Ron Lock, author of Tales of the Old East Coast

Review: Tales of the Old East Coast by Ron Lock (published by I-Go-Books)

TALES of the old East Coast is exactly what its title implies, a number of stories spanning from Cape Town to KwaZulu-Natal and beyond.

It begins with the hazards of sailing up the East Coast and the ships which foundered off into, including Sao Joao, which was wrecked off Port Edward in 1552. The survivors trekked over one thousand kilometres to Lourenco Marques.

There are also tales of white children being taken in by local tribes, like the amaPondo, including a young girl called Bessie, who legend has it, gave birth to Senzangkona, father of King Shaka.

Other stories tell of slavers, the colonisation of South Africa by European nations, the 1820 settlers in the Eastern Cape, the Bushmen, and Robben Island’s first white convicts.

The book contains close on a hundred illustrations and spans a period of over 400 years. All the stories are told with the expertise of a true raconteur, so if enjoyed Lock’s previous offerings – Hill of Squandered Valour, Spionkop 1900 and Blood on the Painted Mountain – then this will definitely appeal.

Estelle Sinkins

Contact Ramsgate Stationers & Booksellers, 4 South Coast Mall, Beach Road, Shelly Beach, 4265 or phone 039 315 0213 for more information.