I’ve lived in Smithfield for four months now; prior to that I’d visited the town four times. Often when I’m out enjoying a glass of wine at one of the locals, I find myself being asked by an overnighter, somewhat incredulously: “Why Smithfield?”.
So, why am I here in Smithfield? I spent 57 years of my life living in a city – Durban to be precise.
Ever looked at the night sky in a city or even at the sky during the day? Try Smithfield: where did all those twinkling lights come from? And, hey honey, the sky is blue not brown.
Nestling amongst low mountains, a natural extension to the beautiful Maluti route, surrounded by the picturesque southern Free State, in Smithfield we enjoy a full four seasons.
Try rush hour traffic: this afternoon it took me all of three minutes to get home from the town’s centre.
Eating out in Durban, I was spoilt for choice but, like so many people, I only had a few favourite, regular restaurants. Here I’ve got three and I’m not bored with their fare yet and I eat out at least three times a week.
The people, those that I’ve met, are friendly, warm and always ready to help and extremely voluble when the Cheetahs are on the field, something I’ve also become since their well-deserved semi-final victory against the Sharks.
I also believe that the current trend in tourism, that of “going nowhere slowly”, affords businesses in Smithfield great opportunities. These travellers enjoy meandering from town to town; enjoying nature; beautiful night skies and fresh air; meeting people; country hospitality; browsing in shops and art and craft galleries; and being exposed to regional and local architecture, craft, art, collectables, fare and produce. They love the experience of local, of making a “find”, of taking it home to proudly introduce their discovery to family and friends. “You must try a piece of this delicious sheep’s milk cheese that we discovered in Smithfield”, they announce proudly to the neighbour who knows all there is to know about food.
Smithfield has so much to offer – let’s enjoy both the opportunities, welcome our visitors and be thankful for the pleasant surroundings in which we live.
All Greg May’s friends wish him a speedy recovery, and Greg Attaboy!
You’re great for this town.
Filed under: News
Thank you for saying such nice things about Smithfield. For the time being, I’m in Romania, and I like to read everything about my hometown, specially when somebody has something positive to say about Smithfield!.