The Probus Club of Bedfordview’s open meeting on August 4 began with president Ineke O’Dougherty welcoming Ingrid de Munnik as the club’s newest member.

O’Dougherty presented De Munnik with her membership certificate, badge and Probus information leaflet during the induction ceremony.

The guest speaker for the meeting was published author Simon C. Green.

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Green shared that he served in the British Army for 30 years. He settled in South Africa in 2002 and left the army in 2006.

In 2009, Green began researching and writing about blockhouses.

He explained that blockhouses are not only a personal passion but also provide an opportunity to discuss broader topics such as heritage conservation.

Quoting British Monuments Man Ronald Balfour in 1944, Green said heritage is important because:

“No age lives entirely alone; every civilisation is formed not merely by its own achievements but by what it has inherited from the past. If these things are destroyed, we have lost a part of our past, and we shall be the poorer for it.”

Green encouraged people to preserve both the positive and negative aspects of history, saying society often learns its greatest lessons from difficult experiences, helping people heal and build a better future.

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He explained that he realised no one had written extensively about blockhouses and wanted to approach the subject from a fresh perspective to provide a deeper understanding.

Green described a blockhouse as a defensive structure built to protect a strategic location. It is large enough to accommodate people, with most blockhouses housing between 15 and 30 occupants, depending on their size and design.

He focused his research on the blockhouses used during the Anglo-Boer War.

Some blockhouses were built with walls thick enough to withstand bullets and were positioned at strategic locations the military wanted to defend.

They were later used to protect railway lines, which served as vital transport routes for food, water, medical supplies and ammunition during the Anglo-Boer War.

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This led to the development of an extensive network of blockhouses, with thousands constructed across South Africa.

Green said that of the approximately 9 000 original blockhouse sites, only a small number remain today.

The blockhouses at Pretoria, Die Vesting, Harrismith, Modder River and Klerksdorp have been destroyed, while the blockhouse in Bergville is currently at risk.

A blockhouse at Norvalspont has been converted into a four-bedroom private home, while another at Stormberg Junction now operates as a bed-and-breakfast establishment.

Green added that efforts are under way to preserve the Witkop Blockhouse in Meyerton.