In a social media sign of these times a lively new WhatsApp group has been created, from round Colesberg, centred on the local links in the Boer War between South African, Australian, and New Zealander mounted soldiers. Maeder Osler takes an initial look at this new excitement in town, from a waenhuis in the district.

An encouraging aspect in the extensive WhatsApps messages on this latest initiative around wider local to global history, is the credence given to the earlier youthful Colesberg history initiative regularly reported on by toverview, and in following the efforts spearheaded by Jefferey Rademeyer and other younger enthusiasts also to explore, find out, and position the historic roles of ALL in the area.

All sorts of information at many times comes floating into, or is thrown back into, the Playpen, where Maeder Osler is re-learning the basics on communications in a digital age. The latest example is of a handwritten cursive 7 lines headed VISITORS penned by Morton W Barnes- Webb, the farm manager for a triumverate of rand lords . They were messrs Rhodes, Beit, Bailley (RBB), a syndicate which purchased some 45 farms in the nuwe Hantam grassy karoo area of Colesberg district, in the very early 1900’s. That was after their massive and risky investments in diamond and then gold minings, before the ending of the Anglo-Boer war, and before the 1910 colonial unification of (white) South Africa.