Marians dad was a geologist Lady Joan and he worked in pump station tunnels in those mountains for many years, The man is a walking book of history when it comes to the Drakensberg mountains.
A great post here with lovely dated photos and great details.
Blessings!
History is around every corner up there, they pump water up to the Highveld higher up along the ridge quite something to see when they flood the plains above (only witnessed once in 1993). You will have to get some of the stories penned down, as the older folk have some great tales to tell.
Now retired, he is writing some books about his work and it should be very interesting.
A shock is that the new "bosses" are not maintaining the data bank that these guys built up over the years and most of the files and books are being dumped.
He knows more about the Dolomite areas on the Witwatersrand than anyone else in the country and the areas that they red lined for no construction are now being covered by RDP houses.
Happy go lucky country we are now living in.
Blessings!
My Dad worked in the building at Johannesburg station where all the plans were drawn up for an underground rail system (before removal of tram tracks), who knows if anything is still around. Knowing the land and where to build it is crazy to think they turf it out without a second thought!
Building everywhere with no forethought, not happy go lucky just plain old stupid!
Now they rely on contracts for overseas surveyors and geologists to come and do the design and planning Lady Joan, of course with a kick back to get the job.
Like our French friends that created the disaster of leaking tunnels with the Gautrain.
Only afterwards they contacted my father in law's department for advice.
So sad.
Just last year they "discovered" an "unknown" tunnel that leads from the station to the zoo lake and my father in law knows about the tunnel.
So I don't have any hope that your Dad's drawings still exist.
Blessings!
Sadly I have to agree with you, the best we older guys can do it try hang onto our sanity, keep helping other (like we always have done), try make a decent home for ourselves with this craziness around.