Clarens to host 2024 Heritage Symposium
Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Photo by redcharlie on Unsplash
The Clarens Heritage Association, in collaboration with the Council of the Heritage Association of South Africa, will be hosting the 23rd Annual Symposium between 22nd and 24thOctober 2024. We shall focus our energies on heritage. This will be an exciting event that combines a number of presentations on heritage themes, walking tours of Clarens village and nature reserve, an Anglo Boer War tour and an outing to the Golden Gate Highlands National Park and Basotho Cultural Village. The conference venue will be The Clarens Golf & Leisure Estate,
Clarens is a picturesque village in the Eastern Free State Highlands of South Africa; it’s a popular country retreat for many city people, with its good restaurants. It’s a magnet for artists and craftsmen. Here local people care for their heritage and environment and work to be inclusive in their outreach.
Clarens was established in 1912 on two farms, ‘Leliehoek’ and ‘Naauwpoort’ which were then divided into plots and sold for fifty Pounds each! It was named to honour President Paul Kruger who spent his last days as a voluntary exile after the Anglo Boer War in the attractive village of Clarens in Switzerland. Thus, Clarens was named for this Swiss town. Come to Clarens to learn more about its history.
The annual general meeting of HASA will be held on the evening of the 22nd of October. The gala dinner will take place on the 23rd with the presentation of gold medal and certificate awards and the final wrap up will be a farewell braai in the Golden Gate National Park which abuts the town.
Bibliophile bookshop (owned by Debra Stewart, President of the Clarens Heritage Association) will offer a range of enticing heritage books. We hope to have a number of new South African interest books on display.
Papers and poster submissions are invited. The themes to be covered range from the protection and preservation of heritage sites, archaeology, gastronomy, industrial heritage, living and movable cultural heritage, environment heritage including geology, palaeontology and much more besides. This will be the opportunity to learn more about the province of the Free State, its heritage, its history and its people. It will be an enlightening and enriching three days with the opportunity to extend your stay in Clarens to participate in two further tours – a dinosaur hunting expedition and a sandstone heritage tour to Fouriesburg on Friday 25th October.
HASA symposia have gained a reputation as the heritage event of the year where you renew friendships, make connections with new kindred spirits, socialise and enjoy good food and good company… all in the interests of heritage knowledge and promotion.
Please consult the programme and send in your registration form to the conference director. We have capacity to host 100 people.
Download the conference announcement here.
Download the draft programme here.