Eight vehicles set off from the Klipbokkop 4×4 Academy this week on a commemorative drive of the Great Trek from 1835 to 1938. With Gerhard Groenewald as the Trek leader, the group of 34 people headed to Mooimeisjesfontein just outside Grahamstown, which was Piet Retief’s original farmstead.
Under the guidance of the FAK, the trip not only commemorates the route, but will also have historians and descendents of the Voortrekkers hosting the group around the camp fire each night with legends that are almost forgotten. The ox-wagon route that they are following heads to Aliwal North, over the Winter Mountains, through the Free State and the Drakensberg, past the Church of the Vow in Pietermaritzburg and then to the end at the Blood River Monument.
“Compared to the trek groups of yonder who had to rely heavily on their own ingenuity and resourcefulness to overcome obstacles, our group is well prepared with state-of-the-art equipment such as camping and other 4×4 accessories from 4×4 Megaworld, tyres from Goodyear, including support from Hi-Q dealers countrywide, off-road trailers from Jurgens and lighting solutions, as well as fridges from National Luna,” says Groenewald.
A documentary on the epic 4×4 commemorative journey wil be aired on KykNet. The trip can also be followed online at www.fak.org.za, www.klipbokkop.co.za, as well as on www.kyknet.co.za.