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Sunday, June 8, 2025

Mercury rising: 1966 Comet restored to life

Long before Toyota had Lexus, Ford had the Mercury nameplate; this is one of the very few in South Africa.

Motoring
Brendan Seery|Published

Cheers to FCB for great SA advertising

Ad agency FCB is celebrating its 90th anniversary in South Africa, and Brendan Seery has a Bouquet of Orchids for them.

News
Brendan Seery|Published

WATCH: FCB at 90 - Kids say the darndest things

Cute animals are always scene-stealers in movies or advertising but kids steal the limelight from even the cutest puppy.

News
Brendan Seery|Published

Watch VideoWATCH: FCB at 90 - Must love dogs

Sometimes animals in ads are cute, but sometimes they cause ructions, as when the Cell C dog annoyed a few Mother Grundys.

News
Brendan Seery|Published

Watch VideoWATCH: FCB at 90 - And the Grand Orchid goes to. . .

As a body of work, FCB's years of ads for Toyota would have to receive the Grand Orchid.

News
Brendan Seery|Published

Watch VideoWATCH: FCB at 90 - Remember 'Yebo Gogo'?

FCB's client list reads like a Who's Who of top SA companies: Toyota, FNB, Absa, Cell C, Sasol, Engen, Tiger Brands, Eskom and Vodacom. Here are three of their standout Vodacom adverts.

News
Brendan Seery|Published

Watch VideoWATCH: FCB at 90 - Glug-glug

The sweet innocence of FCB's "Glug-glug" and "Baby in the pram" ads for Sasol make them some of SA's favourites.

News
Brendan Seery|Published

Watch VideoWATCH: FCB at 90 - "Met Eish Ja, Met Eish"

One of the cleverest lines in SA advertising has to be "Met Eish", which surfaced in FCB's "Friendly Frikkie" ads for Distell's Klipdrift Brandy.

News
Brendan Seery|Published

Goodbye and thanks for the memories

It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to Independent Traveller editor Brendan Seery.

Travel
Brendan Seery|Published

Why I don’t believe in travel bucket lists

Places you lust over have a habit of losing their allure, says Independent Traveller editor Brendan Seery.

Travel Travel Tips
Brendan Seery|Published

One of Africa’s last great wilderness areas

Concrete and glass should not be what an true African bush experience is about, and that's why Brendan Seery falls in love with a little bush camp in Zimbabwe.

Travel
Brendan Seery|Published

#TourismForAll: ‘I live life to the full every day’

Courage is what is needed when you're being swallowed by raging waves. . . all as a paraplegic with an extreme water phobia.

Travel South Africa Free State
Brendan Seery|Published

#WorldTourismDay: Hanekom pledges to remove barriers

Tourism minister Derek Hanekom says government will address immigrations regulations and other negative issues affecting tourism growth.

Travel Travel News
Brendan Seery|Published

#TourismForAll: On pilgrimage to SA’s sacred heart

Every year, thousands of people head to the little settlement of Mooderpoort in the Free State to pay homage to a Basotho prophetess. Brendan Seery visits.

Travel South Africa Free State
Brendan Seery|Published

Focus 1. 0T: You'll never forget your Ford

Comfy but not as frugal as you'd think: Focus 1. 0T long-termer has Brendan Seery reminiscing about his stolen Cortina.

Motoring Reviews
Brendan Seery|Published

#TourismForAll: Go see what's out there

It saddens Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom that more South Africans cannot afford to travel and see their own country.

Travel Travel News
Brendan Seery|Published

Africa’s wild, beating heart

Why go to the extra effort to go to Hwange when we have Kruger? The answer is simple, writes Brendan Seery.

Travel
Brendan Seery|Published

#TourismForAll: Planning a family holiday at the coast? Try Sedgefield

At the height of summer in Sedgefield, the sun is sometimes enveloped by high wispy clouds, which give the area an ethereal grace.

Travel South Africa Western Cape
Brendan Seery|Published

Loud, luxurious, loony . . . Las Vegas

It's not just the heat (it's hot), the gambling (addictive), or the dining (delicious), it's a place where good times roll, writes Brendan Seery.

Travel
Brendan Seery|Published

The Ford bakkie that dwarfs a Ranger

Brendan Seery braves the Jordanian desert to sample the F150, Explorer and other big Fords we don't get in SA.

Motoring
Brendan Seery|Published

Underestimate Audi's TTS at your peril

Tested: Audi's TTS is for those who know that it's not a bad thing when the world underestimates you.

Motoring Reviews
Brendan Seery|Published

Pillars of wisdom in Jordan

Brendan Seery figures out how to float in the Dead Sea, enjoys Bedouin hospitality and finds out why people would fight over a barren desert.

Travel
Brendan Seery|Published

Many lures to SA’s fly-fishing capital

It's not just the satisfaction of catching a trout that is the hook, it's the peace of Dullstroom, writes Brendan Seery.

Travel South Africa Mpumalanga
Brendan Seery|Published

Up close and personal in the Seychelles

Brendan Seery ticks off another on life's bucket list on a recent stay at the Paradise Sun Hotel on Praslin Island.

Travel
Brendan Seery|Published

Long-term test: Ford's future-proof Focus

Family-sized Ford impresses with modern 'downsized' engine and long list of useful gadgets.

Motoring Reviews
Brendan Seery|Published