eParkeni had decided on an indefinite hiatus, what really ended up happening, though, is probably more worth telling. Nearing the restless festive season we’d figured it necessary to go back to the drawing board. At its conception, this idea of rural media was fueled by some audacious (read: ridiculous) ambitions. Skeleton-staffed with no funding, the objective was still to – as best we could – cover all aspects of the daily rural grind. The platteland hustle in all its long walk endeavours and quiet hardships.
Everything.
Education. Politics. Religion. Arts. How to prepare a potjie, fix an electric plug, write an essay … If it mattered to our small readership, ours was to flesh it out and bring it under the gaze of anybody who cared to take the time to read our simple stories.
Of course one was soon brought back down to Earth, made starkly aware of one’s own limitations in such presumptuous pursuits. Hence the need to reflect, reassess, go back to the foundational motivations and ponder whether it was ultimately all doable. Whether we had the chutzpah to weather the storms and come out the other side with straight backs. And after such considerations now more than ever the founding ideas remain tightly moored.
As mentioned in previous scribblings, when the last sentence is written on what it was we hoped to achieve, we trust that education will form the central ethos. In line with the concept of “life-long learning,” we believe in empowerment, not exclusively of the material kind but of ideas, skills, training and the sort of practical know-how that might make the rural trundle easier for the people who must traverse it.
As things stand, the overall pursuit towards such an eventuality is a working progress. But one is getting there. Slowly. Infact, amid bouts of a brutal sickness best left unnamed but which did afford some alone-time away from the binges, the maddening crowd and ultimately led to an epiphany: If this is to benefit the community, then why not tap into the wisdom of those on whose shoulders the community is already hoisted?
Several names quickly came flooding to mind.
The Medical Doctor
If we are, for instance, to wander onto medical terrain is there a more reputable contact than the fossil Dr Adriaan de Jongh? Though for more than 60 years he has devotedly tended to local medical ailments, most residents fondly remember him as the guy who did not shy away from administering a klap on anyone who refused admission into hospital. Part of the old guard, to be sure. When it was still illegal for Black and White to use the same facilities, his medical practice was a segregated buzz, a conservative surgery of the times.
At his ripe old age, loquacious as ever, he has decided to hang up the white coat, put away the stethoscope and reluctantly call it a day. For so long a part of the town’s furniture, his departure will be sorely felt but we hope he might continue to remotely dispense his wisdom through mediums such as this one. (If you’re reading this, Doc, we’re watching you, we need you.)
The Old-School Nurse
Then there is Sister Joka, a nurse. Courtesy of her blessed hands, this writer was welcomed shut-eyed and wailing many decades ago into this humanity. Many of her colleagues have long slunk quietly into the tranquility of gins and tonic and watching the grandchildren grow up in retirement. Not her. She continues heeding the call of passion whenever an extra pair of seasoned hands are needed anywhere, moonlights regularly and can’t seem to let go of the job that endeared her to a community where professionals of any sort were a rarity on these marginalised sides of the tracks.
I’m sure that Dear Reader will have come across a slew of social as well as mainstream media ranting and reporting on Pitbull Terriers. Following a spate of savage attacks especially on children, an online petition bearing some 120 000 (and counting) signatures calling for a complete ban on this breed of dog has been widely circulated. Opinions have been proffered, often by two-bit online trolls so eParkeni figured perhaps our own dog whisperer could shed a more informed light to the conspiracy theories.
As a nurse, Matron Hattingh had been in the business of saving human life. Now, her compassion is dedicated to dogs, especially those in our peripheral communities. She feeds them, understands their health and behaviour, no doubt a very critical skill in areas where dogs often serve no other purpose other than to act as a deterrent to would-be intruders. Upon offering some of her insights on the matter, she referred eParkeni to veterinarian extraordinaire, Dr Charmaine Rous from Karoo Vet. There was no PhD-type indifference to our local pet doctor, who simply said “ja, sure” … of course she’d help.
The Controversial Pitbull Terrier
Because this is a national issue as well as the fact that the Pitbull has become part of the local landscape, it’s only fitting to let Dr Rous go to town on this one.
Although she is saddened by the “tragedy [of] so many incidents of children and adults mauled to death by Pitbull type dogs,” she is of the view that, “pure-bred Pitbulls from reputable bloodlines have loyal, people-orientated temperaments in general and are affectionate with both children and adults.”
But, of course, there are always exceptions.
She continues: “They were bred to be tolerant of people because in the past when dog fighting was acceptable and popular, the trainers had to be able to attend to the wounds of a dog in pain without the dog turning on them.” She notes that they are “naturally aggressive towards other dogs and will turn on anyone who gets in the way of a dog fight during the heat of the moment.
Over the last 10-15 years the Pitbull has become a status symbol … there has been indiscriminate breeding of Pitbulls … and a lot of the dogs being sold as so-called Pitbulls are cross-bred dogs and no longer purebred animals.”
This cross-breeding often leads to “a dog which has an unpredictable nature.” She goes on to say that these dogs are often “kept in less than ideal conditions, in small enclosures or on chains and are not properly socialised or trained during the important puppy phase.”
Through illegal dog-fighting syndicates, they “are also encouraged to fight and to become aggressive – all recipes for the creation of an extremely dangerous dog. They are a breed of dog which is extremely strong and athletic and has a very strong bite. They require an owner who is experienced in handling and training a powerful dog and who is going to make the effort to ensure that the dog gets regular attention and exercise.”
Who needs search engines when we’ve got friends like these to count on? Huh? Thanks Dr Rous….
The Veteran Teacher
Then there is Ms Sondlo, an Early Childhood Development teacher. When the community hall was doing duty as a makeshift creche circa 1985, it was her who was doing the teaching. Her roots in the profession run some 37 years deep and she continues to hold court before Grade Rs at S.S. Madikane Primary School to this day. Nomalanga – loosely translating to Sunshine – is her first name. Meet this woman and feel the warmth, the overwhelming positive energy and the booming laughter that penetrates walls and is so powerful as to be infectious. Her motivation to keep at it even as the joints are stiffening: “To see our children making a future for themselves, having skills. Being doctors, accountants, driving fancy cars and personifying what it means to be successful.”
Some of these our dear friends have cosyed up to the idea of occasionally affording some commentary in their respective fields. Therefore, we were quite reassured, eParkeni was getting somewhere.
We were stoked.
Of course, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Though small in area and population, there is a swaggering self-confidence about the town and its people. We are fortunate to draw from a pool of highly capable individuals. Real intellectuals with gowns, credentials and the sort of proud self-assurance that is found in the company of high-minded individuals who regard making a difference their birthright.
But there are also plenty more who have spent years in the most credible institution in all the world. The University of Life. Real men and women with strong legs and calloused hands. The backyard farmers, seamstresses, barbers, old women selling vetkoeks during school breaks. Lay Preachers who’ve known God for as long as they can remember anything.
These are the people we need. The ones who will fuel our tanks up and keep us on the go. With their skills, with their stories, with simply being themselves.