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It is a sad fact that on the whole old buildings were
not greatly valued in Karoo towns, and Calvinia was no
exception. In the midst of this deplorable situation an
opportunity was born and recognised.
Since moving to Calvinia from Pretoria, Dr. Erwin and Ms. Alta Coetzee bought, repaired, renovated and
restored a number of properties and old buildings. By
virtue of their restoration and conservation work they
have created jobs and made the local community aware of
the value of old buildings and how to use them
effectively to generate income.
Dr. and Ms. Coetzee richly deserve the Cape Times
Centenary Award they received in 1993 for their
continuous conservation efforts.
Calvinia's tourism industry received a major boost when
the Coetzees decided to step into the arena with their
wonderfully innovative ideas.
Situated in Calvinia are some very, very special places
called Hantam Huis,
Dorphuis,
Hantam Herberg,
Die Lodge,
Ligthart,
Stigling Straat 38 and
Tuishuis respectively.
The Coetzees own and operate these exceptional examples
of restoration.
Besides the fact that these two wonderful people really
understand the art of hosting, they, like Calvinia,
quickly become such a part of your life that it is
almost impossible to leave when the time comes.
You will
experience that saying goodbye to these people is
extremely difficult to say the very least.
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