••• AREA FOCUS The Bultfontein silo was the biggest in the Southern
AUBREY KRUGER
Hemisphere when it was built in 1964 .
Bultfontein flexes its muscles
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BULTFONTEIN HAS BEEN FLEXING ITS MUSCLES FOR A VERY LONG TIME - IN FACT , SINCE 1947 WHEN THE TOWN WAS ESTAB- LISHED . THE AREA IN WHICH THE TOWN IS SIT- UATED WAS PURCHASED BY MEANS OF A FEW DONATIONS RECEIVED AT THE TIME AND THE AREA HAS GROWN SIGNIFICANT- LY SINCE , PARTICULARLY AFTER BULTFONTEIN WAS DECLARED A MUNICIPAL AREA IN 1938 . BULTFONTEIN WAS NAMED AFTER A SPRING AT THE FOOT OF A HILL .
JUN / JUL 2016 • SENWES Scenario
TWO AREAS MAKE BULTFONTEIN UNIQUE Bultfontein , which is situated in the heart of the Free State , is an interesting agricultural area and can be divided into two distinct areas , north and south . Arable land in the north and green grazing areas in the south . The older people used to say that the south is the ultimate , because ‘ dit reën altemit daar ( it will no doubt rain there )’. The two areas are clearly visible from space .
FROM THE PAST A number of tunnels dug by the ‘ boers ’ during the Anglo Boer War ( 1899 – 1902 ) which were used to hide from the English , can still be seen in the area - on the farm Terra Firma . Locals say that there are approximately 500 metres of tunnels .
Bultfontein is also a town of firsts , with the first aeroplane which was built there in 1907 . The first bond for a farm in the Free State was approved in 1923 , over the farm Panfontein in the district . Another interesting fact is that king George VI , his wife and daughters Margaret and Elizabeth visited the town in 1947 and the whole town was astir with roads and the airstrip which had to be
Since 1874 ! This year Bultfontein is 142 years old and will celebrate their 150th anniversary in 2024 .
built and upgraded .
Years later , in 1965 , the Bultfontein Golf Club was built , with its 18 tees and 9 greens on which even Gary Player played on occasion .
The formation of hundreds of tractors a few kilometres away from the Bultfontein silo right up to the silo in the 1980 ’ s was also a sight for the local community .
It is also unique that this small town has its own little airport with a 1,2 km tarred landing strip .
DROUGHT SEASON During the past drought this area bore the brunt with very little rain and the effect of the drought is clearly visible from the top of the Bultfontein silo .
This area produces maize , sunflower and wheat , but cotton and asparagus have also been cultivated in the past .
FARMING IN THE AREA In terms of cattle , a number of breeds are found at the various stud-farms in the area , which include Brangus , Frisian ,