The Garden Route Steam Train Society

 Woodmill Lane, Knysna. 6570.

Fax; 0443821762

Cell; 0732577503

01 / 12 / 2009

A Christmas Message.

Dear fellow members,

It's that time of the year again when we celebrate Christmas and New Year with the hope of seeing the Choo-Tjoe back on track and once again doing her "thing" for all in sundry. So this Christmas you, the member will have to pull out all the stops and do some extra hard praying, that the powers that be [Transnet] will come to their senses and get on with the job of fixing the line, oe selling the line before the next BIG deluge of rain which will surely come to our area. One cannot rule out a storm, it just won't happen, but it will happen when you least expect it. This has been proved over the years, and it has caught many people napping, and that includes the railways, who have NOT done their homework on the line.

Alan Winde, MPC for the DA has just come back from England where he met with Sir William Mac Alpine to discuss the future of the line. He has promised to have talks with us about his venture, and what the future holds for the line. Thinking back over the last few years, if only The Heritage Foundation had let the train go both ways as usual, then we would have had at least one set here in Knysna, and then the line could have been repaired from here to Sedgefield, after all a half a loaf of bread is better than nothing. But alas Transnet played it back to front again, so now we are stuck.

There seems to have been a lot of funny stories in the local news papers about the line, which I urge members not to believe, unlesss it's a statement from Kobus Volschenk or Alan Winde. These stories can be very upsetting at the best of times, and I feel that a stop must be put to it. There are people who depend on the Choo-Tjoe each day it arrives, so why upset the applecart Which in turn upsets the people. Lets be very serious, and sound of mind that something good will come out of this, as I am a believer that all good things come to those who wait. Patience is a virtue. I did a trip with Stan and Jo Davis one Sunday to see the damage of the line, and it is very serious, BUT nothing that Spoornet cannot fix, as they have fixed the line after several storms in the past, and they are good at their job.

I welcome new ideas for the future, so you all no where to contact me in future, also remember that we are on the internet courtesy of Knysna Cars which belongs to Alan Whitehead. www.asunysa.co.za gets you into our society, as well as Rustic Woodburning Art, which I do to earn some extra cash for my pension. Well there is not much else to tell, except that I hope and pray that the economy will swing around to the good in the New Year, and perhaps everybody will be smiling again, BUT we must NEVER give up hope for the train as it is part of Knysna's Heritage which NO ONE will take away fro us.

Every blessing for a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Geoff Pullen.

Chairman & Founder 1993