Roberts to the Rescue
Close-up o f the lion.
Mr j . D. R oberts, fo u n d e r o f the com pany -»
(left), listens a tten tively while Mr Bert Wood-
house explains certain fa cets o f another group
o^ paintings fo u n d in the vicinity o f the lion.
D
U R IN G J u ly th e w e ll-k n o w n firm o f R o b e r ts C o n s tr u c tio n u n d e r t o o k a m i niatu re T e m p le o f R a m e se s o p e r a tio n to save a lio n fr o m d r o w n in g . O n th e farm T ie n fo n t e in , a part o f w h ic h is to be in u n d a ted b y th e w a ters o f th e W e lb e d a c h t D a m , a u n iq u e ro ck p a in tin g o f a lio n w as r escu ed a fter five d ays o f p a in sta k in g d rillin g in to th e hard c lif f fa c e .D uring 1 9 7 2 Mr Bert W o o d h o u se . G r o u p T rain ing a n d C o m m u n ic a tio n s M anager o f R ob erts C o n s tr u c tio n , w h o is also a w e ll-k n o w n am ateu r a r c h a e o lo g ist a nd a u th o r , v isite d th e dam area at req u e st o f th e d ir e c to r o f th e M u seu m w h o w as w o rried a b o u t th e p o s s ib ilit y th at th e u n iq u e p a in tin g s and a r c h a e o lo g ic a l sites w o u ld be in u n d a te d . Mr W o o d h o u se r e m e m b e re d th is p articu lar lio n w ith its c r o s s -h a tc h e d m an e w h ic h he had see n y ea rs earlier, re-visited th e site , a n d a fter w a r d s p e r su a d e d th e c o m p a n y to u n d erta k e th e r escu e o p e r a tio n .
We h e r ew ith w ish to e x p r e s s o u r sin cerest th a n k s to R o b e r ts C o n s tr u c tio n fo r th is m agn i fic e n t c o n tr ib u tio n to w a r d s th e saving a n d p reserv a tio n o f a w o n d e r fu l e x a m p le o f S o u th A fr ic a ’s cu ltu ra l h erita g e.
Mr Hannes Els, fo rem a n o f R oberts Construction, W elkom , explains h o w the drilling into th e rock
face was undertaken to ensure th e safe removal o f th e painting.
A fte r th e N a tio n a l M u seu m h ad o b t a in e d th e n e c essa ry p e r m its from th e M o n u m e n t C o u n cil a fo r e m a n o f th e c o m p a n y , Mr H a n n es Els a n d h is te a m set to w o rk to r e m o v e a 5 0 0 kg b lo c k o f sa n d sto n e w ith th e p a in tin g o n it. Mr J . D . R o b erts fo u n d e r a n d ch a ir m a n , as w ell as to p o ff ic ia ls o f th e c o m p a n y w e r e p resen t w h e n th e ro ck was r e m o v e d fo r tr a n sp o r ta tio n to th e M u seu m .
