Took some photos of the town I work in and live close to.
Sunrise of the African veld.
Sunrise through the trees around my cottage.
Residential street, Wagen rd, with pin oaks down the centre.
A street leading off from Wagen rd. In the back ground a koppie (small hill) with grass and thorn trees.
A home bathed in the early morning sunrise.
The old civic building, built somewhere between 1900 and 1920.
Town hall.
The reason we don't have to stop and smell the coffee; Nestle coffee factory about 200 meters from the town hall.
Harding street (Main street Estcourt)
Albert street, named after one of Queen Victoria's sons I think. Only person on the street is the street sweeper opposite, 8:30 Sunday morning.
Town library, corner of Connor and Victoria streets. Victoria street named after Queen Victoria. Natal is known as the last outpost of the British Empire.
Welsh road lined with Syringa trees, covered with purple flowers in the spring. Most of the roads in this area are named after local men who fought and died in the two world wars. Lots of roads, lots of men who died.
The church I worship at, Estcourt Community Church. We fall under the Baptist Union of South Africa, but we consider ourselves non-denominational. You don't have to be a Baptist to belong.
Our church hall and Sunday school, used to be the old church.
This building just opposite the church houses the Thembalihle Care Project, an outreach of the church. Through it we support 85 AIDS orphans. These orphans are supplied with food every month, clothing, school fees and money for transport to school. The project helps them to source the various Government grants available, then another orphan takes there place. There are 79,000 child headed households in South Africa as a result of AIDS.
This building also contains a soup kitchen and produces about 4,000 meals a month. These feed poor pre school children and AIDS patients. Cost per annum R3 million. Any one interest in finding out more about this project can contact Trevor Dahl at
tcpecc@telkomsa.net
The worship team practising before the service, Henny on Base guitar, his wife Katrien on guitar, Roy (the Leader of the band) and Ange just peeping out above the piano. We have a very multiracial congregation. Now you've spent a Sunday morning in Estcourt, even been to church with me.
8 comments:
I'd love a town that smells like coffee!! If one street is named after Queen Victoria, then I'd guess Albert Street was probably named after her husband.
Your church looks like it would be fun to visit. (I love the old church building best, though.)
The information about households headed by children is heartbreaking, Phillip. I'm so glad people in South Africa are doing so much to help the AIDS orphans.
At least one of my friends died of AIDS here in Canada, and there may be others who died of it but I didn't know the cause. It isn't always disclosed, although I think it really should be, as a matter of public education. However, it's probably not a good idea to legislate what bereaved families do or don't say in an obituary.
Enjoying your blog very much.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Thanks for the tour. I enjoyed it!
Me too, thanks for the tour.
Mark
I really liked Estcourt and its old buildings. Plus the wonderful smell of coffee. Thanks for the tour.
Kay you are absolutely right about Albert being her husband, thank you. In South Africa no one officially dies of AIDS, Always, cancer, TB, etc. even though AIDS was the primary cause. So people live in denial.
thanks so much for the great photo-tour! I'll probably never go there, so I really like it!
Hi Phil, I scrolled down your post and am I glad I did. What a nostalgic tour of Estcourt where our sister Rose, husband and family lived for many years and also where our dearest mommy and daddy lived so happily in the last years of their lives. I also enjoyed my two years in Estcourt and can still smell the coffee in my head! I remember as a child travelling from Durban to Johannesburg by train, we stopped in Estcourt and could smell the coffee from the station. Is the station still in operation or has it been restored. Have a great day. Love and blessings, Jo xxx PS I love your church band, brings back memories of when I played the keyboard in the band. And I love your church projects.
Love your tour of your town. It looks like a nice place. I really like what I see of your church too and the project you are involved it. It is showing Christ's love in action. God bless you all for it.
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