Completing the trilogy, Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing’s New Varietal Expert, Buks Nel and Quality Manager, Henk Griessel, have completed their third book, this time dedicated to pears.
People, Pears and the Stories they Share will officially be launched at the XIV International Pear Symposium to be held in Stellenbosch in January 2023.
But, according to the writers, this book is not a scientific tome but rather a collection of personal histories.
Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen, an apple and pear grower, of Oak Valley Estate in Elgin, says that history has an all too frequent habit of disappearing into the mists of time. “This sad reality will inevitably come to pass unless caring individuals with an ear for local folklore take the trouble to capture fascinating tales that are well worth hearing again today. The stories are written in a relaxed and inviting style, with subtle humour that brings these ancient and captivating tales to life,” he says.
Nel and Griessel say that growers and members of the public were invaluable in their contributions.
“A forgotten Highway in the Koue Bokkeveld, a story we were told by Laastedrif in Ceres owner and Tru-Cape director, Rossouw Cillé, would not have been in the book without his help and this applies to most of the memories captured,” Nel says.
Nel tells of a grower who left money in trust for future generations. “There came a moment when the George Municipality got wind of the Trust and wanted to use it to build a hospital in George. But the Trust administrators knew their mandate: “No money generated by the people of Grabouw shall be used for projects which do not benefit the local people and, as such, the Grabouw Rugby Club when it needed funds for making a rugby field was assisted. They decided to organise a dance but there was just one snag – no hall or dance venue.
So, they appealed to the Trust for money, built a hall (on Municipal land, with permission), and held their dance which raised enough cash for the club to construct its rugby field. Two new assets for Grabouw thanks to the Wrights! The hall was named the Gerald Wright Memorial Hall and is now part of a Municipal complex that hosts dozens of different community projects and activities, now also known as the Thufong Centre. Various other institutions such as the Elgin Learning Foundation and Huis Silwer Jare have also benefited from the Gerald Wright Memorial Trust,” Griessel says all thanks to a pear tree.
Most alumni of Stellenbosch University are proud of their Die Eikestad – “Oak Tree City.” Oak-lined streets are as much part of Stellenbosch as the maroon of the Maties’ rugby jerseys but, says Nel, other towns and villages may have their streets lined with willows or thorn trees. In the early days in Beaufort West no tree could be removed unless another one, preferably a pear, was quickly planted to take its place. Today Beaufort West is festooned in pear trees.
According to Nel, a pear tree played a special role in the bootleg Witbliz distilled in Calitzorp and the details are shared in the book. The Wild Asian pears of Nieu Bethesda are detailed along with the oldest still producing Beurre Hardy pear orchard, planted many years ago and perfectly maintained by Elsenberg Agricultural College in Stellenbosch.
The calabash pear in Worcester’s Beckhuis may also be among the oldest.
The book explains the stories behind the oldest and second oldest pear trees in South Africa. “The oldest is a well-known matter of public record,” says Griessel, and still stands in The Company’s Garden in Cape Town. But, to learn about the second oldest tree you will have to buy the book,” Griessel winks.
The book is richly illustrated by Ros Nel – Buks’ wife and an artist in her own right. With the help of book designers, Miona Janeke and Staša Hlava a beautiful book has been produced.
Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, Managing Director, Roelf Pienaar, says that this new book along with The Newcomers and their Friends and Apples in the Early Days at the Cape will be an important and enjoyable resource for generations to come.
The book, currently only in hard-copy, is available to purchase from Tru-Cape at R250 each.
See www.Tru-Cape.com or email info@Tru-Cape.co.za.
