[singing] " See if you can catch the sun for me,
there's a room in the house
where the sun can hang,
it's dark outside the window in the middle of the day
do you remember how bright the sun can shine"
Swellendam is .... sun, it's warm it's so bright
it's just beautiful
You it everywhere with you, that warmth lies within you, you don't leave it behind when you leave
You always have it with you.
You are now in Swellendam.
Swellendam...
is a town very rich in, an historical sense
very complex, very interesting, and very welcoming to visitors.
I'm Basil May from Swellendam.
Well Swellendam, it really is one of the most beautiful towns in South Africa and,
it probably is, it's got perfect weather, beautiful mountains
evergreen, plenty of water, and the water's free it runs out of the mountain
which a lot of other towns in this country would be very jealous of, it's fresh it's clean
it's got a lovely history going back right to the beginning of mankind, from the very first
human beings, and right through the Dutch East India Company time, right through the English
period when they ruled as colonialists, you can walk around
freely here in the mountains and the hills relatively safely
My name is Morley Peter Thomson spelt without a p, we're now in Swellendam.
The town was proclaimed in 1746/ 1748
and the name Swellendam comes from the Governor of the Cape back then, Hendrik Swellengrebel and his wife Helena ten Damme, that's where it gets its name from.
I am Hennie Steyn, retired farmer, born and raised in Swellendam
and we are currently sitting in the Mother Church in Swellendam.
The people are lovely, they stand together
Farmers, that have faith that you probably last read about in the Bible, every year
they ask for water, they hold thumbs for water, and if the water doesn't come they wait for the following year, you know people of the earth, people of faith.
We are an old town man, 3rd oldest in the Country.
I am Moira Odendaal, I am here in Mayville House, part of the beautiful Drostdy Museum Complex
I'd say that Swellendamers are very proud of their history, and where they come from.
My name is Ashley Slingers, and we are here in Mayville, in Swellendam.
Swellendam was the 3rd proclaimed Municipal District in South Africa, the first one was Cape Town
the second was Stellenbosch, and an office was setup
and then Swellendam was the 3rd proclaimed municipal district, and then the offices, here behind me, where built.
My name is Francois Fouché , I am the manager of the Drostdy Museum in Swellendam.
I declare this the republic of Swellendam, capital of the world ....
So it didn't really happen like that
way back Swellendam was declared a Republic
in 1795, even though it only lasted a few months
I am Danitsa Badenhorst and we are at Republic of Swellendam Restaurant.
Basically, what lead to this situation was the collapse of the Dutch East India Company
but it only lasted a short while, because shortly after the British took over the Cape, the administration of the Cape
and the Swellendam Republic was brought under control of the Cape Colony, and nothing happened any further
You know this is the one thing I like about Swellendam and um Swellendamers are their own people
very forthright but simple you know you mustn't come with boastful attitudes and the thought that
you are better than us, so so there is a lot of pride amongst all the people of Swellendam, and
I believe that you know the rebellious
nature of Swellendamers has made, has caused, many of them to excel
The Church was demolished in 1909
It was decided the first Church needed work, it was initially decided to fix the original Church, but the gables were so
damaged and they weren't strong enough to build upon, so it was decided to demolish the Church
and to build a new Church that was sanctified in 1911, so the Church we are currently sitting in is the 2nd Church built over the original placement, it is much larger.
After the enactment of the group areas act
towns, you had this division uh yeah between between people. now I feel very strongly
that people who come to Swellendam and just visit the main road and the Drostdy
they actually lose out a lot, in terms of the richness of that town
The people that live here, the traditional Swellendamers that grew up here, predominantly come from the farming community.
Historically I think the most important thing that happened here were the uh well the very
first people who were here the Khoi and the San people, I think they are the most important and
those because the Khoi had cattle that drew the Dutch to come and trade with it so possibly
it's a funny way of thinking about it, I haven't really thought about it before, but perhaps the Khoi
and KhoiSan were the most important thing that got everything going, that's why people came here
You know there was a time when this country believed that it should just be science and
maths and things, those things are important, but I'm so pleased that the wheel has turned now
people say history is important because you need to know where you come from
in order to get where you want to be, and the history of Swellendam for example, there are so
many untold stories, that you know has to be told, and people are excited about this.
You raise me high
the name is on the tip of my tongue, and you caught me unexpectedly with this, but those words have impact, truth be told
and to see what so many people of Swellendam have gone through, the poverty, up until today especially up there
so I think this song is powerful to say You raise me up.
Um, I think of M.E.R , there's a room named after her, a world renowned writer, and she said
" And the day I walk out, I am not gone, because for those I love, I am not gone"
and this is Swellendam, when you leave here, then this beautiful place will always be part of you