HelderPos Gazette (Local paper)
FOLLOWING FADING TRACKS
By
nicole.mccain
2012-10-16
00:00
Neil Muller set out on an adventure across the country, to raise awareness around the
country’s railway system.
The 57-year-old’s message was a simple one if we use our railway lines more efficiently,
road traffic can be reduced, and the cost of commuting will decrease.
The idea came to the Strand resident after he and his wife of 32 years, Marlene,
toured the lighthouses of Southern Africa two years ago. From there he had the
idea to tour along the railway lines, but Marlene was offered a job, and they
ended up putting the plan on hold.
That was until Neil read an article reporting that about 300 train stations across
the country were going to be closed. He decided that his trip along the railway
lines would serve to create awareness about these stations.
He walked the first 650km, but after realising the distances involved, and with
concerns over safety, Neil decided to cycle the following 2900km to Beitbridge
instead.
The trip was long, not only in terms of distance, but the toll it took on Neil.
There were days when he thought about turning around. “Around four days in, I was
between Wellington and Hermon, and I wanted to quit.
“I wanted to phone home and say I’d made a little mistake. But then, at Malan
station, there was a man waiting for me with coffee. He had read about my trip
online, and had come to meet me. That kept me going.”
Neil was attacked by two men with knives one night, but was fortunately not harmed.
The loneliness was also a struggle. Despite his former military career, which saw
him away from home often, he found the three-month journey difficult to bear.
“I was travelling to Tzaneen, and there were all these people in their fancy 4x4s
on game farms, and people who didn’t speak my language. And that’s when I
realised: you can have people all around you, and still be lonely. I just sat
down under a tree and cried.”
And then there were the crushing blows to his cause. The community of Bonnievale had
fought hard to keep their train station, says Neil, but on the day he reached
the town, workers began to tear down the building. “I was too late for that one.
But hopefully, out of this trip, I’ll save even just one station.”
But Neil says there were also highlights. “I learned that I can push myself to
certain limits. And I lost 13 kilograms!” laughs Neil, who did not train before
starting out on his journey.
“In the words of Riaan Manser: ‘I spent the first three weeks getting fit.’”