On returning from our holiday in Knysna we paid a visit to the Owl House in Nieu Bethesda. This tiny town is about thirty kilometres off the main N1 highway. It is in the middle of the Karoo somewhere between Graaf Reniet and Middleburg.
The Owl House and the visitors it attracts, is probably the main source of income of the town. Nieu Bethesda has become a living momument to Helen Martin. She was born in the town, spent most of her life there and finally took her own life in the house of her birth in 1976.
After the death of her parents, Helen Martin began her mission to change her environment. She decorated her house with statues of owls and camels covering the walls with crushed glass from beer bottles. Her back garden was changed into a Camel Yard - filled with camels, hostesses and biblical images.