Jhb: GOLD REEF CITY-Wednesday 22nd May 2013

GOLD REEF CITY: Wednesday 22 May 2013

AIMEE: Today we  went to Gold reef City and learnt a lot about mining. In the olden days the miners used candles as it was so dark down there and there was not electricity yet in the mines. We went down the mining shaft in a cage to 225 metres to Level 5. We had to wear hard hat helmets in case we bumped our heads or rocks fell down. We also had to take a light with us as it is soooooo dark down there!!!!!! We switched our lights off and couldn’t see a thing, it was pitch black.

While we were going down the mine shaft, I kept thinking how difficult the miners jobs must have been. Imagine being in the mine all of the day time and never getting to see the light and when you come up after working it is dark. The guide told us that as you go deeper the temperatures can get to 36 degrees celcius. No 1.Mining is very dangerous and can be bad for your lungs or No 2.Rocks can fall and break your bones or get trapped. No 3 It is really, really bad for your eye sight. There was one funny thing they said that if you run your finger across the rock with gold in it and rub it behind your ear, it will bring you good luck.

MITCH'S POST: Today we dropped Granny Joyce at school and then borrowed her car to go to Gold Reef City. I was so excited. The first thing we did was wander through the old village that they have preserved all the old houses. The first house we went into was the Ohlthaver House. In this house we saw all the rooms displayed as if you were living in those days, there were old embroidery needles, trunks, shoe boxes and beautiful dresses & old furniture. Mr Olthaver took part in four sports that we could find equipment for: there were old fashioned bowling balls & bag, golf clubs, hunting rifles and fencing.

The next house we went to was the Oosthuizens house and this was a very fancy house with fancy plates. tablecloths. I was so amazed at how they have restored all these old houses back to how it was in those days. We saw shoe horns for putting on your shoes, hat boxes for storing hats, special boxes for keeping collars of shirts in shape.



In the bedrooms there were jugs and bowls for washing yourselves before running water and before electricity there were coal stoves in the kitchen. The bathrooms were mostly outside the house and had long drops for toilets, they were called outhouses.

The last house we went to was the Dowse House. What I liked about this house is that they had a old fashioned homeschool room in it. The English children from the area came to this house to learn. There was an old fashioned calculator, an abacus. They used to write on slate boards with chalk.

After this we went on a mining tour under the ground. Did you know the mine bagan in 1909 and closed in 1977. Bryce is going to give more information on the mine excursion. We went on a roller coaster and when we were standing in line, Aimee and I were saying, "Lets go, lets go!" All Bryce was saying, " I don't want to go, I don't want to go!" The guy sitting behind us started praying," God let me rest in peace." When we went down the track Bryce screamed louder Aimee's friend Leah and she can scream. 

BRYCE'S POST: This morning we went to Gold Reef City. The best part was when we went down the mine. This was the first mine established in the gold rush, It is the deepest mine in the world at about 3700m deep. It closed down in 1977. the mine has 57 levels but we only went to Level 5 which is 225m deep. The lower parts of the mine are flooded with water which was rushing just 70 metres below where we were standing. It is evidently rising by 3 metres a month. Before jackhammers were used and invented it would take them 8 hours to chisel and hammer out a 1 metre hole whereas the jackhammers took 5 minutes.

They place holes in the rock and then place sticks of dynamite in which they blow up to create more tunnels to access the gold.

The miners had 3 shifts a day and the mie was open for 24 hours. It took two hours to get to the bottom of the mine by the elevator cage and 2 hours to return to the surface. The original electricity system that converts is still working. The Kimberly quartz Rock in that reef contains gold, silver, copper and zinc.

The steel drums that the rock is transported in are called cocopans and it would take 2 men to push it as it could hold 1 ton which only gave 4 grams of gold.

THURSDAY 23^RD MAY – SUNDAY 26^TH MAY

MITCH: Today was Granny’s birthday. After we had dropped Granny off at school we went to Spur for breakfast. After breakfast we went  back to  Granny’s school. Mom dropped Aimee, Bryce and I off because my dad had arrived in Joburg. While we were at the school we had lots of fun and Travis showed us all around his school. After school had finished  we went back to Granny Joyce’s  house and saw Dad. In the evening Aunty Shay, the Browns and Aunty Liz and Uncle Ian came  for supper for Gran’s birthday.

 

The next day we went to the Spur again as mom & dad needed to use the wi-fi. After breakfast we went to an Outdoor expo at a Kurland polo fields. While we were at the expo we saw lots of caravans,tents, cars, a dog show and 2 lion cubs. In the one tent there were scorpions, spiders, lizzards and snakes. The one snake opened its mouth at us. After the expo we went back to grans house and played hockey. After that we went to the Browns house for supper.

 The next day Aimee, Bryce and I played a hockey festival for JSA (Jeppe St Andrews). Aimee played U9 and Bryce and I played U11. Our first matches were on the astro.  Aimee’s  team won 5-0 and our team lost 2-0. After that Bryce and I had to wait 2 hours to play our next match match.  Aimee’s  next match, there team played on  grass and won 3-1. In our next match we played on astro and lost 4-0. In Aimee 3rd match they played on the grass and won 6-1. Shanna scored 5 goals. In our 3rd match we played on the astro and lost 7-0. In Aimee’s  last match they played on the astro and won 6-0. In our last match we played on grass and won, just kidding we lost 8-3. I scored 2 goals and Bryce scored 1 goal. After that we went to Buffelspoort. When we arrived we went for a swim in the indoor heated pool.

AIMEE: Today it was granny's Birthday. We dropped her of at school and went to have breakfast at spur because my mom needed the wi fi to make payments. After that we went back to granny's school and stayed there for the day. When we got back to grans house my dad was there and sleeping.

 On Saturday we played in a mini-hockey festival with my cousins and it was so much fun, after that we went to  Buffelspoort and the first thing we did was go the the hot pools after setting up camp. The indoor pool was soooo warm and the outside pool was also hot. When we had fiished swimming we went to have supper at the restaurant. In the morning my mom mom and Bryce did a 12km trail run. While they were running my dad took Mitch & I swimming and on the supertubes, it was awesome! When we had finished we went back to the start-finish line and we found mom & Bryce and they had just finished the race. When they had finished we sat on the grass for the prize-giving while dad went back to the truck to sleep.

 BRYCE:THURSDAY 23/5/2013

Today it was my Gran's Birthday we wished her a happy birthday,went to her school and on the same day my dad arrived in Jhb. In the evening our cousins, uncle ,aunty and a few other people came for supper.

FRIDAY 24/5/2013:Today we went to an outdoor expo and there were all sorts of different things like lion cubs, trailers on show, spiders, snakes, scorpions, food, drinks and Aimee went on a camel ride she said that it was very bumpy. We went to our cousins house for a braai.

SATURDAY 25/5/2013

Today we played in a Mini Hockey Festival which our Aunty Mandi orginised for us to play in. We lost all of our matches but is was a wonderful expirence. After the hockey we left for Buffelspoort. Once we had arrived we went to the warm pools and then had supper and went to sleep.

SUNDAY 26/5/2013

This morning ny mom and I did a 12km run in Buffulspoort,it was beautiful. We ran through a field of orange trees, crossed some streams and ran next to the Buffulspoort dam. After our run we swam in the pools for a little. After all of this we left for our second cousins house to spend the night. Our second cousins names are Matthew and Gregory their parents names are Trever and Peta. We had lots of fun time playing golf, soccer, drums and table tennis.

LAUREN:  On Saturday morning Mandi had organised for our kids to play in a mini-hockey festival that was being held at St Andrews. They were so excited and really had a great morning playing most of their matches on the  astro and the rest o such perfectly flat, hard grass that it felt like astro. It was so good to see how all the kids improve as the morning progresses. After the festival we went back to moms house to pick up the truck and then headed to Buffelspoort in the North-West Province.

On the Sunday morning Bryce and I took part in a trail run at Buffelspoort. It was beautiful with such varied terrain. We ran through orange orchards, forests, river beds, veld , through storm water  pipes and back over the Buffelspoort dam wall. After  our run we had a quick swim and headed to my cousin Trevor and his wife Peta’s house. It is always great to catch up with them and we really enjoyed our visit. The kids had a ball playing golf, soccer, drums & table tennis with Matthew & Gregory. In the morning we left for the Cradle of Humankind.