OVER LAND AFRICA

The idea of an Africa trip was born between four friends from Knysna sometime after high school. All four worked abroad for several years, saving enough funds before coming together to make the trip happen. Jon-Jon Abelheim worked as an English teacher in Vietnam, Harry Maarsingh as an engineer in Saudi-Arabia, Mitchell Sohn on the superyachts in the USA and Mediterranean, and Tuscan Hayward in construction in Niger.

The question then became what would be the appropriate vehicle. We wanted something we could fit bunk beds into. Pure chance and a number of beers brought Jon-Jon into conversation with a Forward Control owner in Knysna. The next day he searched Gumtree classifieds and found Agnes (now named after my late grandmother), a 1969 Land Rover Forward Control 2b. Because she was used by the SADF as a radio command vehicle her total mileage of 27 000km appears to have been genuine.

Jon-Jon and Tuscan flew up to Pretoria and drove Agnes to Knysna with her original engine, which produced a maximum speed of 40km/h. It took them four days to complete the trip, armed with only a pair of long-nose pliers, a roll of duct tape, Leatherman, and a stubby flat-screwdriver.

The original six-cylinder engine proved to be unreliable and it is known among Land Rover