The school is absolutely beautiful. What a fabulous principal. So proud of our traditions and discipline
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
The Principal was so gracious and generous with her time and knowledge, especially with us arriving unannounced on a random Wednesday morning. We were super lucky that she happened to be on the grounds at exactly the same time we were. 🤩
@rorysullivan49132 жыл бұрын
The building with the burglar bars is part of of a building known as the Bruintjies Hoogte Inn (hotel) where ox wagons could rest en (uitspan) on way to Somerset East. Those responsible for stock theft were kept in that building until the law arrived to take them to the magistrate. Remember stopping there in early sixties.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
How amazing that you remember stopping there in the 60's! That is super cool. 😎 The building definitely still has a jail vibe, so your extremely interesting explanation makes complete sense. That even a little random building next to the side of a road, has a rich history like this, blows our minds. 🤯
@lynetteprinsloo8442 жыл бұрын
You are correct. We live in Somerset East. My husband is now 69 and he remembers it as the Bruintjieshoogte Inn. Very old ruins as he remembers the old building as a child. It was wonderful to see our beautiful town in Dustbug Travel.
@stuff0music2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for that information. I’m researching my ancestry and my second great grandfather was born at Bruintjies hoogte. It’s now marked on my Google maps places to go.
@karenkleyn18182 жыл бұрын
I started my teaching career way back in 1981 in this special town. One of my fondest memories will always be the excellent manners and behaviour of the learners. So glad to see they are still keeping it up. They really are an example for the rest of us. Proud of Gill.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
Wow, what special memories you must have of this gorgeous town! 🤗 We were blown away by how respectful and disciplined the learners were, so clearly those high standard of the 80's have been upheld. So fantastic to see! 😎
@flodillon9912 жыл бұрын
Those white springbucks are so beautiful and the views incredible. That Gills college is really amazing. Lucky to have the principal give you a guided tour, you were very lucky to be there at the right time. Thank you.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
We also loved the white springbuck, they were amazing! 🦌🤍 Our timing at Gill College was just perfect. We couldn't believe our luck that it was the Principal on the playground and that she was willing to spend some time with us. That was very special and we were happy to learn so much about the school and its history. 📚😊
@deonzar2 жыл бұрын
Well that was really a surprise...never expected Somerset East would be in such a good state. Man..I think they knew you were coming and cleaned up the town...only joking..very nice
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
That makes three of us! We were thrilled when we saw what a pretty place this was and how well it is being taken care of! 🤩 We're so glad you enjoyed it too, thank you.
@funkdunk2 жыл бұрын
It reminds me of Oranjia
@delraedillon99552 жыл бұрын
What an awesome little town
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
Indeed! The entire atmosphere was fantastic and we hope to visit again one day. 😎
@funkdunk2 жыл бұрын
I have to admit that I was disappointed to see Pearston, it reminded me of so many towns on a fast downward slide due to incompetent local councils and the lack of job creating opportunities, then I saw this video and I had to eat my words. What an incredible town and Gill College, the tour and the history of the place, so interesting...cannot wait for the next episode 😀 and your subs to reach 1000
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
We're so glad that you enjoyed our visit to Somerset East with all its fantastic offerings. 😁 It truly is a beautiful, tree-filled town where the locals clearly care about both the preservation and progress of the place. It was great to see! 👌🏻 Next stop is a small-small place, we hope you enjoy that one too. 😊
@RyanDH2 жыл бұрын
Sounds similar to Philippolis, that town has daily water outages, when there's a power outage, it last days. All the roads leading to the town are badly potholed. The first thing you notice the moment you enter the town is all the for sale signs by the various houses. Philippolis is an amazing town to visit, it has a lot of history, the Transgariep Museum is a must to visit, and then there's several monuments near the main church even a memorial garden
@wernherels59392 жыл бұрын
So wonderful to go back in memory I grow up in somerset went to Gill primary school. Miss the good days wow how the town has changed.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
What a fantastic town to have grown up in! 🤩 That school is something else and such an example to countless others in this great country. 🇿🇦 So happy that our video brought back some fond memories for you. ☺️
@gregorydavids53042 жыл бұрын
Hi! Just checked Vikipedia: "The school's namesake, Dr. William Gill, died in 1863 and left an estate equivalent to £23,000 (equivalent to £2,341,263 in 2021) for the establishment of a college of higher education. Gill College was officially opened on March 18, 1869.[1] The architecture was based on that of the University of Glasgow."
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
Yes! Thank you for sharing. 👌🏻 That's exactly where we quickly looked up the history too when we arrived at the school. 😁 The initial as opposed to the equivalent amount is quite unbelievable.
@davidwilliamson2115 Жыл бұрын
@@DustBugsTravel qq
@davidwilliamson2115 Жыл бұрын
@@DustBugsTravel onwards towards elevenses
@davidwilliamson2115 Жыл бұрын
What kind of Ant lives in those Ant hills?
@michalf64602 жыл бұрын
Loved it
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
Great, we're glad you enjoyed it! 🤩
@seanchallenge2 жыл бұрын
Absolutely amazing as always and to see the incredible beautiful town of Somerset East. Fantastic History of the School and a pleasure to see the Architecture of the Churches and Monuments. Keep discovering and yes we can't wait to see the next upload. Thank you Dustbugs
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much, guys! 😁 What an absolute revelation Somerset East was to us! We've always just heard about it and were so happy to finally be able to discover just a little bit of it. We glad you enjoyed it too, thank you for watching, as always. 😍
@simonemason53522 жыл бұрын
Wow everyday you learn something new. That college is so impressive.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
We completely agree. And completely unexpected to find a school like that in a fairly small town in the Eastern Cape. It was really wonderful to see. 📚🤩
@ttd-kakchom72482 жыл бұрын
I am from somerset at gill college
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
Fantastic stuff, you live in a beautiful town and attend a fantastic school. It was wonderful to visit. 😎
@debbiekruger94142 жыл бұрын
I love this town. It is beautiful
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
It is indeed very beautiful. We could happily live there. 😁
@vimilchar Жыл бұрын
Oh, I loved the principal sharing openly. What a beautiful school. ❤
@mk-xq1tt2 жыл бұрын
Lovely town and lovelier buildings. All the towns you travel through seem very neat and clean.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
This town was particularly neat and clean, which was awesome to see. 😃 It's really evident that the local residents take great care in looking after their town. Thank you for joining us on our travels, it's great to have you along. 🚗
@61sunset2 жыл бұрын
I am so amazed at Gill College, and you had a guided tour with the principle, so interesting. Somerset East looks so beautiful. I am so happy that you visited there, as it is one of a few places that I really wanted to see. So a big thank you to you both. Loved Sonya's description of the " Valley of a thousand hills", describing all the anthills : )
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
It's great that you also found Gill College ineresting. 😊 We were just as blown away by the entire place, we just had to spend some time there. The buildings just drew me in for some reason and I'm so happy it did. It is a wonderful (not so small) town with huge leafy trees and loads of history. It sounds like you also haven't been there before and it's really well worth a visit if you're ever in the Eastern Cape. 🤩 There were really thousands of anthills around, more than we've ever seen in one place before. 😁🐜🐜
@quintusvandermerwe41382 жыл бұрын
I cannot wait to watch your videos as you publish them. Do not think there is a video we have not seen!. This episode is the cherry on the cake! The piece about Gill College is excellent! We have recently started overland and we use your videos as inspiration and for the valuable info. Please, please if you can give a little bit more info about campsites and other guesthouses in the town you visit. It will be nice (but it is not a must-have) and I am sure you will get many more views;-)) Keep up the good work and I hope you get to 1000+ members quickly! You are privileged to be able to take so much time off work and do something you clearly love.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
We so appreciate your kind comments, thank you. 👌🏻 We made a conscious decision to focus on enjoying life in the moment and we literally love every moment on the road. Your journey sounds like an exciting one too and I'm sure you'll enjoy every kilometre of your overlanding experience. 🚙 We have so much footage to include in our videos, so mainly focus on our own accommodation and our thoughts on those. We will struggle to include reviews on places we haven't experienced ourselves and we hope you understand that. 😊
@annawitter51612 жыл бұрын
Aloe Aloe!! So lovely to hear from you touring the same areas I used to enjoy and am now missing. I have a feeling that little ruined building was once a plaasskooltjie. It looks so much like the sort of place my ouma used to teach in. SomersetEast used to have a Royal Hotel. We once went and stayed there just for a joke, because of the David Kramer Song: Hier sit die manne
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
You may very well be correct in that it was a little farm school, such a cute building. 😍📚 We can only imagine the good times in the Royal Hotel. We didn't spot it while driving through, but we did see the Somerset Hotel, which we're sure has its fair share of stories to tell! 😁
@joshuasteenkamp3277 Жыл бұрын
Bosberg with over 40 waterfalls during the rainy season
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
Amazing! ⛰️
@charlietreston40352 жыл бұрын
Amazing a place like this still exist
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
We were equally surprised, it's a fantastic town. 🤩
@munesumangava9751 Жыл бұрын
The pillars on the Town Hall….,just beautiful!
@joshuasteenkamp3277 Жыл бұрын
Dankie baie dankie
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
Sure! 😎
@samanthashepheard6 ай бұрын
What a pleasant town, and I just love seeing the old buildings and houses. I have to take my hat off to the principle, seeing the kids walking in single file, behaving in the library, standing up straight and not slouching when walking the neatness they keep and wear their uniforms. I cannot express how proud I feel and the love. It's great that she is keeping the old traditions. In today's world there is no respect for authority in schools, no respect for the rules. And any form of punishment is form of abuse, it's ridiculous. I'm going to be respectful as I can, the kids here in the uk they act very entitled, the dresses for the girls are so short, they allowed to wear makeup, the school clothes don't looked ironed, the girls hair are long and loose, the boys hair is long that they have to flick their fringe back because it's in their eyes. It's shocking to see. When I was in school our shoes used to be checked if they were shiny, our uniforms were checked to make sure the girls dresses were 3 fingers above the knee, if not we were sent home. They checked our hair to make sure it's not to long, no hair hanging in our eyes. And when you have a firm foundation and principles of rules and the consequences of breaking the rules, you start to respect the authority and rules. But because kids today are entitled and they have so many rights, and everything is abuse or labeled discrimination if any sort of punishment is given. I can totally understand how Sonia feels because I feel the same way. And that is why I am proud and have love seeing this because you don't get it anymore
@munesumangava9751 Жыл бұрын
Beautiful school…….Gill College 👏👏
@sherrillpotgieter3945 Жыл бұрын
If i still had school going kids i would be sak en pak off to Somerset East .
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
I understand how you would feel that way. it certainly seems to be a fantastic school. 🎓👌🏻
@franzgottschalk97052 жыл бұрын
The famous du Plessis brothers who played Springbok rugby studied here !
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
How interesting! We heard about Hannes Marais attending Gill College and saw that a stadium there was named after him, but didn't know about the Du Plessis brothers. Thank you for the info! 👌🏻🏉
@joshuasteenkamp3277 Жыл бұрын
Hello Mrs Slater greetings from East london
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
What a phenomenal lady she is! 😊👏🏻
@munesumangava9751 Жыл бұрын
The church 😁 again at the end of the tree lined street….. very pretty 👌🎉
@tillabezuidenhout64609 ай бұрын
That is a great picnic spot!!!!
@vkaitakirwa Жыл бұрын
What a gem!!.Gill college is truly stunning
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
A fantastic school indeed and an example of what can be achieved. Thank you for visiting with us! 🚗😁
@RyanDH2 жыл бұрын
Almost went to Somerset East on my recent road trip was deciding on the route to take between Bethulie (interesting town to visit), Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg. Ended of visiting Steynsburg, Hofmeyr and Cradock (was very impressed with Steynsburg and Hofmeyr) en-route to Graaff-Reinet from Bethulie. Then went to Murraysburg, Richmond (amazing town to visit) and Hanover (interesting town worth exploring) en-route to Middelburg from Graaff-Reinet.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
We found Somerset East a fantastic town and definitely worth visiting on one of your future trips. 🤩 We won't say much else in response to your comment, other than keep checking our uploads in the near future. We're sure you'll get a kick out of them! 😁😉
@andrewwilson3054 Жыл бұрын
Gill College was the highlight of my life. First class school with first class morals. Many of us struggle today in the Karoo but our school days at Gill keep us fighting forward, we have strong roots because of the rich education we received at the school.
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing your memories with us. We can fully understand those sentiments, it was clear to us that it was a special school with and for special people. What a lovely town Somerset East is in general, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. 😁🚗
@tillabezuidenhout64609 ай бұрын
Beautiful
@munesumangava9751 Жыл бұрын
It must be fantastic to drive on that road….,wow!!
@munesumangava9751 Жыл бұрын
Stunning views 👌👌👌
@waswe42042 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for this video and in particular about the section on Gill College. my great great uncle was James Leonard who was one of the seven men nominated by Dr Gill to form a corporation to build the college. He also invested heavily into the project. He went on to be Attorney General for the Cape Province and was closely associated with Cecil Rhodes.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
That is so interesting, thank you for sharing that with us. 👌🏻 We were so impressed with the school and so grateful that we could get a glimpse into its history. Your great great uncle has a fantastic legacy there, you can be proud to call him family. 🤩 We appreciate you watching!
@waswe42042 жыл бұрын
Thank you again, another farm belonging to the family was Gloria Farm, Villiersdorp, it is now called the Manor house. Owned by James Leonards brother Charles, who was a leader in the Jameson Raid. If you in the area could you do a video of that? Its on the banks of the Three Waterskloof Dam.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
We've visited the Villiersdorp area earlier in the year and stayed at Pendennis Farm. We had a great time in the town. You should check out that video(and all the others) too! 😁 We'll certainly make a note so that we can check it out if we're ever in the area again. Thank you for the info! 👌
@mariusroos Жыл бұрын
Nice to add salt to taste. The salt pans are amazing to think only some places in our country they occur. I loved the shop -we who grew up on farms remember them well. How nice it will be to live there if you like quietness and tranquility. Thanks for the drone footage and that you walked on the salt and even tasted it! The flamingoes were really nice to see. What a church for such a small town it is incredible. Thanks guys ir was such a nice trip. My bag stay in the boot I am ready for the next trip.
@AlexBondSmith2 жыл бұрын
Thanks. When watching and you talked about the origins of the name, I remembered a bit of useless history. Lord Charles Somerset named most of the towns established in the 1820's either after himself or members of his family. Hence we have Somerset East and Somerset West. Also Beaufort West. Beaufort, and Port Beaufort after his father in law, the Duke of Beaufort. Also Malmesbury after his cousin, the Earl of Malmesbury . Worcester after his brother, the Marquis of Worcester. One exception is Fish Hoek. I think he had run out of relations.
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
🤣 How interesting! We never knew all of that, thank you for sharing. 👌🏻 We happen to live close to both Somerset West and Fish Hoek and have obviously known about Somerset West all along. However, I suspect we may just look at Fish Hoek differently going forward! 😁🐟
@mary-elizabethcoetzee6852 ай бұрын
Born and raised there
@michalf64602 жыл бұрын
Very interesting! Why there are duble sumerset in SA?
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
This town is called Somerset East and is in the Eastern Cape and the other one is Somerset West in the Western Cape. They're about 770km apart. 🌍 Not sure why there are two, we just know both were named after Lord Charles Somerset, so we imagine both were started on farms he originally owned. Hopefully someone else reads your comment and can provide more information. 😁
@lynetteprinsloo8442 жыл бұрын
The one is Somerset East and the other Somerset West. People do get confused. Somerset West is in the Western Cape
@frederikbrits9559 Жыл бұрын
Also worthwhile to visit the Slagtersnek rebellion museum, my two great uncles Freek and Hans Bezuidenhout was shot, also Cornelis Faber was hanged. My gggg grandfather b7c2d2 Pieter BRITS was banned and send back to Beaufort West
@infocus-media Жыл бұрын
Quickly, Quickly past Somerset East, I still own a guy money there from 45 years ago (R15).LOL!
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
😁 It's such a fantastic town, it'll be well worth the fifteen bucks! 🤣🚗
@deonnimb9505 Жыл бұрын
Can't believe how much I am enjoying these videos, good job guys, keep it up. The transmission whine on the Kwid on camera sounds a bit like that of a 4x4 which is maybe why you guys are getting to so many wonderful places. Have fun
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
😁 Your comment gave us a good chuckle. The last two Kwids we've had, have been especially creaky and we've noticed the same thing when we edit! We're sure they sometimes do feel like 4 x 4's though, so they behave accordingly! Thank you for being along for the ride! 🚗🤩
@joshuasteenkamp3277 Жыл бұрын
Birthplace of the 3 famous springbok rugby players Carl Michael and willy du plessis
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
Interesting! 🏉
@BerylBerger-t4v2 ай бұрын
🥰👋
@joshuasteenkamp3277 Жыл бұрын
Gill kollege school of the famous du plessis brothers springbok rugby players of 1980 s
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
Indeed. Also Hannes Marais, Springbok captain from the 1970's. 🏉
@aislingbooksАй бұрын
Turkish fig river? 😅 And then on to Waterford? Must've been an Irishman that settled there. I taught in Waterford, but not the one in SA. Do you also have a Tralee? ☺
@DustBugsTravelАй бұрын
Actually the Prickly Pear River. 😁 A 'turksvy' is a prickly pear. We spent a few years in the US and I recall Americans often referring to them as cactus fruit. Yes, Waterford, the farm, was owned by two Irish immigrant brothers called Rafferty. You'll get to know the place in Episode 166. I'm not aware of a Tralee in our country though.
@aislingbooksАй бұрын
Ha! Thanks so much for your response. Prickly pear I know too and, though prickly, they're quite delicious. Have you eaten them too? I'm enjoying your next episode too. But what a great pity the town's been abandoned.
@DustBugsTravelАй бұрын
I have indeed! They've been one of my favourite fruits since childhood, but they must be ice cold when eaten. Sonia is quite the expert at peeling them too! 😁
@viking_warlordce2 жыл бұрын
27:27 that black bakkie is mine( dont know why my last comment was taken off)
@DustBugsTravel2 жыл бұрын
Wow, what a small world this is! 🌍 Thank you for letting us know, that is super cool. 😎 We didn't remove a comment from you, a KZbin glitch perhaps.
@joshuasteenkamp3277 Жыл бұрын
Gill Kollege SABC nuus joernalis se skool Mr Hufkie
@DustBugsTravel Жыл бұрын
Yes, the Principal told me about him, along with a few other famous alumni. 👌🏻
@AvuyilemiyoloSphelo4 күн бұрын
Hi guys how much a ticket from Somerset East to Capetown?