Enthusiasm about the history of the region is contagious. Tourists from all over the country and the world quickly catch on to the zest of local people and tourism naturally brings economic value to a region.

One such person who bubbles with enthusiasm for the history of the region is Charles Leach. Charles has a special interest in the history and life among the civilians and military in the period including the Anglo Boer war, or the South African War as he prefers to call it nowadays. “It is not true that it was a war between English and Afrikaans-speaking people. The Kellys, Kleinenbergs and Fitzgeralds, to name a few, all spoke English and were part of the Zoutpansberg Commando.”

One reason why Charles became a keen researcher of the fascinating human stories during this period is because his own grandfather, Johnny Kleinenberg, and his grandmother, Laetitia Cooksley, were intensely involved. Johnny Kleinenberg and Frank Menne, grandfather of Peter Menne, married the two Cooksley sisters, Laetitia and Mary.

With a gleam in the eye, Charles will pull out historical documents and photos from his file and the stories he tells keep any audience mesmerized. He has the gift to liven up history even for those who sometimes find it a dreary topic.

“Do you see this passport?” he would say. “It belonged to my grandmother. She and her sister used it to travel per ox wagon from Lovedalepark to Pietersburg in 1901. During that time, the concentration camps in Pietersburg were running and movement was very restricted for whites. Blacks could travel freely and they would help white families.”

Because of Charles and other extremely dedicated people of the Skirmishes Route and Museum, Australians are now eager to visit the Zoutpansberg region. They want to see the base from where the Australian Lt Harry “Breaker” Morant and the Bushveldt Carbineers operated. Some 24 000 Australians did military service in the country.

“Not all of them up here, thank goodness,” says Charles. Leach and historian Louis Changuion will be sure to give the Australians an interesting South African perspective on the incidences which historically connect the Zoutpansberg and Australia.

Australian tourists have already booked their South African tour for the end of May next year and will include the Zoutpansberg region in their itinerary. On June 2 next year, the Australians will attend a high-profile gathering with the unveiling of historical monuments in the Skirmishes area.

To stimulate curiosity, the first of three articles by Charles Leach was recently published in Australia, containing interesting titbits about Fort Hendrina and the Bushveldt Carbineers.