OVERdeBERG 73

0656862204 [email protected] Jaargang 2 Uitgawe 73 © Jacques Louw (2021). Alle regte voorbehou. Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 In hierdie uitgawe... Skolenuus Leopard rescue near “Strandroof” uit ons streek Greyton Miles Barton (1861) 6,7,9 12 16 0656862204 (WhatsApp) For a [email protected] better future (e-pos) The vaccination campaign for people over the age of 60 years was well underway Kontak ons gerus! at the Glaskasteel in Bredasdorp on Tuesday 29 June. Photo: Gurswin Prins/CAM Communication “What a find! Email: [email protected] Adrian and Jill have created something really special here. www.blueskyguesthousearniston.co.za The attention to detail is exceptional…” Phone: +27 28 4459010 - TripAdvisor Cell: +27 71 4186209 [email protected] See our Nightsbridge listing for availability and bookings. 1

2 Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 Redaksioneel No.10, 5th Avenue, Arniston Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 Email: [email protected] Goeiedag! Dit is weer tyd vir nog ‘n prag- www.blueskyguesthousearniston.co.za uitgawe van OVERdeBERG… jou unieke en ware gemeenskapskoerant wat jou po- Phone: +27 28 445 9010 sitief ingelig hou. Dit is vandag ons 73ste Cell: +27 71 418 6209 uitgawe en dit is vir my nog steeds ‘n baie groot voorreg om weekliks die koe-rant vir See our Nightsbridge listing for availability julle saam te stel. and bookings. Vir dié van julle wat nuwe lesers is asook nuwe lede op ons FB- Special blad, net so bietjie agtergrond rondom OVERdeBERG. Met die offer aanvang van die COVID-19 pandemie in 2020, het ekself be- sluit om ‘n kans te vat en ‘n interaktiewe aanlyn gemeenskaps- R995.00 koerant te begin. per room per night for two people Wat die OVERdeBERG anders maak as ander publikasies is dat daar nie gekonsentreer word op negatiewe beriggewing nie. Breakfast included. Die fokus is dus 100% op positiewe nuuswaardighede uit die Direct bookings only. pragtige Overbergstreek. Daar is heeltemal te veel ander pu- blikasies wat sensasie put uit negattiwiteit en juis daarom wou ons ‘n verskil maak. Dit is dan die situasie waaruit die OVERde- BERG ‘gebore’ is. Ons plaas ook die fokus taamlik op ons skole in die Overberg en probeer soveel moontlike skolenuus en foto’s plaas. Daar is letterlik iets van alles in hiérdie gemeenskapskoerant en ons moedig mense aan om hulle nuus en foto’s aan ons te ver- skaf of stuur op die verskillende platvorms wat ons bied. Weekliks het ons bepaalde rubrieke soos ‘Kombuiskuier’ en die ‘Gemeenskapsdagboek’. Gaan loer gerus op bladsy 4 en 5 vir dié gedeeltes. Bladsy 13 is weekliks die tuiste van T.O. Honiball se geliefde sketse wat voorheen deel was van die baie bekende Landbouweekblad. Dit is natuurlik Adoons-hulle, Oom Kaspaas en Jakkals & Wolf. Laaste maar nie die minste nie, is daar ons agterblad. Dit is die gedeelte van die koerant wat ons afstaan aan die geskiedenis van die Overbergstreek. Jimmy Herbert deel weekliks met ons interessanthede rondom die ryk maritieme geskiedenis van die Overberg. Geniet die uitgawe. Bly gesond en veilig. Tot volgende week. Groetnis! “The tests we face in life's journey are not to reveal our weaknesses but to help us discover our inner strengths. We can only know how strong we are when we strive and thrive beyond the challenges we face.” Kemi Sogunle 2 [email protected]

Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 3 AOrllaolvoeror Op Woensdag 30 Junie, het die eerste groep onderwysers van Laerskool Bredasdorp hul COVID-19 inentings ontvang. Foto: Laerskool Bredasdorp/FB Die inentingsveldtog vir mense ouer as 60 jaar het goed ver- Bridging Rubber Sealant loop op Dinsdag 29 Junie by die Glaskasteel in Bredasdorp. ‘n the binding Werknemer van Kaap Agulhas Munisipaliteit, mnr. John Rob- gap erts, was baie opgewonde om sy eerste dosis van die COVID- properties 19 entstof te ontvang. Click below to view Click below to view Foto: Gurswin Prins/KAM Kommunikasie/FB 3 Stuur jou brokkies nuus en foto’s uit jou deel van die Overberg aan ons vir publikasie. WhatsApp by 0656862204 E-pos: [email protected] [email protected]

4 Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 Kombuiskuier Jacques Louw Gegeurde rys Bestandele: Korslose quiche 225 g wit rys 500 ml water 1 ui, fyngekap 1 soetrissie, fyngekap Bestandele: 2 tone knoffel, fyngekap 125 g spek, in repies gesny 1 teelepel olie of botter sout en peper 1 ui, fyngekap paprika 1 knoffeltoontjie, fyngekap 1 rooi soetrissie, in repies gesny Spesery vir rys 250 g sampioene, in skyfies gesny komyn 250 ml room 1 teelepel Worcestersous sap van 1 suurlemoen 5 ml mosterdpoeier pietersielie 4 eiers 1 eetlepel gerasperde parmessankaas tiemie oreganum 250 ml cheddarkaas, gerasper sout en peper na smaak Metode: Metode: Kook die rys in die water– dit moet ferm wees, nie te sag nie. Braai die spek liggies in botter. Voeg die ui, knoffel en soetrissie (Hou ‘n koppie van die ryswater eenkant) Braai die ui, soetris- by, en braai liggies tot gaar. sie, en knoffel in die olie/botter vir ‘n paar minute. Voeg die sampioene by en braai tot dit gaar is – nie te lank nie, Meng in ‘n aparte bakkie die sout, peper, paprika, rysspesery, die sampioene moet nie pap wees nie. Klits die eiers, room, komyn, Worcestersous en suurlemoensap. Voeg die spesery- mosterdpoeier en parmesaan saam tot goed gemeng. mengsel by die uiemengsel, en braai dit saam vir ‘n paar mi- nute. Voeg die gekookte rys en die koppie afgekoelde ryswater Voeg die spekmengsel by die eiermengsel, en vou die cheddar by die spesery-en-uiemengsel. by. Voeg dit in ‘n oondbak. Verlaag die hitte, en laat die rysmengsel vir ‘n rukkie op die Bak vir 30 – 45 minute teen 180° C. Bedien saam met ‘n slaai. plaat staan om die geur lyf te gee. Voeg ‘n bietjie fyngekapte pietersielie, tiemie en/of oreganum by net voor opdiening. Resepte & foto’s: RSG Resepte Bedien dit net so as ‘n bykos, of meng dit met vleis/seekos/ groente vir ‘n alles-in-een maaltyd. 4 [email protected]

Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 5 GemeenskapsdagboekKontak ons by 065 686 2204 (WhatsApp) om jou gebeurtenis gratis hiér te adverteer. diary CommunityContact us by email at [email protected] to advertise your event here for free. [email protected] 5

6 Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 Skolenuus Paul Jordaan en Litha Schutte van Hoërskool Swellendam, het as 'n span deelgeneem aan vanjaar se UCT Wiskunde Kom- petisie op 4 Mei 2021. Hulle behaal 'n uitmuntende prestasie deur as die 5de beste Gr. 11-paar uit 409 aangewys te word. Foto: Hoërskool Swellendam/FB Carlene Cordier van Hoërskool Swellendam, het op 19 Junie 2021 deelgeneem aan die Interprovincials for Acrobatic Arts. Slegs die top 2 -kandidate, per vlak , word gekies om die West- elike Provinsie by die SA-Kampioenskappe te verteenwoordig. Carlene het gekwalifiseer en gaan ook die WP by die SA- Kampioenskappe, op 2 en 3 Julie 2021 verteenwoordig. Carlene gaan die WP in vlak 7 verteenwoordig. Haar afrigter is Yolande Janse van Rensburg. Foto: Hoërskool Swellendam/FB Graad 7’s van Laerskool Buffeljagsrivier se kunspotrette wat hulle gedurende die week by die skool gemaak het. Voorwaar besonders. Foto: Laerskool Buffeljagsrivier/FB 6 [email protected]

Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 7 Skolenuus Graad 6’e van Laerskool Buffeljagsrivier se Mandalas wat hulle gedurende die week by die skool gemaak het. Baie treffend en besonders. Foto: Laerskool Buffeljagsrivier/FB Foto: Laerskool Bredasdorp/FB Ilé Snyders, ‘n gr. 7-leerder van Laerskool Bredasdorp, het deelgeneem aan die Internasionale Dramaweb kunskompetisie in samewerking met die KKNK en ondersteun deur die ATKV. Hierdie kompetisie is van stapel gestuur en beoordeel deur Ira Blanckenberg en Waldemar Schultz, bekende akteurspaar in die vermaaklikheidsbedryf. Ilé het 3 Cum Laudes verwerf met haar Afrikaans ongedrama- tiseerde gedig, Afrikaans dramatiese monoloog sowel as Eng- lish prosa. Sy word afgerig deur die briljante Madré du Toit. Ilé en nog 6 van haar ander studente, neem Saterdag, 3 Julie deel aan die nasionale finaal van DramawebSA. Dit sal ‘n lewendige ZOOMsessie wees waarop kykers kan inskakel om te kan deel in hierdie ervaring. Die skakel sal binnekort beskikbaar wees. Baie geluk aan Ilé, asook aan die oud-leerders Zoë Louw, Somé Louw en Mieke Saayman wat ook finaliste is. Bron: Laerskool Bredasdorp/FB Laerskool Bredasdorp 7 [email protected]

8 Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 Overstrand’s New K9 Dog Unit Officially Launched The air, abuzz with excitement and exuberant energy, greet- The dignitaries were treated to a demonstration on the beach, ed Overstrand Executive Mayor Dudley Coetzee and digni- simulating a typical day at work where DAFF, CapeNature, taries on Friday, 18 June 2021 at the official launch of Over- SAPS and Law Enforcement would encounter poachers. Pic- strand Municipality’s recently established K9 Unit. tured here are the law enforcement officials from the Municipali- The Overstrand K9 unit is a specialised division of Law Enforce- ty, CapeNature and DAFF who took part in the demonstration. ment Officers who use specially trained service dogs to perform various law enforcement tasks. This launch follows the recent Photo: Overstrand Municipality/FB establishment of two new K9 units in the province, in the City of Cape Town and Swartland Municipality respectively. The dignitaries were treated to a demonstration at Grotto Beach, simulating a typical day at work where DAFF, CapeNa- ture, SAPS and Law Enforcement would encounter poachers. It was evident that it is not just about chasing and catching the bad guys, but also presenting sufficient evidence that would lead to successful prosecution. Pictured at the official Overstrand K9 Unit launching ceremony In attendance were the Overberg District Mayor Sakkie Franken; are (left to right): Operation Phahisa’s Gert van Eeden, Cape- Members of the Provincial Legislature, Reagen Allen and Mesuli Nature’s Pierre de Villiers, Cllr Hannie Morgan, Hermanus Kama; Head of Department of Community Safety Advocate Station Commander Colonel L Nosilela, Provincial Legislature Yashina Pillay, Acting Chief Director of the Department of Com- Reagen Allen, Cluster Commander Donovan Heilbron, the munity Safety, David Coetzee, Cluster Commander Donovan mayor's wife Shirley Coetzee, Director of Protection Services Heilbron; various councillors, as well as officials from Overstrand Neville Michaels, Overstrand Mayor Dudley Coetzee, Over- Municipality, CapeNature, local police stations and the Provincial strand Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill, Acting Chief Director Department of Community Safety. of the Department of Community Safety David Coetzee, HoD Delivering a heart-warming opening address, and also making for the Department of Community Safety Advocate Yashina particular reference to Premier Alan Winde’s commitment to com- Pillay, ODM Mayor Sakkie Franken, Hermanus Senior Manag- munity safety as the No 1 priority in the Western Cape, Mayor er Anver Wyngaard, Cllrs Arnie Africa, Kari Brice, Ronald Nutt Coetzee said that in his drive to make the province a safe place and Lindile Ntsabo. to live, Premier Winde decided that Municipal Law Enforcement divisions should be expanded to supplement the service provided Photo: Overstrand Municipality/FB by SAPS. Continued on page 10 Maak Radio Overberg fm deel van jou besigheid se bemarkingstrategie! Kontak ons vir ‘n pasgemaakte lugtydpakket! 028 424 2877 (T) [email protected] (E) 8 [email protected]

Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 9 Skolenuus Alle skolenuus met foto’s is welkom! Stuur dit gerus aan ons vir gratis publikasie. [email protected] WhatsApp: 0656862204 Foto: Letty-Ann Möller Die Leerlingraad van Laerskool Gansbaai, het Woensdagog- gend tydens pouse, al die onderwysers in die saal bedank vir Studio98 hul ondersteuning die afgelope kwartaal en daarna het elkeen musiekuitvoering 'n heerlike soet bederfie ontvang. Die ondersteunings- en ad- betower minpersoneel het ook hul soet bederfie daarna ontvang. Letty-Ann Möller Foto’s: Laerskool Gansbaai/FB Studio98, oftewel dan Sarel Cilliers Straat 98 in Napier, het Sondag 27 Junie om 13h00 'n musiekuitvoering van die tjellis, Sarah Blake, aangebied. Yvonne en Herman se binnehof was 'n effektiewe opelugteater vir die gemaskerde musiekliefhebbers. Sarah het haar eie komposisies afgewissel met bekende jazz en folkmusiek op die tjello en op kitaar. 'n Rooiwang Napier het die ideale atmosfeer geskep vir tuisgemaakte appeltert en \"bitterballen\" en die gaste het geleentheid gekry om met die talentvolle jong musikant te gesels. “Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.” Debasish Mridha [email protected] 9

10 Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 Overstrand’s enforcement operations and will be used for specialised opera- New K9 Dog Unit tions such as sniffing abalone or drugs as well as assisting with Officially Launched foot patrols. “The six Belgian Malinois dogs that will be used in our K9 unit, and that you saw put through their paces earlier, are recognised as one of the most intelligent species in the world.” He concluded by saying “As the Overstrand Municipality we are committed to continue to partner with the Western Cape Govern- Continued from page 8 ment to ensure that we combat crime in our communities to en- \"It has been accepted that SAPS alone would not be able to sure that the Overstrand is a safe place for our residents to live, ensure that communities are safe and that property is secure, for tourists to visit and so contribute to the safety and security of nor are SAPS able to uphold and enforce the law because they the Western Cape”. are simply under-staffed and work long hours under difficult conditions,” he explained. The Western Cape Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, was not able to attend the opening ceremony. However, his key- note speech was delivered by Advocate Yashina Pillay as the HoD for the Department of Community Safety, and indicated that the deployment of the K9 unit forms part of the Provincial Safety Plan (PSP), which aims to halve the murder rate in the Province over the next ten years. The PSP rests on two legs, namely Vio- lence Prevention and Law Enforcement, and this deployment forms part of the various initiatives in the latter of the two legs. Minister Fritz further indicated in his speech “that the K9 unit was an initiative first conceived while Premier Winde was still Minister of the Department of Community Safety, and that it gave him immense pleasure to carry forward this exciting initiative and bring to fruition something that will increase safety for the citi- zens of the Overberg. We know that coastal towns are adversely affected by trade and transportation of illicit substances. This unit will go a long way in assisting law enforcement operations to track down perpetrators and improve the safety of residents in the Overberg.” All six K9 officers received a special brooch or lapel pin to Pictured here are the law enforcement officials from the Munici- wear as part of their uniform. Pictured here are Joseph Tyhaliti pality, CapeNature and DAFF who took part in the demonstra- and Argo, who received his pin from Senior Manager of Traffic, tion. At the back is (from left to right) J Tyhaliti, F Marais, A Law Enforcement & Task Team Rudi Fraser. Looking on is Blankenberg, M Hull, A Lucas,B Hunter, M Spandiel, R Dickson, Overstrand Executive Mayor Dudley Coetzee, and his wife N Ramba, J Rossouw, R Fisher, C Esau, R Botha, H Mert, L Shirley, as well as Overstrand Municipal Manager, Dean Mara. In middle is (from left to right) R Smith, P Frans, W Baat- O’Neill. In the background is K9-Inspector, Lance Mara, who is jies, V Solomons, R Telling, C De Rhoode, E Hansen, S managing the unit. Ngongo, M Campher. And front T Clarke, E Lombaart. Photo: Overstrand Municipality/FB Photo: Overstrand Municipality/FB The Mayor further added that Overstrand Municipality is privi- Source: Overstrand Municipality/FB leged to be one of the few municipalities selected to partner with the Department of Community Safety to attain the goal of making the Western Cape a safe place to live and visit. The Department availed R8,2 million towards this programme: R4 million in the 2018/19 financial year, R2 million in 2019/20 and R2,2 million in 2020/21. The Department has also provided vehicles to assist with the transportation of the K9 units to the various areas within the region for the purposes of searching and detecting of narcotics, contraband, explosive devices, fire- arms and ammunition. This includes two VW Amarok double cab bakkies to the value of R1.36 million in total. Mayor Coetzee thanked the Department for making funding available to enable the Municipality to establish a K9 unit, sup- porting the Overberg District Municipality’s safety plans. He explained that the Overstrand K9 unit will provide support to law 10 [email protected]

Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 11 One household Almost 600 community members in the Masakhane, Blompark, One garden Pearly Beach and Stanford areas are beneficiaries of the seed- lings for their home gardens. These include people who have an existing vegetable garden, as well as those who indicated that they would like to start with the One Household one Garden pro- gramme. Community gardens also benefited from this hand- over. On Wednesday, 23 June 2021, the Overstrand Executive Mayor handed over trays of beetroot, spinach, broccoli and On delivering his speech, Mayor Coetzee emphasised that the onion seedlings in communities of the Greater Gansbaai Covid-19 virus has had and will, for the foreseeable future, con- area. This will give more residents the opportunity to fight tinue to have a devasting impact on the members of our commu- food insecurity by growing food for their families in their nity who, even before the start of the pandemic, found it difficult own backyard. to put food on the table.He said the pandemic has affected the most vulnerable members of our community most. For many the ability to simply feed their family has become an almost insur- mountable task. Pictured here are LED project co-ordinator Luvo Bomvana, The Mayor then explained that Overstrand Municipality has cllrs Xolani Msweli, Kari Brice, Riana de Coning, Mayor Coet- moved the emphasis from supporting food kitchens which feed zee, Director of Social and Economic Development and Tour- the communities, to assisting residents to do things for them- ism Soli Madikane, Manager: Local Economic Development selves by promoting a food garden in each home that can con- (LED) Xolile Kosi and LED administrator of Enterprise develop- tribute towards putting food on the family’s table throughout the ment Vuyolwethu Gwantshu with some of the beneficiaries in year. “Through the distribution of these seedlings, purchased by Masakhane. the Municipality for our communities, we contribute to feeding the most vulnerable people in our communities and so fight mal- Photo: Overstrand Municipality/FB nutrition and boost our people’s immunity against illnesses,” he said. Mayor Coetzee thanked Minister Ivan Meyer and the Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape, who, in collaboration with Overstrand’s Directorate of Local Economic Development (LED), declared themselves more than willing to help ensure that the community garden project we jointly initiated, would be success- ful. Source: Overstrand Municipality/FB [email protected] 11

12 Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 Leopard rescue Leopard number 65 was rescued last Tuesday by the Landmark Foundation on the lower foothills of the Ri- viersonderend mountains between Greyton and Vil- liersdorp. They were called out to help rescue an adult male leopard from a cable snare, set probably by bushmeat hunters. The farmer found this leopard in a snare on his property and was horrified that such heinous devices are being set on his property. Earlier research demonstrated that merely 500 adult leopards remained in the Western Cape. It is becoming increasingly clear that here in the Western Cape the willingness for human wildlife coexistence is gaining ground. It is indeed a privilege and joy to work with farmers that welcome animals on their properties. Source & photos: Landmark Leopard & Predator Project - South Africa /FB This young adult male leopard weighed 34 kg, was in prime [email protected] condition and was lucky to escape serious injuries when the snare gripped it around the abdomen. It was indeed luck that it was discovered when it was, and may not have been in the snare for too long judging by the fact that his hydration was still good and the snare had not cut into the skin. Snares are often lethal in these instances and would certainly have been had he not been discovered and the prompt response by the farmer. There are many “thank you’s” due from the Landmark Founda- tion team: Mike, Rudolph, Jan, the Caledon Veterinary Clinic, and CapeNature that all worked as a team. The veterinarian attended to the animal and they placed a GPS collar and released it on site. He will become part of the re- search efforts to understand the leopard ecology and social dynamics, inclusive of their use of the landscape, damage caus- ing behaviours, how well compensations works and the impact that corridors have on leopard population connectivity. They are also analyzing the genetics of the leopards in the region as ear- lier evidence of bottlenecking has been demonstrated due to habitat fragmentation and ongoing persecution. Although not applicable here, they are also studying efficacy of local translo- cations as a management tool. 12

Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 13 Adoons-hulle ...daar doer in die Bosveld [email protected] 13

14 Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 As julle graag gebruik wil maak van ons WhatsApp groep, kan julle net die QR-kode skandeer met julle slimfone. Ons plaas slegs weekliks die koerant se skakels waar dit gelees kan word daarop. Julle kan ook nuus en foto’s aanstuur op hiérdie platvorm. 14 [email protected]

Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 15 “Strandroof” along the Overberg coast: 15 MILES BARTON (1861) sailors returned to the ship to plunder the baggage left there. It was later reported that “As to the officers' luggage, much had already been ransacked by people from the shore, and many valuable articles lay scattered about the cabins in the most ad- mired confusion”. This was very clear proof of yet another “strandroof” in the Overberg. In the 1990s ceramic finds were made on land in the region of Struis Point, some 27 kilometres to the northwest of Agulhas. These sherds date to the late fifteenth century or the early six- teenth century and are postulated to be either from a very early Portuguese shipwreck or that of the Miles Barton. The Portuguese ‘Carreira da India’ trading ships were the only European ships to round Cape Point during this period. If the remains of such a shipwreck were to be found, it could prove this yet unknown wreck to be the earliest ship returning from the Orient to sink off the South African coast. This author imagines a more likely possibility to be that the sherds come from the wreck of the Miles Barton. Such a prized antique porcelain plate could easily have been part of the above -mentioned palace items stored in the hold of the Miles Barton. JIMMY HERBERT Retired lecturer: Stellenbosch University (1977-2013) Writer & Specialist in Maritime History and Archaeology In next week’s issue… “Strandroof” along the Overberg coast: SCHONENBERG (1722) [email protected]

16 Vrydag 2 Julie 2021 History of the Overberg Jimmy Herbert “Strandroof” along the Overberg coast: 317 troops of the 3rd Buff Regiment, had a significant number of MILES BARTON (1861) valuable curiosities in the hold that they had looted while in Chi- na. As part of an act of revenge, the Emperor’s majestic Sum- THE PLUNDERERS ARE PLUNDERED – ‘TIT FOR TAT’ mer Palace in Beijing was completely destroyed by a joint Brit- Due to fog and hazy weather experienced over the last few ish-French army in 1860. days leading up to the accident, the navigators of the Miles This act of cultural destruction is one that everyone in China Barton had not been able to make a landfall (identified posi- patriotically knows about, but hardly anyone else in the world. tion from recognised land geography). Their last navigation Today, it is often referred to as China's ‘ground zero’. Very little latitude fix had placed them a lot further to the north (34° is left of what was still, in 1860, a massive complex of palaces 28'S) than Cape Agulhas (34° 50'S). and other fine buildings filled with cultural treasures. At that To safely round Africa’s most southern tip, they would thus have time, these were often fondly referred to as being the most ex- had to sail much further to the south. This is something they quisite collection of architecture and art in China. appeared not to have succeeded in doing, as they struck the When the palace was ransacked, one witness commented, coast close to latitude 34° 37'S. \"Officers and men seemed to have been seized with temporary On Friday the 8th of February between 10h00 and 11h00 and insanity. In body and soul, they were absorbed in one pursuit close to spring low tide [at 09h20] while negotiating reefs lying only, which was plunder, plunder and plunder.\" In turn, Lord much shallower than normal, the ship struck on what has since Elgin, the British Commander, remarked that \"War is a hateful been named the Miles Barton Reef. Up to that point, they had all business. The more one sees of it, the more one detests it.\" plain sails set and were experiencing hazy weather, with high However, looting was an established part of army pay, and it winds from the South-west. The powerful waves soon forced the was Army tradition to share out the spoils, with officers and ship closer to the locally named, Klippestrand (today Ryspunt), ranks taking alike. The acceptance of such looting can be seen where she eventually was fixed permanently. in the fact that a Pekinese dog taken from China and presented to the British Monarch Queen Victoria, was given the name “Looty”. On Sunday afternoon (3rd day after the wrecking), intelligence of a serious ship casualty already reached Cape Town. The news that came via Caledon was that the transport ship Miles Barton of 957 tonnes, with Captain Shelford as Master and troops from China on board, had gone ashore in Struisbaai and become a total wreck. Although this noble ship had been lost, some relief was experienced by the news that the lives of the crew and pas- sengers had been saved. The very next day, the ship Albatross was sent from Cape Town Chinese porcelain sherds dating to the to assist. On arrival, officers went on board the stricken vessel. late fifteenth century or the early sixteenth century A scene of the utmost disorder and disaster was reported. The So it was that the 3rd Buff Regiment, later to be transported on Miles Barton was lying aground about half a mile out and the Miles Barton, also helped themselves to valuable metal ar- firmly embedded. The vessel herself lay bow-on and had already tefacts, bronze sculptures, porcelain, silks and ancient books ‒ broken amidships with her main- and mizzenmast down and or simply destroying what they could not take with them. After lying partly across her deck. Some pieces of her keel had al- the ship had stranded, the overseas newspapers reported, “The ready been washed up (see the picture of Ryspunt, ten years officers and men had a great quantity of valuable Chinese curi- later in 1871). os from the Emperor’s Summer Palace, but all has been lost Although the majority of the personal effects of the troops were with the baggage.” saved, the water was already up to the troop-deck ensuring that It was at this point that the tables were turned. Now the looters much of the heavy baggage could not be removed from her became the looted. On the spring low tide, two or more of the hold. This British Transport ship had just returned from a military campaign in China. It is said that Major King, his 7 officers and Continued on page 15 16 [email protected]