dear friends of the museum issue 7 of 2012

GBR MUSEUM NEWS LETTER JULY 2012 Page No. 1

July 2012Phone 044-620-3338 Fax 044-620-3176

Email: [email protected] www.ourheritage.org.za

www.greatbrakriver.co.za 3BEditor Rene’ de Kock

Dear Friends of the Museum Issue 7 of 2012

Louis and Joy Cook are hard at work establishing a tourism meander route which will be known as the ‘Midbrak Meander’ through Little Brak River extending to Great Brak River. Once underway, the Great Brak River museum will join the meander and will open each second Saturday and that Sunday during each month. It is expected that the meander will be operating by the time spring arrives. Full details will follow in due course. In line with this program, the museum will be preparing to launch new displays in our Khoe room.

Entering Great Brak

River from the Heights; the

new Wolwedans

housing in the distance.

Mossel Bay Municipality is looking at obtaining Provincial then World Heritage status for the Pinnacle Point Caves which when complete will help bring tourists streaming in to our area. Mossel Bay is one of the possible sites where ‘modern man’ began some 200,000 years ago. The Great Brak River museum and others have embarked on an extensive program to focus on the passage of Man from 200,000 years ago until today. Our museum is especially highlighting and concentrating on where our Khoe (Khoi) people entered the picture. As we well know, this was long before Dias rounded the Cape and made his historic landing at Mossel Bay. We can learn such a lot from the past, for instance that we are a true rainbow nation and that we all come from the same source regardless of what colour we are today. ‘We are all African’ or so our DNA tells us. Did you know that the Great Brak River Museum has one of the larger collections of History and Artefacts on the local San and Khoe people in our area? I would like to invite those youths who have nothing to do, to come forward and learn all about our local history and perhaps help us to show off the fascinating past and in addition help assist us to expose those people who for instance damage and remove iron railings around our historic graveyards. Regardless of culture, this is a common problem. Please report anything that appears suspicious. The Museum is guarding your future by protecting the past.

The GBR Museum is presently open Monday to Friday

between 9 am and 4 pm.

Are you Short of a book to read ?

A large collection

of Pre-owned books on sale in

the Museum Shop….Every

week day.

Proceeds go to museum funds

Help save the Great Brak River and its estuary.

Spear Fishing is

not allowed in the Estuary

Power Boating is

only allowed between the

Railway Bridge and the Charles Street Bridges.

Did you know that the Great Brak

River Museum has one of the larger

collections of History and

Artefacts on the local San and

Khoe people in our area?

Come and visit us in September to

see the new additions


A stunning photograph of the Great Brak River from the Rovos rail collection.

To make certain of receiving your

newsletter, please ensure that your

museum member-ship is up to date.

Family members only R40.oo per annum. Corporate members with recurrent free

adverts. R100.oo per annum.

For newsletters by post, please add

R50.oo

The Department of Water Affairs and

Forestry reports that during late June

2012, our Wolwedans dam

water level is 85.40% full.

Visitors are welcome

but no fishing, swimming or boating is

allowed. Access off the Old

George Road

In September 2009 the Wolwedans dam water level stood at

44.50% full and water restrictions were introduced.

There are some interesting exhibits this month at the museum. We have an interesting story to tell about “The Black Wedding Dress”.

Then on the 24th to the 26th of July we have a three day exhibition of sewing and embroidery work,

both past and present which includes exemplary work by ‘May Ereaut’. Your entrance fee includes homemade soup and breads or tea.

Entrance R25.oo per person. Museum Members only pay R 15.oo News letter Index. George Leith and the Cape St. Blaze Cave .................................................................................................................. 5 OUR NATURE CORNER ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 The Architects of Great Brak River ................................................................................................................................ 6 THE MUSEUM’S ADMINISTRATORS CORNER .......................................................................................................... 13 TOURISM SNIPPETS ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 Typewriter Exhibition at the Museum .......................................................................................................................... 4 What’s on, in and around the museum in Great Brak River this and the coming months? ...................... 3

Marius Ferreira writes: A Notice to all Employees of Bolton Footwear.

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of the Company agreed to my request

to step down as Managing Director of Bolton Footwear after serving in this capacity for the last 15 years.

The Board agreed that with effect from 1 July 2012, Alan Fleetwood, currently

Financial Director be appointed as Managing Director from that date and for the foreseeable future. I will fill the position of Executive Deputy Chairman of the

Company ensuring a smooth transition of functions and responsibilities to Alan.

I want to make use of this opportunity to wish Alan all the best with this new challenge and to assure him of my support and the support of all the stake

holders in the Company.

From your many friends from Great Brak River and the Museum, we wish you every success in your new venture in Port Elisabeth and we look forward to your

eventual return.


What is on, in and around the museum in Great Brak River this and the coming months?

Month & provisional date

Description Supported by

Contact person

July

Pre-owned books on sale in the Museum Shop….Every week day.

Both English and Afrikaans books available from R4.oo each

The Museum for museum funds

The museum 044-620-3338

July

“Visit the museum this month” To see and learn about the story of the

‘Black Wedding Dress’.

The Museum

Contact the museum @ 044-620-3338 for

more details.

July

Typewriter display held over.

The Museum

Contact the museum@ 044-620-3338 for

more details.

July 24th 25th

& 26th

Three days of sewing and embroidery work

both past and present on display also depicting work by ‘May Ereaut’

Entrance fee; Members R 15.oo, Others R25.oo includes Soup or Tea

The Museum

Homemade

Soup and Bread included in

entrance Fee

Contact Hope de Kock at 083-378-1232 for

more details.

September

Extravagant Pre-Owned Book Sale

The Museum for museum funds

The museum 044-620-3338

From September

Contemporary Khoe Display

The Museum The museum 044-620-3338

For more details on what’s on in our area email Jack Viljoen, the new editor, with a request for their news letter: [email protected]

© The content of this newsletter is copyright and it may only be reprinted by request in writing from the Great Brak River Museum Association.

Compiled & Distributed by the Great Brak River Museum. The Museum Association cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies,

editorial or omissions in the text. If you no longer wish to receive this e-newsletter, please will you reply to this email

address /with the word ‘unsubscribe’ or ’Stop’ in the subject box.

Groot Brak Drankwinkel

[email protected]

12 Charles Street Great Brak River

Phone 044-620-2931

Grootbrak Hardeware

[email protected]

Charles Street Village Centre

Great Brak River

Phone 044-620-2591

Watson Shoes [email protected]

Great Brak River

The Home of Great

Shoes

Pine Creek Holiday

Resort [email protected] sites for both Caravans and Tents at

Pine Creek Holiday Resort in Great Brak

River Reservations at 044-620

2434


Typewriter Exhibition at the Museum Your editor

Visitors have found the “written mechanical communication and typewriter” exhibition on show at the museum to be of real interest. One typewriter, a Remington was first used in 1886. Believe it or not it has what is today called a Qwerty keyboard which is still in use today in most of our computers. A company in the United States designs circuitry which can transform nearly any manual typewriter into a retro-futuristic marvel allowing you to use your vintage typewriter as your main computer keyboard. In some cases you can type using your ribbon on paper whilst electronically recording your keystrokes. A basic DIY kit without the screen is available at $74.oo. QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters (keys) appearing in the top left letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the same year, when it first appeared in typewriters. It became popular with the success of the Remington No. 2 of 1878, and remains in use on electronic keyboards due to the network effect of a standard layout and a belief that alternatives fail

to provide very significant advantages. The use and adoption of the QWERTY keyboard is often viewed as one of the most important case studies in open standards because of the widespread, collective adoption and use of the product, particularly in the United States. A modern compact computer QWERTY keyboard This layout was devised and created in the early 1870s by Christopher Latham Sholes, a newspaper editor and printer

who lived in Milwaukee. With the assistance of his friends Carlos Glidden and Samuel W. Soule he built an early writing machine for which a patent application was filed in October 1867. His "Type Writer" had two features which made jams a serious issue. Firstly, characters were mounted on metal arms or type bars, which would clash and jam if neighboring arms were depressed at the same time or in rapid succession. Secondly, its printing point was located beneath the paper carriage, invisible to the operator. After Remington purchased the device, they made several adjustments which created a keyboard with what is essentially the modern QWERTY layout. Several alternatives to QWERTY have been developed over the years (the museum has one), claimed by their designers and users to be more efficient, intuitive and ergonomic. Nevertheless, none has seen widespread adoption, due partly to the sheer dominance of available keyboards and training. One type of typewriter the museum does not have is a Golf-Ball. Anyone care to donate an old one? QWERTY INFORMATION FROM WIKIPEDIA.


George Leith and the Cape St. Blaze Cave

NOTES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES

The Cape St. Blaize Cave, located at the Point Mossel Bay, has attracted the attention of travellers and archaeologists for well over a hundred years. George Leith first explored the cave in 1880. In 1888 Gorge Leith partially excavated the cave and the results were reported in the Journal of the Anthropological Institute in 1898 for which he wrote a paper “the caves, shell-mounds and stone implements of South Africa”. Part of the collection from Leith’s excavation was then housed in the National Museum in Bloemfontein.

George Leith, a brilliant student born in Aberdeen, because of ill-health came with his beautiful young Scottish wife, Sally Scott, to South Africa in 1879 in search of a healing climate. They settled for short periods in Cape Town, Riversdale, Burghersdorp, Knysna and Mossel Bay. George had a keen interest in Palaeontology which was first aroused at Burgersdorp where he taught school and later at Mossel Bay. Finally, after the coastal weather had proved unhelpful, he trekked overland to Pretoria in 1889. Here he gave up teaching, qualified, through the official medium of Hoog Hollands as an attorney and quickly became one of the most active, hospitable and loved citizens of that peaceful little dorp in those old Transvaal Republican days of Oom Paul. George was related to the Searle’s of Great Brak River.

His son (George Esselmont) Gordon Leith, a prolific architect, designed the Searle Memorial Church in Great Brak River in about 1928 and which was consecrated in 1930.

The Cape St. Blaize Cave.

The cave, whose mouth faces south east, is approximately 29 metres above sea level and measures 27 metres across and 12 metres deep. It is apparently not cut by wave action. George Leith stated that on his first visit to the cave probably in 1880, the deposit was relatively undisturbed but on returning in 1888 a substantial portion of the caves earth had been removed from the back of the cave for applications to local gardens, however, considerable masses near the outer edge were still undisturbed. In 1932 A J H Goodwin and BD Malan divided areas of the cave into layers where they first contained shells and fish bone but no artefacts. Immediately underneath lay a black sandy soil and whilst it did not contain shell or fishbone it did contain artefacts. Their work was considered exceptional for the time that it was written.

Whilst most of the present day exploration has been centred around the history of “Modern Man” which goes back 200,000 years, archaeologist Nick Walker says that Mossel Bay is probably one huge but intermittently damaged archaeological site where Middle and Late Stone Age tools have been found dating back possibly as much as one million years. On the left is an aerial map of sites around the Pinnacle Point Cave which Curtis Marean and Peter Nilssen have partially examined in their quest to locate “Modern Man” sites. Red = cave or rock shelter. Black = open-air lithic scatter and yellow = shell middens

EXTRACTS FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL BULLETIN, MARGARET FRANKLINS BOOK, THE STORY OF GREAT BRAK RIVER AND OTHER ARCHIVES.


The Architects of Great Brak River Your editor

One of the museums projects for this year was to try and find who designed and built the important buildings of Great Brak River. One must also remember that the buildings built before about 1920 utilised sun baked brick and were thus very different from Mossel Bay which used the local sandstone. The plans for Great Brak Rivers buildings were destroyed during a municipal office fire and as this were before general digitisation have been irreplaceably lost to us. Research to date has found little on the early buildings, however, if any one has any available data would they please contact us. To date we have found the following: The Nederduits Gereformeerde Church was designed in 1954 by Johannes Anthonie Smith. (23-7-1910 to 7-5-97)

Bearing the same family name, Anthonie was born on the farm Leeukop in the district of Aberdeen, South Africa. He was the son of Johannes Anthonie Smith, journalist, painter and art-critic who, during the South African War, joined the commando of General Wynand Malan.

Because of his father’s peripatetic life, the younger Anthonie attended various schools across the country. He commenced his primary school education in Graaff-Reinet, attended high school in Pietermaritzburg, Helpmekaar in Johannesburg and then Jan van Riebeeck High School in Cape Town.

After school he studied at the

University of Cape Town where he obtained his degree in architecture. His final year thesis was on the design of a theatre. Following his research for this paper, he developed a keen and life-long interest in acoustics which stood him in good stead in his future design of churches.

J Anthonie Smith then established his practice in Cape Town (approximately 1937) and in the following years he opened smaller satellite offices in Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Queenstown and Uitenhage. He travelled regularly between the various offices and projects.

Anthonie, who was himself a fine draftsman, having been raised in an artistic milieu, often collaborated with artists in the designs of his buildings. In later years Anthonie worked nearly exclusively with the Pretoria artist, Leo Theron, who designed and made the windows for several of his churches.

Anthonie was renowned for his design of churches, mainly Dutch Reformed. Although they were essentially limited to the Cape Province and South-West Africa (now Namibia), there were


more than sixty churches in all. He also designed a Dutch Reformed Church in Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Notwithstanding other notable projects such as the Bellville Civic Centre (1957), the Cape Town Airport and Port Elizabeth Airport (1970’s) and many others, he will, however, mainly be remembered for his pioneering work in church architecture.

Characteristics of Anthonie Smith’s design of church buildings are the efficient and economic layout, the well-considered and thoroughly developed designs suited specifically to the requirements of the Dutch Reformed service, the excellent acoustic quality and his skilful use of colour, stained glass and glass-in-concrete windows and careful interior lighting.

The Searle Memorial Church was designed in 1928 by (George Esselmont) Gordon Leith. (23-5-1886 to 15-4-64)

Gordon Leith is best known as one of the masters of the so-called traditional style in South Africa during the first half of this century. His classicist designs for official bodies, especially in the bigger towns and cities in the Transvaal, such as Reserve banks, town halls and technical colleges, secured his place in the public eye. In this respect he associated himself with the 'Grand Manner' learnt in both the Public Works Department through Herbert Baker’s influence on that Department, and almost certainly in Baker's office and Italy. Leith's participation in modern architecture are not so well known, but he was among the very first South African to contribute to the 'New Style' round about 1931. The several modernistic hospitals by him in Johannesburg confirm his interest in modern outward form. The interiors perpetuate the concept of isolated spaces characteristic of 'Traditional Style' combining rational massing with

sensitivity to site and environment and with the rich textural effects of natural materials. Subsequently he made more use of Mediterranean references in domestic work, found mostly at that time in Johannesburg.

Leith was born in Knysna, Cape Province and educated at the Staats Model Skool in Pretoria, his family having moved to Pretoria in 1889. During the Anglo-Boer War he spent time drawing and modelling under Van Wouw's guidance. In this circle he made the acquaintance of Henk Pierneef, Fanie Eloff, Frans Oerder, Gerard Morerdyk and Henri ten Brink, the latter taught him the violin. According to Eaton's account of Leith's life, in Eaton's obituary of him, Leith 'served a short apprenticeship in the Pretoria Railways workshop in 1902' as an apprentice fitter, while still continuing with his drawing classes. Van Wouw's bronze statuette 'the student' is said to be a study of Leith at this time.

Leith was elected an Associate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1907. He was successful in his studies at the Architectural Association and while in London he worked in the offices of Hendry White, FRIBA, and of Claude Farrier and spent 'six months travelling in Normandy, Scotland, England and Ireland' (ARIBA nom papers 1907) before returning to Pretoria in 1907. Here, under the chief architect P Eagle and a draughtsman JN Cormack, Leith prepared plans for a 'vast Government complex of buildings - including Houses of Parliament - for the Union Government'. Although it was decided to keep parliament in Cape Town, the plans seem to have provided the basis for the Union Buildings scheme.


In 1908, following an argument with the Public Works Department over the Law Courts in Johannesburg, Leith entered Herbert Baker's office with whom he remained from 1908 until 1910. His association with Baker was marked by disagreements. In spite of being temporarily banned from Baker's office for some un-revealed insult to Baker, becoming a Baker protégé and in 1911 was awarded the first Baker Scholarship. His prizewinning essay was entitled 'The principles dominating architectural design in South Africa’ In 1910 Leith and J Filtness second prize for the layout of Church Square, Pretoria. As a Baker Scholar Leith travelled to Italy to study at the British School at Rome and at the British School at Athens between 1910 and 1913

Leith worked briefly in London in Baker's office, assisting with drawings for New Delhi. He returned to South Africa in 1913, working in Johannesburg where he taught at the School of Mines and Technology in Johannesburg from 1913 to 1916. He married in 1914 and in 1915 enlisted for active service. A commissioned officer in the Royal Flying Corps, he left for Britain in 1916, his lungs were permanently affected by mustard gas suffered while in France.

A tapestry depicting the church hanging inside during a flower show.

At Armistice Baker recommended that Leith be included in the team of architects serving on the Imperial War Graves Commission, Leith was appointed

an assistant architect to the Commission in December 1918. Both Baker and Edwin Lutyens important roles in the Commission and Leith came under the influence of both men. Leith was appointed senior designing architect to the Commission in succession to Charles Holden on 1 April 1920, but resigned on 1 July 1920 owing to ill health and was repatriated to South Africa.

Leith's office attracted a number of student architects and on winning the Pretoria Technical College competition was placed in charge of a branch office opened to handle the job in Pretoria. About this time Leith is said to have persuaded Kirkness to produce Etruscan tiles, the first in South Africa, hitherto imported. Leith's overseas studies developed his enthusiasm for vaulted and domed structures, an interest he shared with Moerdyk with whom he later co-designed the Johannesburg Railway Station (1926-1931).

In 1928 Leith began the design in the Spanish style of the Searle Memorial Church which was consecrated in 1930. It was built on the site of a duck pond well known amongst the children of Great Brak River. He also designed the pulpit. More of the buildings details can be found in Margaret Franklin’s book on Great Brak River.

In 1930 Leith was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and Baker made the following note on Leith's application form: 'I saw two years ago a good many of his works in South Africa and formed a specially high opinion of his Rand Water Board Building ... his Johannesburg Railway Station bids fair to be a noble building. Leith has exceptional skill in design and the sense of modelling of complicated vaulted and domical structures. His early apprenticeship as a sculptor has given him too, a keen sense of perception of the relationship of sculpture to architecture. He wins golden opinions everywhere for his keenness in the profession and sterling character'.

In the last years of his life Leith developed his interests in viticulture (a grape cultivar was named after him), water supplies and soil erosion. He proposed, for example, the breeding of the praying mantis to keep grapes free from pests, and was an active member of the Associated Scientific and Technical Club.

Gordon Leith died on Thursday the 15th of April, a little over a month before his 78th birthday, after a somewhat long period of ill health and was buried on the following Saturday next to his father and mother in the Leith family plot in the Old Cemetery, Pretoria, not far from that of Oom Paul Kruger and of Henk Pierneef.


The Willie Searle House ‘Sunnybrae’ was designed in 1914 by Simpson (1874-16-5-1945) & Bridgman (1877-?) (Practice established 1915-2012).They also designed the George Town Hall in 1911, the George Outeniqua lodge in 1924 and others.

Simpson practised in the Cape Province on his own account from 1909. He was born in Abingdon, England and served his articles in Oxford, qualifying for Associate of the RIBA in 1903; he was a Royal Academician. In 1905 Simpson came to South Africa, settling in Port Elizabeth where he joined Smith & Dewar’s office. In 1909 he moved to Oudtshoorn where he began practice on his own account as T Simpson; in October 1910 he was joined by HH Bridgman who became a partner in September 1915 (cf Simpson & Bridgman). He married in 1915. The partnership between Simpson and HH Bridgman was formed in September 1915 in Oudtshoorn. In 1918 Bridgman went to take care of an office of a relation in Salisbury (Harare), Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) (W D'Arcy

CATHCART). It is not certain what date he returned to Oudtshoorn but probably about 1920. During the two years or so that Bridgman was away the office was run by Simpson. After the Second World War the firm was joined by OAH Bridgman, Bridgman's son. JFR Simpson, no relation of T Simpson's, entered into partnership with Bridgman (after 1945?) and the firm continued to practise under the same style in Oudtshoorn; Olaf Bridgman died in 1976. The office ledgers, dating from 1915 until the end of 1940, still exist giving details of jobs brought into the firm by each partner and responsibility for execution. The firm still practices under the same style.

The Main Staircase and original Gas Lighting.

Sunny Brae is a large double-storied house. The core of the house is under a hipped roof, with projecting bays under gables to the far corners and a central gable behind a projecting veranda element to the corner between. Gable ends have plaster ‘mock timbering’. The house is fronted by a veranda between the two end bays, with a dominant projecting element to the corner between. The

portion of the veranda to the side away from the front entrance is enclosed at the first floor. The Attractive Front Doors The front door is an elaborate two leaf half-glazed with half-height side lights and top light. All glazing is coloured with leading in decorative patterns. Ground floor windows are large casements with fanlights. First floor windows are large-pane sashes. French windows provide access to the veranda and balcony. The interior of the house is well detailed and typical of quality houses of the period. Detailing is largely standard ‘Edwardian’ type, but

with particular elements that add distinction. Numerous details are typically Art Nouveau in character.

Information from Artefacts.co.za and the Great Brak River Archives.


OUR NATURE CORNER

PHOTO’S AND TEXT; SALLY ADAM

This bug looks exactly like what it is - a metallic assassin bug (Glymmatophora). The females of this species lack wings, while the males have wings and feathery antennae. They can be found under logs and stones in forests, and emerge from these hiding places to feed at night, possibly on millipedes.

These pretty little bugs were all over my proteas in April. They are Brown-spotted shield bugs, Sphaerocoris testudogrisea - little is known

about them, but they also occur in Limpopo province.

I awoke one morning to the sounds of much growling in the ceiling space above me. I hastened up the stairs and found that a large-spotted genet had foolishly wandered in to the garage (probably after the cat food) and had been trapped by the cats. It spent the day clinging to the rafters before escaping after dark.


Although I only met her twice, Elna Venter, a local tree enthusiast, fuelled my own enthusiasm when I first became interested in identifying the trees on the farm. I think we're up to about 60 species now, and most of them I named with the help of Elna's unique leaf-based identification guide. Sadly, Elna succumbed to cancer recently. As a tribute to her, I thought that I might focus on a local tree species each month, using information from her book. To kick us off this month, the turkey-berry or bokdrol (Canthium inerme). Needless to say, the berries resemble buck or goat droppings! The berries are edible "inerme" means unarmed or without spines. Although young trees appear to have spines, these are actually modified branches. Look for shiny green leaves with entire margins, as well as pairs of opposite "spines" which are successively arranged at right angles to one another along the stem. This species is wide spread, from coastal dune to forests or on rocky outcrops in high-altitude grassland. These photos are from Sally’s own trees on the farm. For those that are interested Sally’s photographs and text will shortly be available from the museum in booklet form. Sally has been contributing to the museum news letter since March 2008. Titled; A compilation of Articles on Nature in both good and bad moods, from the ‘Grasshopper Country Collection’


THE MUSEUM’S ADMINISTRATORS CORNER Nisde McRobert

1903 This photograph of 1903 shows an ox- wagon crossing the causeway. The Searle’s Store on the left next to the Temperance hotel has expanded and so has the shoe factory where an extra storey has been added to the building in the middle of the photograph. According to the history of Great Brak River the early 1900’s was a prosperous time in the village. The Necotie Winkel

This must have been built in the

late 1820’s, and it seems to be

situated on a rise. The present

Museum may have been the site.

According to an excerpt from Margaret Franklin’s book The Story of Great Brak River “Johan Gerhardus Terblanche the second operated a wine house on the farm Wolwedans for three years. A new Government regulation pertaining to the operation of a wine house came into being in 1831 and he could no longer sell liquor” This regulation did not allow one to operate a wine house near an outspan. The advert seen on the window of the shop, showed liquor was on sale at the time. Photos from the Archive. Bibliography by Margaret Franklin


Mainly Tourism Information by Ina

Stofberg

GARDEN ROUTE - JULY EVENTS

Vodashop George Cheese Festival

Friday 27 July 2012 to Sunday, 29 July 2012 Three Days of Cheese, Wine, Food, music & Fun all under one roof. R55 buys you entrance to all demo sessions, tastings and music is free. 77 Cheese, Wine & Food exhibitors, Live Music, 9 Restaurants, Full Bar, Smoking Lounge, Coffee Bar. Cheese & Wine pairing session: Brandy & Belgian Chocolate pairing sessions. Food Theatre: interactive cooking demos with Top SA Chefs. Champagne with Cheese, Oysters & Strawberries! Supervised Children's Area for under 10s and a play park for older children. Venue: Outeniqua Primary School, Cathedral Street, George Contact: Info Line: 082 032 4589

Knysna National Boat & Lifestyle Show

Friday, 06 July 2012 to Sunday, 08 July 2012 We are hosting the first ever Knysna National Boat and Lifestyle Show to be held at Thesen Island Harbour Town in Knysna from the 6th to 8th July 2012. It will run in conjunction with the now famous Knysna Oyster Festival.

Knysna Oyster Festival

Friday, 06 July 2012 to Sunday, 15 July 2012 The Knysna Oyster Festival is probably one of the most popular annual events in the Western Cape. It is also something of a celebration of the good life and sport and has taken place every year since 1983, where it began as the Knysna Winter Festival - a combination of sport that drew people to Knysna during the quiet winter season.

Marketed as the 'Best 10 Days of Your Winter', the Knysna Oyster festival is spread across two weekends that promise constant fun and activities for the whole family. The sport aspect of the Oyster Festival has evolved into two major sporting events - the Pick n Pay Cape Times Forest Marathon (half marathon), and the Pick n Pay Weekend Argus Rotary Cycle Tour, now a two-day event that is the biggest of its kind in the country. Other mid-week events will include the Wade Bales Wine Festival, the Pick n Pay Oyster and Wine Mardi Gras, the Knysna Lyster Company Shucking Competition and sports events such as the Scottish Leader Whisky Bowls Tournament and the Protea Hotel Knysna Quays Waitron Race.

ALSO REMEBER THE

Rastafarian Earth festival in Knysna on 22 July 2012

Knysna Forest Marathon 14 July 2012

FOR ALLTHE KNYSNA EVENTS, PLEASE CONTACT Knysna Tourism at [email protected]


UPCOMING EVENTS Klein Karoo Klassique 9 - 12 August 2012 TOURISM SNIPPETS Google Maps Google plans to map the world's hiking trails with 3D imagery, with the launch of Street View Trekker. The device will enable them to chart areas that its infamous Street View cars simply cannot reach. The trekker is controlled by a Smartphone plugged into the backpack but is essentially a smaller version of the kit carried by Street View cars. The company intends to map castles, ruins, hiking trails and the Grand Canyon. Soweto Gourmet food, adventure quads, four-star luxury rooms, touring on mountain bikes, historic tales, exquisite art, marsh owls, great entertainment and birding picnics. All these experiences can NOW be found in Gauteng’s township of Soweto, thanks to some talented entrepreneurs. (Thanks & acknowledgment to Touism Update)

RAMPE IN SUID-AFRIKA 1949 Die trein wat in ’n rivier geval het • Altesaam 63 mense word gedood en meer as honderd ernstig beseer toe ses waens van ’n ontspoorde trein in die donker oggendure van 15 November 1949 by Waterval-Boven in die huidige Mpumalanga oor ’n brug in die Elandsrivier stort. Die ongeluk vind in stortreën plaas. Die trein was na Komatipoort onderweg, met onder meer talle mynwerkers wat na Mosambiek wou terugkeer. Die twee stoomlokomotiewe en die voorste van altesaam vyftien waens ploeg in ’n wal in. Die volgende ses houtwaens, wat 25 meter ver val en op hul dakke beland—deels in die water en deels op die klippe van die rivierbedding—word heeltemal versplinter. Nog waens wat nie oor die brug stort nie, word verwoes deur skerp rotse waar die trein ontspoor het. Net een wa en die kondukteur se kajuit bly onbeskadig op die spoor staan. Met dank en erkenning aan mieliestronk.co.za

dear friends of the museum issue 7 of 2012

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