Andrew Geddes Bain, ongeveer 1854
Bain is gebore in Skotland en is grootgemaak deur ‘n tante wat naby Edinburg gewoon het. Hy het ‘n klassieke opvoeding ontvang, maar geen beroepsopleiding nie. In 1816 emigreer hy en sy oom, luitenant-kolonel William Geddes na Kaapstad, waar sy oom gestasioneer was. In 1818, op die ouderdom van 21, trou hy met Maria Elizabeth von Backstrom in die Groote Kerk in Kaapstad. In 1822 koop hy ‘n eiendom in Graaff-Reinet en spandeer verskeie jare as ‘n saalmaker. Die egpaar het 10 kinders gehad. Die ouer kinders het die voorreg gehad om skool by te woon onder leiding van ‘n jong meneer Rose-Innes, latere hoof van Onderwys van die Kaapkolonie.
Kuruman, 1825 (‘n Kopie deur Arthur Elliot van ‘n skets deur Bain gedurende sy eerste besoek).
Hy het homself ook by openbare aangeleenthede betrek. Hy het tot die voordeel van die plaaslike bevolking van Graaff-Reinet gewerk. In 1832 het hy die taak van hoofbestuurder aangeneem om ‘n pas teen die Oudeberg op te bou, hoewel hy geen landmeetkundige of ingenieursopleiding gehad het nie. Alle onkostes van die onderneming is deur vooraanstaande individue van die omgewing gedek. Tydens die sesde Grensoorlog (1834-5) het hy ingenieurstalente getoon wat gelei het tot sy permanente indiensneming in 1836 deur die Corps of Royal Engineers as landmeter van militêre paaie. Sy ingenieursloopbaan het geblom en hy is in 1845 deur die Kaapse Paaieraad as Ingenieursinspekteur aangestel. Verskeie bergpasse is onder sy leierskap gebou, waaronder Michellspas in 1848 en Bainskloofpas in 1853. Bain het sy vrye tyd aan geologiese studies spandeer en in 1852 die eerste omvattende geologiese kaart van Suid-Afrika voorberei. Die kaart is in 1856 deur die Geologiese Vereniging van Londen gepubliseer.
Fossiel van die skedel van die sogenaamde ‘Blinkwater Monster’ (Pareiasaurus Serridens) wat deur Bain ontdek is.
Behalwe dat Bain ‘n bekende pad bouer was, was hy ook bekend vir sy geologiese werk wat internasionale erkenning ontvang het. Hy word ook onthou vir sy uitgesproke persoonlikheid en sin vir humor. As inwoner van Grahamstad het hy satiriese sketse vir plaaslike amateurdramagroepe geskryf en ‘n karakter genaamd Kaatje Kekkelbek geskep wat ‘n beminde karakter geword het en spot gedryf het met John Philip en ander sendelinge. Kaatje, ‘n bruin meisie, het Hottentot-Afrikaans gepraat en gesing in Afrikaans-Engels. Sy verskyn op die verhoog terwyl sy ‘n Joodse harp speel en sing:
My name is Kaatje Kekkelbek,
I come from Kat Rivier,
Daar’s van water geen gebrek,
But scarce of wine and beer.
Myn A B C at Philip’s school
I learnt a kleine beetje,
But left it just as great a fool
As gekke Tante Meitje.
Die tydperk van Andrew Geddes Bain se lewe wat in die bundel gedek word strek van 1816 tot 1864. Die tweede Britse besetting van die Kaap van Goeie Hoop in 1814, en veral die nadraai van die Napoleontiese Oorloë, het hoë emigrasie getalle vanuit Brittanje tot gevolg gehad. Die Kaap Kolonie was bevoorreg om verskeie mense te lok: pionier handelaars, wetenskaplikes insluitend plantkundiges, geoloë en ingenieurs, vindingryke boere en manne wat later ‘n belangrike rol in die staatsdiens gespeel het. Bain kan ingesluit word in al die voorafgaande kategorieë – as handelaar, verkenner, soldaat, padingenieur en geoloog was hy ‘n baanbreker in die ontwikkeling van Suid-Afrika.
Bain se Reis na die Noorde, 1826
In 1825 was Bain die eerste persoon om ‘n lisensie uit te neem om handel te dryf oor die Oranjerivier en later in Bechuanaland (hedendaagse Botswana). Die hoofdoel van meeste van hierdie handelsondernemings was om ivoor te verkry. Tydens hierdie reistogte het hy ‘n talent vir skryf en teken ontdek, en word hy ‘n gereelde korrespondent vir John Fairbairn se South African Commercial Advertiser. Bain was ‘n skerp waarnemer, ‘n goeie skrywer en tekenaar met ‘n skerp sin vir humor. Hy het geskryf oor gebeure op Graaff-Reinet en sy werke onderteken “’n intelligente korrespondent op Graaf-Reinet”. Hy was uitgesproke en is ‘n paar keer vir laster gedagvaar.
Bainskloof Pas
Die opening van Michellspas deur die Goewerneur, Sir Harry Smith
In 1854 het Andrew Geddes Bain se seun Thomas hom opgevolg as die inspekteur van paaie vir die Wes-Kaap en is hy na de Oos-Kaap verplaas. Daar het eindelose werk voorgelê en die regering het in die volgende paar jaar ten volle van sy dienste gebruik gemaak. In 1860, toe hy 63 jaar oud was, het Bain met die opmeting en konstruksie van die Katbergpas tussen Fort Beaufort en Queenstown begin. Voor die werk aan die pas voltooi is, is Bain deur swak gesondheid gedwing om langverlof te neem, wat hy in Engeland deurgebring het. Met sy terugkeer na Kaapstad was hy te siek om na die Katberge te reis. Hy is op 20 Oktober 1864 in Kaapstad aan ‘n hartaanval dood.
Eerste Bladsy van die Oorspronklike Konsep van Kaatje Kekkelbek in Bain se eie Handskrif.
UITTREKSEL UIT DIE TEKS
“He then ordered two large wooden dishes to be brought which were inverted and given to us for seats that we might sit down by him. Then, asking us if we would eat anything, we said we would take a little milk which was brought us directly in a large well scoured wooden dish. His brother Kooa tasted it, according to custom, & then presented it to us.
His conversation commenced by asking us if many impediments had not been thrown in our way to visit him by his neighbours, the Bachapins & Baralongs, as he said he knew that they represented the Bawanketsie to be a very savage race. We owned they had tried many plans to dissuade us from coming, but we did not listen to their tales as Mr. Moffat had told us they were extremely hospitable, which account agreed exactly with the reception he had given us, for not one of the others had given us a drop of milk without getting tobacco for it. At this he laughed heartily & said he regretted he could not receive us better, for as he had been so buffeted about by the Mantatees he had now nothing comfortable about him.
He seemed surprised when we told him we had been more than three moons on our journey to him, that people could go so far from home. When his cattle came out of the Kraal we expressed our surprise at the great number of fine oxen he had & that we had never seen such large herds at one place before. He said, “I have now no cattle, (meaning comparatively), the Mantatees are fattening on my flocks & herds. When Makaba, my father, lived (continued he) then the Bawanketsies were rich, but now we are poor beggars without a single town to settle in.” He then presented us with a fine large ox that we might not starve (as he expressed it) In his dominions, & sent some men down with it to the waggons to kill it for us.
The Bawanketsie oxen are remarkable for the amazing size of their horns, being doubtless the largest in the world, tho’ the bodies do not exceed the common size of the Colonial oxen. Many of them have long loose horns hanging under their necks which has a very singular appearance. His flocks of sheep were very small compared to his oxen; many of their tails were much longer, tho’ I do not think heavier than those of the Colonial breed.
He now asked us if we would visit his wives & desired his brother Kooa to lead us to their huts. They were women of middle age, well loaded with beads & rings which seems to be all their minds are set upon. Each had a separate hut, merely a temporary dwelling, surrounded by a screen after the Bechuana manner, in the midst of which we found the ladies squatted attended by their domestics. After visiting his 3 queens, which was all he had in this place tho’ I believe he has altogether 16, we returned to Sibigho & he accompanied us to our waggons where an immense concourse of people was collected.
I fired a pistol by way of salute & to let them see the use of fire arms, but so terrified were they that they all fell flat on their faces & did not look up for some time. One poor woman swoon’d away, in which situation she lay nearly a quarter of an hour & was at last revived by a person blowing snuff up her nostrils.
Sibigho now presented us with an elephant’s tooth of at least 90 lbs. weight & in return we gave him some of our best beads & trinkets. We could scarcely think that all this kindness was from disinterested motives, as we soon found it was but a preamble to the Mantatee attack. We waived the conversation … “
Redakteur
Margaret Hermina Lister