KAROO NEWS - Former Union High School learner Theron Crawford has written a book, Karoo Stories, which is available for interested readers now.
Crawford told the Graaff-Reinet Advertiser this book is his small contribution to preserving these stories for generations to come.
In the book he tells twelve frontier stories of the Great Karoo, set mainly in the greater Graaff-Reinet area. They are recounted from his own experiences and from the tales he heard as a young boy while accompanying his grandfathers to gatherings of the locals in the mid-20th century.
Crawford takes us back to a time when the Karoo was struggling to recover from the hangover of its frontier existence and the scars left on its people caused by the Great Depression, World Wars, and Anglo-Boer war.
Meet the delightful, and sometimes quirky characters as they gather at stock-fairs, church services, coffee-shops, boys hostels, and under the starry night skies to share their experiences of the old Karoo.
Experience a range of emotions as you read about a sad ending to an intense love match even before it began, how a local farmer deployed celestial forces to put a stop to theft on his farm, and how Oom Smitty got to take his own medicine.
The stories are all are all based on first hand experiences of the author or on stories relayed by his elders, founded on historical events and settings of the time.
The book is available in paperback, Ebook, and Kindle through Amazon and Smashwords. It retails at around R150 depending on the format.
Interested persons can read more about him and order a copy of his publications at www.theroncrawford.com.
Five readers can each get a free copy of Karoo Stories, signed by the author himself. All you need to do is send the editor, Hugo Redelinghuys, an e-mail with your contact details, with a short paragraph why you want the book. The five best motivations will each get a copy of the book.
About Theron Crawford
A former Graaff-Reinet resident now based in Port Alfred, Theron Crawford, says his family has resided in Graaff-Reinet since the early 1800's - Theron, Botha, Joseph and Crawford families. "I was schooled at Union High School where I matriculated in 1978.
"My formative years were a mixture of town-living and time spent visiting my grandparents on their Petersburg farm, about 70 kilometers outside of the once frontier town of Graaff-Reinet.
I have fond memories of the times I accompanied my grandfather on his daily chores on the farm, his visits to neighbouring farmers, and his trips to town to attend to farming issues. It is during these times that I picked up on many stories and incidents as I listened in on conversations."
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