Alan Stuart

Johannesburg, South Africa - 29-Sep-09 -

Pilgrims Rest is not just a village, it is a living museum, the village Pilgrims Rest and not just the Reduction Works is probably worthy of World Heritage Site status.

If you consider the economy of South Africa, founded on Gold, consider Pilgrims Rest; consider if there was no Gold Rush in Pilgrims Rest and the thousands of prospectors from all corners of the globe did not arrive and there was no Gold Fever what would South Africa be today?

Pilgrims Rest is largely as it was way back in the early 1900s, however there remains much which can be done to restore Pilgrims Rest to what it was, to then preserve a restored and most important part of not only South African history but World history and part of the history of that precious yellow metal - Gold.

Much work has been done by the South African Government in terms of maintaining the information archives, documents and photographs.

I feel with the status as a World Heritage Site this would go a long way in opening the way forward with regard making possible the restoration of the village and the reduction works, enabling the forgotten stories to be told and allowing Pilgrims Rest to live again, to live forever.

The website www.pilgrimsrest.org.za is an interesting look at the village, not much in-depth historical information but it has all the contact information one might need.