Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In the Hawekwa mountains behind Wellington, South Africa, a bright light can occasionally be seen, reflecting the sunlight off a granite memorial stone, as a reminder of a tragic event that took place in this mountain on 19 November 1959 when two local youths, Piet Hugo, from the farm Hexberg, and Frans Ferreira, the only child of the then police chief of Wellington, were on vacation from university. On the morning of that fateful Thursday, they set off to climb the Hawekwas. Frans’ beloved Dobermann went along. As the party travelled through the farm Patatskloof, the owner, Sarel van der Merwe, warned them about the danger of taking a dog into the mountain. Frans replied that his dog was used to climbing but Sarel’s concern soon came true when the dog got stuck on a narrow ledge high up on a cliff. In an attempt to lift his dog to safety, Frans lost his balance and fell to his death. Although his heroic deed saved the dog’s life, it is said that the dog later mourned itself to death.
This video tells the full story of the event and also how I tracked down where, when and how to see the reflection any time of the year as it sweeps the town on Wellington.
More comprehensive article: https://wpk.saao.ac.za/New/HawekwaMirror/index.html
Geocache URL: geocaching.com/geocache/GC22ZC8_mirror-mirror-on-the-wall
In the Hawekwa mountains behind Wellington, South Africa, a bright light can occasionally be seen, reflecting the sunlight off a granite memorial stone, as a reminder of a tragic event that took place in this mountain on 19 November 1959 when two local youths, Piet Hugo, from the farm Hexberg, and Frans Ferreira, the only child of the then police chief of Wellington, were on vacation from university. On the morning of that fateful Thursday, they set off to climb the Hawekwas. Frans’ beloved Dobermann went along. As the party travelled through the farm Patatskloof, the owner, Sarel van der Merwe, warned them about the danger of taking a dog into the mountain. Frans replied that his dog was used to climbing but Sarel’s concern soon came true when the dog got stuck on a narrow ledge high up on a cliff. In an attempt to lift his dog to safety, Frans lost his balance and fell to his death. Although his heroic deed saved the dog’s life, it is said that the dog later mourned itself to death.
This video tells the full story of the event and also how I tracked down where, when and how to see the reflection any time of the year as it sweeps the town on Wellington.
More comprehensive article: https://wpk.saao.ac.za/New/HawekwaMirror/index.html
Geocache URL: geocaching.com/geocache/GC22ZC8_mirror-mirror-on-the-wall
