Journey of line forts from Frontier Wars
BUBBLY, beaming and filled with ideas and hopes, sisters Odette Gailey and Lisa Janse van Rensberg, are living their dream in the historical village of Bathurst.
Their dream of owning their own, specialised coffee shop-diner became a reality last year, when together with their spouses, amid the shady, tall indigenous trees at the bottom of the garden, there was a frenetic scurry of builders and workers of all trades, who rushed to complete the superlative, almost settler-ish building, facing the rolling hills of the village.
Odette tells of the amazing efforts by her husband, Gary (of all things electrical and electronic), and Lisa’s husband, Andre, who constructed the building.
“The support and efforts by our spouses, who lived our 11-year dream with us, was overwhelming,” she said.
“We have always grown Gerbera Daisies in our tunnels, and eyed our extended plot, with a view to creating a place for people to enjoy, as the peace and view is marvellous. Lisa is a magical cook, and incredible baker.”
She added with a grin: “Somehow, all our plotting and planning, saving and family discussions spurred us into action last year, and here we are.
“What’s with the name?” I asked.
“A natural selection,” Odette elucidates. “We have the daisies, and masses of old fig trees, hence the name The Fig and Daisy.
“With all of this food, we needed to add to the potpourri of scented, yummy items, so we added in the antique and refurbished furniture. It is so funny, since we use most of the tables as display, while they are for sale, in seasonal times. We almost had a calamity, as we were selling the furni-
IN June 1846, a site for a ferry or pontoon was selected near the mouth of the Great Fish River.
The army desperately need to carry troops to Fort Peddie. They found a deep channel, which is over 100m wide at low tide.
The current was strong, but the site was considered suitable since the banks of the river were too steep and covered by bush elsewhere along the river.
Contemporary documents describe it as both a ferry and a pontoon. Fort Dacres, (often spelt Fort D’Acres) was a lesser-known line fort, used mainly to house soldiers on their way to war.
A house – “The White House” – was built there for Lord Charles Somerset. The house no longer exists, although the odd rock may be seen. The property is now a magnificent game reserve and lodge.