He was one of the greatest sons of the Overberg and is famous for his hit song "Give me hope, Joanna". Bobby Hendricks – the undisputed King of Langarm. "Langarm"(straight arm) is dance music without vocals, but a very distinctive saxophone and guitar-dominated sound. It is a traditional mix of ballroom music, big band sounds and sakkie-sakkie (boeremusiek) – but played in the unique and vibrant Cape style.

Robert Stuart Hendricks was born in Caledon on 7 February 1936. Life in Caledon revolved around church, work and social activities. Bobby loved the musical scene and started playing the saxophone by ear. At the age of 20 he joined the band of Kuy Simmers. A few years later he started his own band the Bobby Hendricks Sound. Although music was a part-time activity, Bobby worked as a builder during the week but fame lay around the corner for this band.

Many Overberg towns started around a church where erven were surveyed and sold, and the town slowly developed. There are, however, a few exceptions. At L’Agulhas the village grew around the lighthouse. Bot River, the gateway to the Overberg, lies on the old farm Compagnies Drift, historical trading and bartering station of the VOC (Dutch East India Company). It is here that the village of Bot River slowly developed.

Compagnies drift took its name from the fording place in the Bot River where the Dutch East Indian Company officials came to barter butter with the Khoikhoi tribes. (The Afrikaans word for ‘butter’ is botter.) The Khoikhoi called the river Gouga which means plenty of butter or fat.

Flipping through the annals of Overberg festivals, one is amazed at the influence and cultural impact they have had in the region. The person who had a strong drive in this was a hardworking farmer from the Farm Karsrivier in the Bredasdorp district — Hercules Wessels.

In 1988 the tricentennial celebration of the arrival of the Huguenots in South Africa was held country-wide. In the Overberg it started with the historical trek across the Gantau. This alone was a mammoth task. The terrain had to be cleared, and with this the Voortrekker youth movement lent a hand. The animals and wagons had to be transported in big trucks to the starting point and over tarred roads between towns, and from the final destinations back to the farms.

Conservancies originated in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands where they were very popular. Through co-operation between the farming community and conservation authorities, this concept developed into a national conservation movement. The Overberg has at least ten conservancies.  Groenlandberg Conservancy was the first to be established in 1998. Then followed Walker Bay Fynbos in 1999, and the Akkedisberg, Blinkwater, Dedraay,

Kleinswartberg, Kleinriviersberg, Diepgat and Onrus Mountain Conservancies in 2002.
Conservancies are established by land-owners to conserve nature on private property and especially to facilitate the eradication of alien species, but also to promote environmental consciousness and the sensible use of natural resources. A talk with Shaun Page of Cape Nature Conservation in Voëlklip has shed more light on the constitution and activities of local conservancies.  Cape Nature Conservation facilitates, advises and provides administrative support to the conservancies in its region.