What’s in the name? – “Ooploop Boerdery”

Besides the amusing cartoon on this farm sign, spotted south-east of Mariental a few years ago, the interesting names caught my attention and made me smile.

‘Ooploop’ directly translated from the Afrikaans as ‘Running Open’, coupled with ‘Boerdery’ – ‘Farming’, refer to the farm running well, like a stream that flows easily, without any obstacles.

The farm’s name, ‘Nooitgedacht’ – ‘Never Thought’, is one that the original owner may have chosen in the first part of the twentieth century when there was an influx of farmers who arrived in the country from South Africa. We assume that he became the proud owner of the farm, something he never thought that he would be.

The names always leave you guessing – and sometimes, like this one, smiling . . .