With the demise of so many magazines during the Covid-19 pandemic, it brought to mind one which sadly disappeared a decade ago this month, Village Life.
Beginning life (sorry) as a community newspaper in Stanford in the Cape, it quickly expanded to the surrounding towns, then the Overberg region, when Annalize and Maré Mouton took over. It subsequently became a very respected and useful glossy magazine.
A feature story in the respected magazine
Even though the subject matter purported to be ‘People, Nature, History and Arts’ it was the aspect of heritage that most attracted me. Amongst many articles I specifically remember were those about The Archives, Jan Harmsgat, Taung archaeological site, Coenradenburg here in the Sandveld, the Old Cape wagon Route and villages like Calitzdorp, Howick, Loxton . . . with contributions by those still active today, such as Carol Hardijer and Sigi Howes.
Sadly, as a stand alone publication and not part of a large media group, the magazine struggled to grow its circulation, despite its high quality production values. The inevitable end approached leaving a dedicated following without the continuing regular well researched and written inspiration.
George Hofmeyr, former Director of the National Monuments Council stated, “Village Life seems to find a good balance between high academic standards on...
