This field trip is aimed at showcasing many of Gauteng's as well as South Africa's geological superlatives and geoheritage sites from an excellent vantage point, the summit of the Magaliesberg range above the Hartbeespoort Dam, which we will access by means of the recently re-established Hartbeespoort Cableway.

On the Trail of Qing and Orpen opened at the Standard Bank Gallery at the end of January 2016. The exhibition examines the history of a well-known article, titled 'A glimpse into the mythology of the Maluti Bushmen', published by Cape colonial official Joseph Orpen in the Cape Monthly Magazine in 1874. The article was based on stories and cultural information recorded by Orpen from a bushman guide named Qing in the Maloti mountains of what is now Lesotho. Since the 1970s, Orpen's article has become foundational to the interpretation of southern African rock art. But relatively little has been done to put it in the context of its times. This is one of the aims of the exhibition.

For decades the concept that the mammalian brain is especially suited for complex cognition has been well accepted. In recent years, birds have been shown to match, or even outperform, many mammals on similar tests for cognitive ability. Birds and mammals evolved from reptilian ancestors, raising the question of whether reptilian ancestors may have already had the neural circuitries necessary for complex cognition. To date, the reptilian brain has not been examined in the same detail as that of the mammalian or avian brain.

Sophiatown was originally a farm outside Johannesburg. It was bought by Hermann Tobiansky, who named it after his wife, Sophia. Subsequently, the area became a 'Whites Only' area. When a sewage dump was built next to the area, White people did not want to live there anymore, and they moved. Later, Blacks and Coloureds were given permission to settle there by the owner. It was early in the morning at 4 AM on the 9th of February, 1955, when 2000 policemen entered Sophiatown heavenly armed. They bulldozed each and every building and forcibly removed Blacks to Meadowlands, Coloureds were moved to western native township and 'Indians' to Lenasia. They renamed Sophiatown Triomf. For more than 50 years everybody was convinced that Sophiatown would never be alive again but in 1994 the ANC won the election and in 1996 the process of renaming Sophiatown started. In 2006, Triomf was officialy renamed Sophiatown. Mbali Zwane, our guide, will take us to the famous landmarks including the Church of Christ the King where Father Trevor Huddleston played a leading role in the community. We will finish at the museum.