HTN 213 - The Sandstone Heritage Trust has two Star drilling machines... perhaps its time to restore them?

Our thanks to ANDY SELFE for these wonderful old pictures.

Here's a blow-up of a tiny snapshot of the Star (?) drilling rig that Andy got from the late oom Niel Loubser's belongings.

I think that's the steam version and that the engine is behind and to the right of the steel tower. He told me years ago that it is his father Gysbert Loubser in the dark clothes, and that the girl was a miss Beukes. The drilling was going on on oom Gys' property, Dewhurst, just beyond my workshop on the LHS. This picture below I've had for some time.

Two Freestate micrometers hanging from the machine, I see ;-) He couldn't remember the name of the driller.

There are several pictures of this towed harvester.

I think he said that it was John Deere, and that it was particularly wide (17 '?) for its time. It was working in the Caledon area.

Impressive load behind a Johnny Popper, 'mied pak' or stacking the sheaves.

Oom Niel had a terrible stammer, so add that to the fact he spoke Afrikaans, I always found him difficult to understand. But his daughter-in-law says he was always excited when I came to work on tractors, etc on the farm and always enjoyed coming to the workshop and 'helping' me, and never missed a chance to bring out a tray with coffee. I always used to rag him about the great 'service at this Cafe', referring to the fact that he owned the Bio-cafe in the village when we were at school!

His dad also owned the Forest Hotel here in the village, and amongst oom Niel's things have surfaced all the plans for the hotel, along with a brochure for the hotel saying it was AA & RAC approved, and a menu!