Helemeringhausen and the Meat ...

[Michael Alexander]

Back in the day, the meat destined for the abattoir in Oranjemund, came down to the town via cattle drives and then by road transport, does anyone know the names of people involved in the farms up there.....? What farms were involved? How long was a cattle drive? How many heads of cattle?

[pam spackman]

 

Clint Eastwood..........weeks!!

[John Haycox]

I remember the cattle drives, but not the names of the cowboys.

I seem to recall that most of the cattle came from the Grootfontein area, they may vae been trucked down or sent by rail (where to).  The cattle were kept at Swartkops farm for several weeks to recover and fatten up.  They were then driven from there to the abatoir.  What was that 8 miles.

[Alfred Boehme]

I remember the Pollards, they where at beuvalon farm the pigs, chickens, eggs and milk where all supplied from there did they not get there catlle there to?

[John Haycox]

In our time we got very little from Beuvalon, as first there was no bridge, so everything had to be brought across the river with the DUKW (that amphibious thing from WW2).  Then when they built the bridge, a large section of it got washed away the very first time they got rain up country.  For many years after that the bridge was in a bad state with a temporary wooden section where the concrete was washed away.

So cattle could not be brought from there.  Swartkops may have been expended or even established for fattening the cattle.  Pigs were kept in town, first at the old pigsties North of the school and later at the new pigsty on the Eastern side of town.  I should think this became a problem when the town extended Eastwards.

[Michael Alexander]

I know of the Pigsties at the east (Pigsville), never knew of the ones to the north though..... where exactly to the north, was it a big place?

[joco Mueller]

During the time (1957 to 65) when I was in charge of the meat processing plant,at the abbatoir, all the cattle came in by rail from the north to Kolmanskop and was driven,by big a  special Mercedes cattle transporter, directly to the to fenced  place at the abbatoir.Appr.up to 40 head of cattle , up to 30 sheep , appr.20 baconers plus up to 50 to 80 chicken and the occasional sow from the pigsty at Beuvalon where slaughtered he week .Yes, it was Mr.Pollard (Polly) who was in charge of this all,also of all the mules  for the Mule Derby( and the jockeys).Only dairy cöws getting too old ,ie.short of milk,where brought in from he farm  for slaughtering.       Joco

[John Haycox]

Michael,

The old pigsty was North of the school.  The old school (a metal prefab building) was moved up there next to the old pigsty to become the MOTH hall.

The Scouts used the old pigsty as Scout HQ.  The scout master was Cobra, he was the baker.

[Alfred Boehme]

Before the trucks did they not heard the cattle from Kolmanskop, are these not the watering points along the way

[John Haycox]

That could very well be so.  The cattle would then have been brought from the Grootfontein area by train to Kolmans and then herded down the coast to Oranjemund.  Sounds right.

[Clint Ebstein]

I saw some old documents somewhere around here, documenting the amount of cattle  kept at Grillental etc.

[Malcolm Bertoni]

There was and probably still is a freshwater spring at Grillenthal, near the old pump station, although theres not much left of it.

There was a narrow-guage railway line to Pomoma (about 25 km) , but there's probably nothing left now.

Perhaps they could have used the spring for the cattle?

Malcolm

[Clint Ebstein]

In the 1954`s cattle was transported via rail to Kolmanskop,after a short rest they walked to Grillental and them eventually to OMD

[Clint Ebstein]

Grillental 2008

[Vincent Trethewey]

Hi, Remember the abattoir at the bottom end of town and the piggery on the way out of town before the quarry and the left turn down hill where the gate used to be.

regards
Vincent Trethewey