaan from Vanderbijlpark. When I first saw Johnny drive past in his old Kombi towing a trailer, I remember thinking that we’re never too old to camp. We were blessed that they actually chose the stand next to ours. After barely 10 minutes, 82-year-old Johnny had his feet up and was swigging on a cold beer. “That’s how you do it,” he said. We were amazed at how basic yet functional their setup was. They say for long stays, they rather tow their Mazda 323 instead of the trailer and would also put up a gazebo. This particular trip was unplanned and would last anything from 2 to 4 weeks, depending on how they feel. My respect for Johnny increased even further when I saw him haul out a set of golf clubs. After camping, his second passion is golf and he plays two to three times a week wherever he camps. Johnny stopped working at 55 and has been camping all over southern Africa ever since. Their trusted steed, the Kombi, has been with them since 1991 and has only just started giving them occasional problems. In fact, they called the mechanics on this trip as it would not start. One of the mechanics asked Johnny when the fuel filter was last changed. “Probably 20 years ago,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. It will be Johnny and Ria’s 60th wedding anniversary on 17 June this year, so before we left we gave them a bottle of bubbly to enjoy on the day – that’s the bottle Johnny’s holding in the photo. I am 58 and also retired at 55, so to see Johnny and Ria still enjoying life to the full in this beautiful country gives me so much to look forward to. Who knows, maybe when I am 82, someone will send our photo to Drive & Camp!