FROM FARMING TO ART

The farming community remains strong, and the industry has also changed to the point where the slightly more Afrikaans Tweespruit and the slightly more English Westminster are, to all intents and purposes, now one community.

Tweespruit was once the home of the renowned Tweespruit Agricultural School (better known as Lanties, from “Landbouskool”), the oldest of its kind in the Free State. It opened its doors in 1926 and closed them in 1991.

When Platteland visited to take a look at the buildings designed by Sir Herbert Baker, we were surprised to discover Unicom High School, where 700 learners can still study three agriculturerelated subjects.

Not far from there, just before you cross the railway line as you’re about to enter Tweespruit, is a Roman Catholic mission station. Tourists used to come here in the hopes of finding one of the sunflower, donkey or Madonna-and-child paintings with which Father Frans Claerhout kept his congregation and the mission going until his death on 4 July 2006. A sense of deep sadness descended. Maybe because the Free State was still waiting for rain and everything was hot and dry and dull and dusty. Maybe it was the desolate grounds where groups of men sat around listlessly. Maybe it was the artworks and sculptures by the renowned Belgian artist that were peeling and had clearly seen better days. Or maybe simply because of the knowledge that everything – traditions, artworks and cheese factories included– is destined to go the way of all flesh.