No fewer than 29 men and 11 women from as far afield as England, Wales, New Zealand, British Columbia, and Scotland visited SA recently on a Kelsey Publishing Group Tractor & Machinery Holiday Club tour to view vintage and classic tractors and machinery.
The party spent 13 days in SA visiting places from Johannesburg to the Kruger National Park and also Standerton, Fouriesberg and Bloemfontein by coach before flying to Cape Town to continue a coach tour of the Western Cape.
Amongst the tractor and machinery attractions they visited in and around Johannesburg were the James Hall Museum of Transport, War Museum, Rand Steam Model Engine Club, Gold Reef City mine, Wilfred Mole’s large private collection, and Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum. In Standerton they were hosted by the local vintage tractor and engine club. They then headed to Sandstone Estates and the Heritage Trust to view what is arguably the largest collection of vintage tractors and vehicles in the southern hemisphere as well as the extensive collection of tractors, implements, traction engines, military vehicles and classic earthmoving equipment.
In Bloemfontein they saw Zach van Staden’s collection of old trucks, bulldozers, diggers and classic plant machinery, enjoyed a wonderful day visiting the School of Armour, the military museum and Sandstone’s steam restoration workshops. The Cape leg saw the party meeting with members of the Western Cape branch of the National Vintage Tractor and Engine Club at their new museum in Villiersdorp and enjoying a whole lot of sightseeing.
Peter Love, editor of Tractor & Machinery and chairperson of the Holiday Club said there are approximately 55 vintage tractor clubs in the UK and about 10 000 vintage and classic tractors.
”Tractor & Machinery is the world’s biggest selling tractor magazine,” said tour manager Rob Rushen-Smith, who has been organising and conducting on average 12 tours per year all over the world for the last 27 years. He added that the Kelsey Publishing Group published no less than 18 other magazines mainly covering tractors, machinery, military vehicles, vintage engines and classic cars, and that the Tractor & Machinery Holiday Club had a worldwide membership of over 3 000. – Peter Hittersay
Contact Rob Rushen-Smith at [email protected] or visit the website www.kelsey.co.uk.
