Trappist Trail talk is a must

TAKE an intriguing journey with Tuesday Rostrum next month – along the Trappist Trail of KwaZulu-Natal. Historian Steven Kotze will be the guest speaker at the club’s October lunch, at Mbango on Tuesday October 8 at 12.15pm. His highly recommended talk, entitled ‘The Trappist Trail – a Unique Part of KwaZulu-Natal Heritage’, is one that shouldn’t be missed. The trail consists of 22 mission stations that were established by the monks of Mariannhill Monastery between 1882 and 1909. Except for the one at Waschbank near Dundee, they are all situated in the south of the province – on our doorstep, so to speak. Three of them, Maris Stella, Maria Trost and Otting, are in the Port Shepstone region. Together the 22 stations formed a network that allowed the easy and efficient movement of people and goods among the various missions. The structures, particularly the church buildings, were all made of local materials and were constructed to a very high standard of craftsmanship. All are still in use as Catholic churches, which makes the trail a living heritage. The most significant part of their history is that these 22 Trappist missions are unique. Nowhere else in the world did monks of the Trappist order ever make the attempt to become missionaries. With the backing of Ingwe Municipality, tours and lectures are offered by the Trappist Trail as part of an endeavour to promote the art, architecture and amazing history of these hidden treasures. Steven, who in lives in Durban, has a particular interest in the trail as he is developing the concept of mission tourism in his spare time. A former Maritzburg College pupil, Steven graduated from the University of Natal in 1994. He completed a BA Hons degree, which was awarded cum laude, specialising in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. After five years of working on the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift as a guide based at Fugitives’ Drift Lodge, he worked as a tutor in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He subsequently assisted with the development of a historical and cultural tourism policy for the iSimangaliso (Greater St Lucia) Wetland Park. After teaching history and copywriting at the Vega School in Durban for eight years, Steven now works as a research officer at Durban’s Local History Museum. He is married and has two children. To book for lunch contact Jenny Robertson at 039 6823097. You do not have to be a member to attend the lunch and talk. Guests, including men, are always welcome.