The many guises of Old Joe
Over the years, since it was originally erected as a road barrier in 1927 until today, 90 years later, the human-like stone, fondly called Old Joe, has had many faces and guises.
SCHOEMANSKLOOF – Now in its third position since the stone was erected initially on a steep bend on the Patatanek section of the R539, it was originally only covered in a white lime wash. In those years the narrow road still had a gravel surface and stones found locally were planted on the steep edges as safety indicators and barriers.
It is not certain which passer-by or road maintenance man was first to paint a face onto this man-like stone.
This was the start of this tradition. Maj Claude Graham of White River, with his children and their friends, was the first to arrange a party to give Old Joe a proper paint job.
Later, when the road was tarred, it was the road maintenance teams which continued to change his coat and face with road paint. White and black and sometimes even yellow.
Often a sports team would pass by and dip Old Joe in some paint in the team colours, or it would become the victim of crude graffiti artists.
Often, before the local commercial artist Wouter de Wit, also known as Ghost, painted Old Joe is his unique style to promote Innibos in 2005, some locals did a more stylish job.
I remember the whole stone was painted with a layer of gold in celebration of the first South African ever to receive an Oscar, Charlize Theron.
Do not miss out on Lowvelder‘s August 4 edition. This will be the launch of an Old Joe treasure hunt over the next four months. Twenty-six pieces, one in each edition, will be tucked away somewhere inside to be found, cut out and stuck onto a special collector’s map included in that edition.
