Dear Museum Friends Issue 11 of 2010 - Western Cape · 2010. 11. 1. · GBR Museum News Letter November 2010 Page No. 1 November 2010 Phone 044-620-3338 Fax 044-620-3176 Email: [email protected]

GBR Museum News Letter November 2010 Page No. 1

November 2010 Phone 044-620-3338 Fax 044-620-3176

Email: [email protected] www.greatbrakriver.co.za 3BEditor Rene’ de Kock

Dear Museum Friends Issue 11 of 2010

Many readers have contacted me saying how much they enjoy our email letter and especially the articles on Great Brak River. If you have something that interests you and you would like to know more or you have a story to tell, please let me know. There is so much history of Great Brak River that has not been recorded and if not written down, is soon lost and forgotten. In particular we are interested in what took place between 1950 and 1980 and any newspaper cuttings would be much appreciated.

A recent discussion was around our village restaurants and what local people think of them. Most of the ladies had one important comment “Whenever we receive bad service or when we complain and nothing is done about it, we just do not go back”. This should be a lesson for our village restaurants. One does have bad days but an apology from the owner goes a long way. I can name three places in Great Brak River to which I will not visit again and also several which are real stars. Here again let me know what you think of our eateries and which ones come out tops. We are already seeing the influx of summer visitors and I would like to tell them where they can expect good and interesting service.

The Great Brak River Conservancy is trying very hard to raise funds for various projects which include the promotion of indigenous fauna and flora and to preserve the natural beauty of Great Brak River. They aim to assist farmers and the community with difficulties concerning nature and to educate the community with positive projects including tree planting. Strong backing has been provided by PetroSA and Rheebok Bricks. Do come and join in the fundraising show with Clint & Co at De Dekker on the 5th November.

There are a number of news items that may be of interest to our readers.

1) The environmental impact assessment (EIA) process for PetroSA's proposed LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG) offloading facility in the Mossel Bay area had come to an end as the project, in its current form, would not be economically viable. Last month, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) rejected the scoping report for the project.

2) Did you know that in a startling new study, scientists have shown for the first time that abnormal prions - fragments of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can erupt from healthy brain tissue? In less technical terms, MAD COW DISEASE does not have to come from a cow.

3) More importantly for those of us who are against fish farming MAD FISH DISEASE could threaten humans. Eating farmed fish that are fed by-products rendered from cows could cause the farmed fish to transmit Creutzfeldt Jakob disease - known as mad cow disease. Scientists urge government regulators to ban feeding cow meat or bone meal to fish until the safety of this common practice can be ascertained.

The Museum is open Monday,

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

between 9 am and 4 pm and on

Wednesdays from 9.00 to 12.30 pm.

The Department of Water Affairs and

Forestry reports that at the end of the fourth week in

October 2010, our Wolwedans dam

water level is 28.0% full.

The other dam of importance in the

Wolwedans catchment area is the very small Ernest Robertson dam which is 101.0% full

In September 2009

the Wolwedans dam water level stood at 44.50% full and water restrictions were introduced.

Did you know that our oceans store 90% of our heat?

Did you know that our coast is under

pressure, the sea is dying and 60% of the world’s population live within 60 kilometres

of the coast?


4) The WOLWEDANS DAM catchment area has received good rains but we are not out of the woods yet. The Municipality has advised that the water rationing situation could continue indefinitely. In early October the level fell to 14.6%, the lowest on record. Both the Klipheuwel (4% of the Wolwedans dam capacity) and the Hartebeeskuil dams have received some water. By 29th October the Wolwedans dam level reached 28%.

From the end of October, the Mosselbay Municipality will be starting to use a quantity of the water from these small dams. At last we can say without holding our breath that the Wolwedans dam can provide sufficient water for our Christmas visitors.

5) The museum has a copy of the most recent Great Brak River ESTUARY FLOOD PLAIN MAP completed in 2010. An EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) is required for all new buildings within one hundred metres of the high water mark. For further information please contact us.

6) There are a number of interesting PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS in Great Brak River that are seeking approval or have recently received approval. The not inconsiderable development of Erf 3933 above the Voorentoe School in Long Street and erf 2833 in the upper Sandhoogte Road have now received approval. The municipality is still in the process of finalising the storm water drainage into the Sandhoogte Road and which will be complete before any building takes place.

7) Did you know that our tides are becoming higher with stronger rip tides forming? Our unpredictable weather and increasing wind speeds are partly responsible. PLEASE WARN HOLIDAY MAKERS to take special care when swimming in the sea and the river mouth. Whilst the river water around the island is safe for swimming, the water around the Charles Street Bridge area is presently polluted.

8) To increase the Municipal coffers, the municipality has imposed a TOILET & BUSINESS TAX on all accommodation suppliers. This includes Self Catering establishments. This tax is both unfairly implemented and may constitute an unfair monopolistic pricing practice that is legally contestable.

9) The Great Brak River Museum has been long standing members of the MOSSEL BAY HERITAGE SOCIETY. At this year’s AGM the members overwhelmingly elected a new look executive which have undertaken to broaden the vision of the Society. Adri Koekemoer was elected Chairperson with Jack van der Lecq as Vice Chairman. The committee will have its first ‘Bosberaad’ on the 30th October. Great Brak River’s historic buildings received two Blue Shields; more details next month.

In time for Christmas, Hopes

fund raising “Hands On” crafts

workshop in November on

‘Photo Decoupage and Frame

Gilding’ will be held at the Great

Brak River Museum on

Tuesday 15th.

Please call Hope de Kock on

044 6205124 or 083 378 1232 for full details.

Quote of the month “Every man dies. Not every man really lives.”

William Wallace (Scottish knight and

landowner, 1272-1305

Baruch’s Coffee

To steal ideas from one person is

plagiarism. To steal

from many is research.


"The Church Cottage" Information by your editor

I don’t know if you have had a recent opportunity to visit the Searle Memorial Church and to see their new Sunday school. Until early this year it was still a garage which was in need of repair. In the early days of motoring in Great Brak River there were few cars and fewer places to keep them out of the rain. One such place was the little building behind the church manse. ‘Westbank’ the house built for Charles Searle junior was completed in 1896 and it is believed that the original annexure which was built shortly after housed the staff from Westbank. It was later used as a garage up and till 1930 when the Searle Memorial Church was built after which it became part of the church property. Then in 1948 it housed the staff from the church manse before returning to give shelter to the church minister’s car.

The ‘cottage’ originally had a low ceiling and to provide more open air space, the ceiling was replaced with white painted insulated wooden planks just under the roof. The original ceiling support beams are still in place and provide a feeling of breathing space and tranquillity. For some time the church executive had contemplated reusing the annex but decided first to enlarge the church hall. This was completed in 2002 during which the inner walls where the Sunday school was held were removed. Having the Sunday school in the enlarged hall was not ideal and in 2010, the annex was turned into a separate Sunday school. Originally the cottage had between two or three rooms or sections which varied

according to the spaces required. To day it is again divided into three separate sections allowing the Sunday School to cope with several different age grades. The original garage door has been carefully replaced with two side by side windows.


The original ‘Westbank’ property was roughly seven acres in extent, half of which formed the garden. It had two ponds one of which I believe was known as the duck pond which was later filled in to form the foundations of the Searle Memorial Church. ‘Westbank’ was famous for its garden which was lovingly tendered by Tinus Bloemkolk, born in 1893, who eventually became its chief gardener. Apart from his gardening duties, Tinus also acted as the family chauffeur. As the cars were initially kept in the annex garage, Tinus would always have to fetch them or put them away. During 1912 C Searle & company were advertising

the sale of motorcars and Charles Searle being comfortably off must have changed his vehicle fairly regularly. Tinus therefore must have driven many different car models including those later owned by him. Charles’s younger brother William was said to be the first person in the George area to own a motor car purchasing a Sunbeam in circa 1906. It was a five seater 16/20 hp model powered by a 3.6litre, 6 cylinder engine and only about 200 cars were built. The motor car industry's first slump occurred in 1907 and Sunbeam sales were badly hit. The 25/30hp. model they released during that year resulted in only 11 sales. It was an expensive model featuring a 5.1 litre, 6 cylinder engine and available in three versions. It was not until 1910 before Sunbeam returned to popularity. In 1920 Sunbeam suffered from added financial problems, as a result Sunbeam merged with Darracq and

Talbot becoming "STD Motors" (Sunbeam, Talbot, Darracq).

It was difficult to identify a number of these early Sunbeams as some were supplied only with a chassis allowing you to provide your own body work.

A photograph of the Sunbeam taken in circa 1908. Willie Searle is at the wheel with Archdeacon Fogg, Edith and May Searle and Hettie van Niekerk.


What’s on at the museum and Great Brak River this month?Month &

provisional date Description Supported

by Contact person

November

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

Both English and Afrikaans books available from R4.oo each

Generally 9.30 am to 4.00

pm For museum

funds

The museum 044-620-3338

5th November ‘Conservancy Rocks’ At De Dekke

Great Brak Bawarea

Anneke on 082-874-0212

7th November National Marine Day Small display at the Museum

Museum Nisde McRobert 044-620-3783

November

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

Both English and Afrikaans books available from R4.oo each

Generally 9.30 am to 4.00

pm For museum

funds

The museum 044-620-3338

For more details on what’s on in our area email Hennie & Rene with a request for their news letter:[email protected]

Please Support our Conservancy and Help Fund Deserving Projects.

GREAT BRAK RIVER CONSERVANCY

PARTNERS: CLINT & CO, DE DEKKE, DIE BURGER & TOKKIE NEL

PROUDLY PRESENTS

CLINT & CO’S

CREEDENCE TRIBUTE

FRIDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2010: DE DEKKE: GREAT BRAK RIVER R 80-00 PER PERSON

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS AT DE DEKKE; WWW.GROOTBRAKBEWAREA.CO.ZA Or Anneke on 082-874-0212


"Francois Le Vaillant visits the Great Brak River"

Information by your editor

François Le Vaillant (1753-1824) was born in Surinam but returned with his family to Europe in 1763. According to the François Le Vaillant: traveller and ornithologist website, he lacked formal training but was an

enthusiastic field ornithologist and a skilful and prolific hunter. Le Vaillant’s sponsored voyage to South Africa was in 1781 when he returned with collections of over 2,000 birds, insects, mammals, plants and ethnological objects. On his return to Paris he began working on his books of travels.

His first expedition took him east as far as the Great Fish River and he was in the area now around Somerset East and Cookhouse towards the end of 1781. He kept journals, but did not have an almanac, and was obviously a charming, eccentric, and dashing young man. He travelled with a large contingent in three ox-wagons. His entourage included Kees, a baboon who served as food taster and companion, and a cock which was his alarm clock. He carried enough clothing and linen, he said, to allow him to change three times a day. Le Vaillant has always been controversial. His travel books are considerably

fictionalised and his bird books include conspicuous falsehoods and fabrications, but recent research has apparently begun to rehabilitate his reputation. In spite of this, his contribution to ornithology in Africa was immeasurable, and some of his specimens still exist in the museums of Europe. Le Vaillant is most famous for his six volume work ‘Histoire naturelle des oiseaux d’Afrique,’ 1799-1808 which contains lavish bird engravings. François LeVaillant visited Africa personally to observe the habits and collect specimens of the birds of that continent. The combination of a detailed and interestingly written text with beautiful coloured plates distinguishes this impressive work.

Intrepid traveller, pioneering naturalist, famous author, François Levaillant (1753-1824) was a celebrity in his own lifetime. The colourful accounts of his travels in southern Africa in the 1780s were widely read in seven languages. His lavish bird books, published in a golden age of natural history book production led by the

French, recorded for posterity his extensive bird collections.

Yet he has often been dismissed as a flamboyant Gallic adventurer with a cavalier attitude to the truth. This new study seeks to re-examine this controversial figure against the backdrop of the world of natural history and its practice in the late European Enlightenment. The potent mix of science and commerce is reflected in Levaillant's combining his own enthusiastic pursuit of knowledge about the animal kingdom with active trading in specimens. Although somewhat of an outsider, he is shown as shrewdly negotiating the dangers, upheavals and transformations of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era to achieve his scientific ambitions. New insights into the life of this remarkable man are provided by recently discovered contemporary documents, his story enlivened with illustrations gathered from wide-ranging international sources.

On the left left is the Cisticola tinniens, or Levaillant's Cisticola which is a small, 12-15 cm long, dull-coloured bird with a longish tail and a reddish cap. The upperparts of the breeding adult are

grey, heavily streaked with black, and with a rufous panel in the folded wing. The supercilium, face and under


parts are buffy white and the tail is russet brow. The short straight bill is blackish-brown with a pinkish base, and the feet and legs are pinkish-brown. The eye is light brown. This bird habits most of South Africa including the Garden Route and central parts of Southern Africa. The calls include a musical chrip-trrrup-trreee, a wailing tee tee tee and harsh alarm notes. See ref 546 in Roberts Birds of South Africa.

Amongst the many beautiful plates in the Histoire naturelle des oiseaux d'Afrique (1799-1808) book is ‘Le Mangeur de Serpants’ (The eater of snakes or as we know it, the Secretary Bird, Sagittarius seppentarius) The copy displayed here is from the personal library of John James Audubon, given to Cornell by one of Audubon's direct descendants.

He wrote a highly dramatised account of his adventures which was translated into seven languages, and became the best seller of the time. One English translation, Le Vaillant's Travels into the Interior Parts of Africa was published in 1790. In 2008, the van Riebeeck Society re translated the first half of this book and published it with many footnotes and extra information as FRANÇIOS LE VAILLANT Travels into the Interior of Africa via the Cape of Good Hope Volume 1.

Another beautiful plate is of Levaillant's Cuckoo, Clamator levaillantii which is a resident breeding species in Africa South of the Sahara but not in Southern Africa. It is found in bushy habitats. It is a brood parasite, using the nests of bulbuls and babblers. It was named in honour of the French explorer, collector and ornithologist, François Le Vaillant.

The cuckoo is 37.5 cm long, longer tailed than Pied Cuckoo, and with a more heavily streaked throat. There are two colour morphs. The light morph is black above, faintly glossed bluish or greenish. The throat streaking may extend on to the sides. The primaries and rectrix tips are white. The dark morph is black except for the white primary patch and white spots on the outer tail feathers (these are absent in dark Pied Cuckoo. The juvenile Levaillant's Cuckoo is brown above, rufous on thewing-coverts and rectrix tips, with a buff forehead, face and under parts, and the throat more streaked. The call is a low ringing kuwu-weer, kuwu-weer... and an excited ku-wi-wi-wi.

François Le Vaillant website: Traveller and ornithologist.


SA Tourism and Other Snippets Tourism Information

by Ina Stofberg

TOURISM SNIPPETS -A new road atlas published by Mapstudio includes road and place names, 46 detailed street maps, 34 pages of continues topographical maps and GPS co-ordinates for major road junctions across the country, making it very easy to use in conjunction with a GPS device. The South Africa Road Atlas has been in print for 25 years, has sold more than 1,5 million copies and is the best selling road atlas in the country.

-The National Tourism Careers Expo that was to have taken place at the end of September in Durban was cancelled.

The expo has now been postponed until the beginning of next year- the date will be communicated as soon as a final decision has been taken. The postponement was apparently due to the negative effect of the 21 day public sector strike. Communication was lost during the strike and trainers could not communicate with learners to confirm attendance.

-The Sisonke Steam train is giving tourists a chance to discover the beauty, history and culture of the Southern Drakensberg. This train is a restored luxury steam train that offers a choice of trips through the Kwa-Zulu-Natal Midlands and the Drakensberg.

-Foreign arrivals to SA for the first four months rose by more than 350 000 compared to the same period in 2009. Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Tourism said that an important element is that we offer consumers affordable and value for money experiences, especially in the local market and to maintain realistic price structures.

-Sixteen tourist arrivals are needed to create one job in South Africa. Previously, this figure was only 12. These statistics were released during a parliamentary briefing in September this year when SAT presented its Global Competitiveness Programme.

DID YOU KNOW? Facts about South Africa

At the village of Stanford in the Overberg one can experience the brewing process at the unique Birkenhead Brewery, the first Beer Estate in the Southern Hemisphere and the first in Africa as well as visit the Klein River Cheese factory, one of the very few places in the country where Gruyère cheese is made.

The Swart Vlei lagoon near Sedgefield is the largest salt water lake in South Africa.

The documentary movie “End of the Line” about the depletion of the world’s oceans was shown at the Sundance film festival recently and will be shown in South Africa at the end of October/ November in which it predicts that if we do not stop the over fishing of the world’s oceans there’ll be nothing left in 2048.

Donating blood, the priceless gift of life

AT THE N G CHURCH HALLON THE THIRD THURSDAY of

NOVEMBER FROM 3 PM UNTIL 7 PM


Van Strand Rust tot Reebok

Stories en vertellings sedert 1909 deur Anna Kühn

Die vroeë geskiedenis van hierdie baie gewilde stranddorp.

Die skryfster is die jongste dogter van Louis Bredell, een van die oorspronklike Strand Rust- grondeienaars. In daardie dae was dit ‘n private strandjie wat aan agt

grondeienaars van die Oudsthoorn distrik (onder andere ses van die Olivier broers –en susters) behoort het. ‘n Boek vol persoonlike herinneringe en heerlike

stories oor vergange se dae en hoe daar destyds vakansie gehou is.

R120 – TE KRY BY DIE MUSEUM

STEAM WORLD MUSEUM, GRAMADO, BRAZIL

As the name says, it is dedicated to showcase the many applications of the steam engine — in manufacturing, transportation, arts & crafts etc. The “disaster” belching steam reproduced in the front is

a reference to a real accident that occurred at Gare Montparnasse, Paris, on 22 October 1895.


OUR NATURE CORNER PHOTO’S AND TEXT;

SALLY ADAM

WILD Rosemary (Eriocephalus africanus) is an aromatic shrub found from Namaqualand to Port Elizabeth. The upper portion of the stem becomes covered with pink or white flower-heads, which turn into fluffy, cotton wool-like seed-heads. It is thought that plant species with these sorts of cottony seed coverings are adapted for dispersal by birds as nest material.

The Cape Penduline-tit is known to use Eriocephalus seeds for its nests.

The Cape Penduline-tit nest photo is by Nico Myburgh

A couple of years ago I spent a great deal of money trying to rehabilitate an abandoned, leaking dam near the house - I wanted to make it into a swimming pool. The project failed in that respect, but it does now hold a certain amount of water, just over knee-deep. To my amazement (the dam has been dry for a decade),

there is a flourishing crop of waterblommetjies (Aponogeton distachyos) which we recently harvested, to the delight of our friends. Traditionally, the flower is cooked with mutton, oxalis flowers and onion to make waterblommetjie bredie.


The water-blommetjie blooms from late autumn to early summer but is mostly picked in July and August when the blooms rise out of the water bearing vanilla scented white flowers which are speckled with black.

This plant, the Cape Pondweed, has been brought into cultivation during the past twenty years but it is likely that the use of the water-blommetjie as a food source was adopted from the indigenous Khoikhoi

peoples who worked in the kitchens of the early Dutch settlers together with slaves from the Dutch East Indies. It is found in the dams and marshes of the Western Cape, South Africa. It's an aquatic flower, indigenous to South Africa, and literally means "small water flower" and is another proudly South African ingredient. The traditional waterblommetjie breedie or stew has very little in the way of spices, consisting of mutton or lamb, preferably on the bone, paired with potatoes and off course waterblommetjies. The meat, when cooked long and slow, becomes tender and together with the potatoes and uniquely flavourful waterblommetjies, you've got a meal fit for a king. For those who find the mutton too fatty, substitute with chicken. The flowers are also available in tins. Cook in a potjie or Tagine or preferably a slow cooker. There are several good recipes and the following is one of the nicer ones.

Waterblommetjie Bredie Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 3 to 31/2 hours

INGREDIENTS

1 kg lamb knuckles or small chicken pieces Salt and pepper to taste Two tablespoons olive oil for sautéing 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped or flavour with 2 table spoons lemon juice or lemon grass. ½ cup red wine (lamb) and ½ cup water or 1cup white wine ½ cup beef or chicken stock ¼ cup olives (optional) 5-6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered 400-500g (3 cups) waterblommetjies Chopped parsley for serving.

Partly season lamb and brown the meat in large pot. If chicken gently sauté. Remove and set aside.

Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft.

Now start layering in your slow-cooker. First add the onions, followed by the lamb or chicken. Add wine, water and stock. Add rest of seasoning.

Cover and cook for 60 minutes on high. Chicken cooking time could be less.

Add the potatoes and cook for a further 60 minutes. Add water if necessary.

Add olives if inclined, lemon juice or grass and water-blommetjies and cook until tender about 60-90 minutes.

Serve warm, garnished with parsley and steamed rice.


THE CURATOR’S CORNER Nisde McRobert This month I thought I would share some photographs from the Museum collection and a donation of photographs we received from the Dodd Family. The first photograph is of the house that was called the “Salmon Ferreira house of Accommodation”. It was badly damaged in the 1867 flood and later purchased by Charles Searle Senior. The building was turned into a small school and chapel until the Mission Hall was built in 1894. The mission Hall housed all denominations until the congregations grew so large that they decided to build their own churches.

The house is seen on the left hand side and the Mission Hall is on the right.c1900. Also of interest is that the house was occupied for many years by the editor’s grandparents. The Dutch Reformed congregation was granted land by the Searle’s and the property was originally part of the old golf course.

The Dutch Reformed Church hall can be seen in the photograph of a funeral for a family member of the Dodd family in1940. The old cars also make this photograph very interesting.

The present Church had not been built. It also tells us of the village on the lower side of Long Street. As you can see in the picture the road was gravel.


Another view of Long street in 1940, with the original pastorie and the church. If you look closely, the roof of the Voorentoe School can be seen on the right. We also found out recently that the pizza place in Long Street used to be the Searle’s Cash Store. The building was being repainted and when the walls were being scraped down the original advertisement was found. Our research found that the Searle’s had built the store where the ox wagons used to pass before swinging into Kort Street and up Sandhoogte Road.

Left, the Old Pastorie as it is to day and below, the Church.

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Documents

Dear Museum Friends Issue 11 of 2010 - Western Cape · 2010. 11. 1. · GBR Museum News Letter November 2010 Page No. 1 November 2010 Phone 044-620-3338 Fax 044-620-3176 Email: [email protected]