The Day That De Aar Turned Into A Circus

The annual arrival of the circus in De Aar was greeted with great excitement. Graham Jooste shares one such visit recorded by the late Hennie Liebenberg, who lived in the small Northern Cape town.

- Graham Jooste

The glossy, brightly coloured posters sent a wave of excitement through the town. Pagel’s Wonder Circus was coming to De Aar! Children saved up their pocket money for weeks ahead of the annual event.

Railway junctions had their advantages, especially when it came to circuses. Circus trains always seemed to arrive at night and children would get up before school and rush to the station to get the first glimpse of all the activity. The noise of shunting trucks and shouting, coupled with whistles, blasts of steam and the roars of lions, made young hearts beat faster.

Out of the wagons came seating planks, sails and ropes, animals and people. Would the tent be up for the afternoon show? The evening shows were more expensive!

All of a sudden, the children spotted Tickey, the legendary clown. They yelled, shouted greetings and clapped their hands in excitement. On seeing the lions, young Poenskop Fanie got so excited that he turned around and ran all the way home to tell his mother.

The children trooped off reluctantly to school, and the teachers had their hands full to keep classes going with the sounds of animals in the background!

In the meantime, the circus staff set to work erecting the big top on an open piece of land almost in the middle of the town. By the second break, the tent was towering above all the other buildings in town. There would be a matinee show after all!

When the end-of-school bell rang, the classrooms cleared in seconds. At home, lunch was gulped down, school clothes were rapidly changed, and the children charged down the dusty roads to the big tent with its waving flags and music.