For what we receive may we be truly thankful

For what we receive may we be truly thankful

Sunday braai at Kenton-on-Sea followed by stroll and clamber aside estuary and coastline of awe-inspiring beauty. Knysna loerie (turaco) dropped in for lunch. Thirsty chap. Not uncommon, yet sightings rare in my ornithological experience. Prince of birds. Previous rickety tales referenced their “flight and call”. Fluttering of bottle green and flashes of blood red. Gone before going. Disappeared before grace.

Perfect late afternoon on the Sunshine Coast. The Boesmans rivier flows clean into the Indian Ocean. Devoid of judgement. Anglers hone their skill and patience in the narrow, eager channel. Others draw peace and inspiration from endless ocean and dramatic sandstone castles shaped by eternity. Mighty churches untouched by Adam. Humans scarce and elusive as loeries. Not uncommon yet sightings rare outside April and December. Lovers entangled in hidden coves emerge to dance to the rolling rhythm of sea meeting river and withering rock. The sun calls time and Grahamtown beckons. Wash and rinse. No repeat. Tomorrow’s surf will sooth older feet and wiser souls. Carving castles in the sand for eternity.

GRAEME HOLMES

Before moving back to Grahamstown in Oct 2017, Graeme was a bank executive based in the big smoke and craziness of Joburg. He has 20 years’ experience in the Payments Industry. He is a Chartered Accountant, has a Masters in Management by Research (MMR) from Wits Business School, and attended an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) offered by INSEAD (The Business School for the World!) in France.  

Graeme is the founder of The Grahamstown Project. It’s simple. He says, “Grahamstown is a microcosm of South Africa. If we can’t get this place to function properly then the whole country is stuffed. Many of the troubles we experience as a country today have their roots here in Grahamstown. it is here where black and white people first engaged in conflict on the African continent. It is here where 9 wars of dispossession over 100 years took place and virtually destroyed the amaXhosa nation. But we are where we are. I don’t have a British passport and the boat-trip back to where my ancestors came from is exorbitantly expensive. Furthermore, this is my home. I am a son of Africa. We must work together to redress the injustices of the past and move as one into a brighter future.”

Graeme is an avid historian, writer, vlogger and public speaker. Like and follow the Facebook page. Join him on a tour. Contact him. He would love that.