Mills of South Africa Stamp issue date: 9 November 2007 Mill technology was introduced into South Africa by Jan van Riebeeck in the seventeenth century and subsequently, many hundreds of mills, driven by water, wind and horse were constructed. To celebrate these old mills, the South African Post Office issued a set of five stamps and a commemorative envelope on 9 November 2007. The stamps feature artwork by Robin Howard Kearney. For the first time on South African stamps, the GPS positions are indicated as part of the caption. This means that a person who owns a GPS receiver will be able to locate each mill and visit it while on holiday. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Utilizing a constellation of at least 24 medium Earth orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, the system enables a GPS receiver to determine its location, speed and direction. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Navigation_Satellite_System The following mills are featured on the set of stamps: Mosterts Mill - Cape Town, Western Cape: This is undoubtedly the best known Dutch-style windmill in South Africa. The mill was most likely built in 1796 by Gysbert van Reenen. After Gysbert’s death, the farm’s next owner was Gysbert’s son-in-law, Sybrand Jacobus Mostert, whose name is now associated with the mill. In 1889 the mill was sold to Cecil John Rhodes, then the Prime Minister of the Cape. He had the old farmhouse redesigned by the young up and coming architect, Herbert Baker. The original mills in the Cape were based on their Dutch counterparts. However, the strong Cape winds destroyed them and various Dutch experts were sent out from Holland to design mills more suited to the Cape weather. Today, Mosterts Mill is a major tourist attraction. Dwars Rivier Watermill - Cederberg, Western Cape: Set in the beautiful Cederberg Mountains on the wine estate, ‘Cederberg’. A watermill powered by the Dwars Rivier was built on a farm near Clanwilliam, which was established in 1893. Cedar wood from the area was used in building the mill, which had a wooden overshot wheel of the compass type which was easy to transport and consisted of four cedar wood spokes mortised into the axle. Colesberg Horse & Mill, Colesberg, Northern Cape: In the Northern Cape, one could find a horse mill on almost every farm. Karoo farmers who often had a lack of water or wind, constructed a simple horse mill in their barns. Then the draft animals on the farm, were put to work grinding their grains. Once a working Horse Mill of the farm, Sewefontain in the Colesburg district, the mill has been recreated into an old coach house. Witpoort Watermill, Stoffberg, Mpumalanga: Willem Jacobus Volschenk built a beautiful little watermill on his farm, Witpoort towards the end of the 19th century. This mill was to play a small but vital role in the Anglo-Boer/South African War because it kept the Boers fed for the duration of the war. British forces ordered the mill dynamited but fortunately only the coarse grinder was destroyed. After a drought in 1963 the water powered mill was changed to tractor power. This reduced milling time significantly. The mill was electrified in 1986 which speeded up the process even more. Today, the attractive, red roofed mill house with its steel overshot wheel is a fascinating historic addition to what is now a privately owned sporting estate and nature reserve. La Cotte Watermill, Franschhoek, Western Cape: In 1694, Jean Gardiol, a Huguenot, was granted the farm La Cotte in the Franschhoek valley. It is believed that the watermill was built early in the 18th century. According to a photograph taken early in the 20th century, the mill had a wooden overshot wheel and two different gables - one rectilinear with a false chimney and the other hipped. It was thatched and built from a combination of stone and clay bricks. There is a shuttered opening under the hipped gable from which the miller could reach the hatch in the launder to open and close it and so regulate the speed of the water. Leeuw River Watermill - Westminster, Free State: (used on the commemorative envelope.) On 11 June 1892, near the Free State town of Westminster, Charles Newberry’s wife laid the foundations of an imposing five storey sandstone mill that would be powered by a turbine driven by water from the Leeuw River. Newbury used ox wagons to build the dam wall upstream and imported a metal mill race. The ground floor of the mill was used to stockpile the grain, while the three upper levels housed the machinery. The roller mills - still in working condition in December 2002 - were designed and built by ERF Turner and Co of Ipswich in the United Kingdom. In 2003 the current owner, Piet le Roux, was engaged in repairing the turbine to restore the mill to full working condition. By Chester O Staples • www.millsofsa.co.za Wanderer is the most famous and largest of the albatrosses and is found around the southern oceans. Their long narrow wings are strikingly graceful. They have large heads featuring massive hooked bills. Their bodies are mainly white and they have long necks, short legs and short tails. During rough weather, high waves create strong uplifting air currents, enabling them to remain aloft with hardly a wing beat for hours they are the best observed. They spend the better part of their lives on the wing, gliding and circling the wind systems of the Southern Ocean. Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes Weddellii): The Weddel Seal was named after James Weddel, the British Antarctic explorer who commanded British expeditions into the Weddel sea, which is also named after him. Weddel Seals are arguably the most well-known and appealing of all the Antarctic seals. They are found further south in large groups on fast pack ice and can be easily approached by humans. Weddel Seals have a small head and their bodies are blue-black and spotted silver-grey, fading to rust brown. Their short, dense fur protects them from water temperatures. Unlike Crab eater and Leopard seals, weddel seals are fat and not so streamlined. Orca Whales (Orcinus orca): Orca or killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family. Orca Whales are sometimes called the wolves of the sea because of their closely-related pack-like behaviours. They are normally found gracing the southern seas in abundance and tend to travel in small close-knit, family pods. They have a unique colouration pattern, a dazzling contrast of jet black above and bright white markings beneath.
|