Camels to Cruisers: 100 Years of Police Adventure in the Kalahari - Henry Abbott & Cobus van Zyl

By taking from the past, the authors have successfully recorded the interwoven history of the Kalahari and of the South African Police Service over the past 100 years, in a manner that will captivate the reader.

It is evident that many years of thorough research and a profound interest in the subject material, preceded this book.

The following well-known description of the Kalahari may give the reader some insight into the background against which this history played out:

"The Kalahari is a cows heaven and a car's hell!

A man's dream ...... and a woman's nightmare."

This is perhaps as short and as good a description as any and may help modern man to imagine himself in an era without electricity, with the nearest medical help 250 kilometres away, no or few motor vehicles and nothing more than a two-wheel track to show the way. There were no recreational facilities except the occasional communion at Askham or Noenieput and farm-visits between neighbours that lived 20 to 30 kilometres apart.

It is only natural that the camel should form central theme of the book, as it was the only reliable method of transport for both men and freight, over un-measurable distances, for both the Police and later Nature Conservation.

This book will bring back many treasured memories for children from this area, but is also a good source of information for visitors  - and captures a largely untold history for posterity.

Softcover, A4, 177 pages.