Melville Koppies takes kids on a history hike
MELVILLE – The heritage site open its gate to the minds eager to learn about the history hidden in the Koppies.
The Melville Koppies was recently visited by the Grade 7s of Solid Foundations Primary School where they learned more about the heritage site’s rich history of settlement from more than 50 000 years ago.
The Kempton Park-based school is said to have gingerly tested the sharp edge of a stone scraper once used and discarded by hunter-gatherers, scrambled over rocks to see the blast hole where the Geldenhuys brothers hoped to strike gold while the boys challenged traditional gender norms as they attempted to grind sorghum on an old grinding stone.
According to Jenny Grice, a volunteer for the koppies, shared what children think the tour is all about. The kids are said to have noted how, through the tour, they learned about their culture and where things come from. While the others said they saw how their ancestors used to build primitive tools and they survived. Others said life was so different compared to how they live now.
Jay Swiegers, the school’s history teacher, said they would definitely recommend the tour, especially for children from the city. “It’s important for them to see actual physical historical evidence; they rarely get to see that.”
Details: Melville Koppies, Wendy Carstens wendavid@mweb.co.za
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