Regular Newsletter/Gereelde Nuusbrief No

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1 Regular Newsletter/Gereelde Nuusbrief No Click: Follow the history/click: Mpumalanga Historical Interest NOTE: That this is not an edited publication but merely a compilation of the contributions and comments as received from members and participants A regular edited annual will be available shortly REG NPO Notice It has come to our attention that some of our members have not received newsletters over the past few weeks. According to our IT technician who is currently looking into the matter it might be than in some instances these newsletters, sent out as group mail, might have been routed into the so called junk mail box of your Outlook system. These are still accessible but separate from the usual mail. Please bring it under our attention if you have experienced a similar lapse recently. Let Wel: Dit het onder ons aandag gekom dat sommige lede die afgelope paar weke geen nuusbrief ontvang het nie. Dit mag moontlik wees dat die nuusbriewe in sommige gevalle in die sg, Junk Mail Box beland. Die rede hiervoor is die feit dat die nuusbriewe as sg, Group Mails gestuur word en sommige rekenaars so gestel is om dit dan eenkant te hou. n Mens kan steeds die Junk Mail oopmaak. Laat weet ons asb. onverwyld, sou u nie u nuusbriewe onlangs ontvang het nie. INHOUD/CONTENT White River s National Monument at Die Pastorie In search of the Dutch connection A jam-packed weekend planned for Pilgrim s Kom geniet n vol naweek in Pilgrims Rest Note: This is an initiative of Mpumalanga Heritage with the aim of showcasing what is on offer at Pilgrims Rest as a complete weekend destination. This weekend will also be our official outing for the month of April. We hope to see as many as possible of our members and regular participants to take part in this endeavour to help to maintain Pilgrim s Rest position as a prime heritage destination in South Africa. There is quite a range of activities lined up by the people of Pilgrim s Rest for this long weekend. If not possible to stay the whole of the weekend then at least join us for a day or two or at least one of the activities. More detail on possible accommodation and more will be available by the end of this week or in the local media as it becomes available. Each will be responsible for its own bookings and applicable fee and we hope to have established a one

2 stop booking office by Friday. Though this weekend is also open to general public, members of Mpumalanga Heritage and of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism will be given special preference to the limited accommodation available in Pilgrims Rest. The following was published in Lowvelder 19 March 2015: PILGRIM'S REST - An event-filled long weekend of reliving the past and enjoying the many attractions on offer in this historical gold mining village, is being planned for the end of April. Start the weekend of April 24 to 27 on the Friday evening with an early supper and then a pub crawl ending with a late-night complimentary tasting of old Cape brandies. On Saturday evening dress the part and join in the fun of an old-fashioned diggers ball in the dining hall of The Royal Hotel, complete with cancan girls and a shapely bar lady up for auction at the end of the evening. Though Sunday will start with a special sermon in one of the quaint village churches, the evening is due to culminate in a hair-raising ghost tour. By the end of the evening you will be sipping sherry from an enamel mug while shaking on the grave of the infamous robber in attempt to calm the nerves before the next spirit from the past descends on you! This special weekend, to showcase the best of Pilgrim's Rest, is arranged by the local business fraternity and Mpumalanga Museum Services. It is supported by Mpumalanga Heritage and Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism. Tours and excursions on offer which you can enjoy while spending two days at leisure in this picturesque mountain village include a complete town-and-museum tour, combined with a fun-filled treasure hunt. Also on the itinerary is a goldpanning demonstration down at the old mining camp which makes you feel like you're entering a movie set. A tour of Allanglade Manor House with Sherry Goodwin as your guide, is without doubt one of the highlights for the discerning tourist to Mpumalanga to experience. It is Downton Abbey the African way and most probably the bestpreserved architecture and collection of late arts and craft in South Africa.

3 Hidden Pilgrim's is a tour allowing for a limited group to go behind the scenes of the old reduction works and to peak into the museum storage where some old mining vehicles, which aren't on display, can be viewed. This will also include a visit to a disused horizontal mine shaft and being allowed to enter the old Masons Lodge in the upper village which is still in use to this very day. More adventurous members of Mpumalanga Heritage hope to go and explore what is left at Belvedere near Bourke s Luck. This used to be the first hydroelectric power station in the country dating from the very early 1900s. This magnificent engineering feat, with the charmingly restored manager s house once functioning as a guest facility of the provincial administration, was recently vandalised and apparently now left to go to ruin. A game of golf, spectacular hiking routes and fly-fishing by prior arrangement offers much to the outdoor enthusiast while a number of good restaurants allow for many a public terrace from where to sit and watch the passing parade. A wide selection of accommodation possibilities, from a Victorian-style hotel room to a quaint self-catering miners cottage at varying rates make for a highly affordable breakaway, says Lisa Sheard of Kruger Lowveld Tourism. The aim is to make visitors, locally and from elsewhere, realise that Pilgrim's is not a mere stopover for lunch and a quick look around. It is a complete destination begging to be explored and experienced. Contact the information office to book accommodation or to be kept posted on the further arrangements of the weekend at Also contact brummertours@gmail.com for more information or to prearrange your weekend. It is still possible to join in the events only partially or to turn up for only a single event. PIC Pilgrim's will become even more alive than usual on the long weekend at the end of April. This is inside the famous The Vine Restaurant and Pub in the downtown decorated in period style of the time of the old Lydenburg gold rush.

4 White River s National Monument at Die Pastorie Tracy Brooks writes: We are exploring and writing up historical bits and pieces of White River, and uploading them onto our website. We are very pleased to share them with your group if you are interested. The link is below, all we ask is that you credit We Are White River for the info and put a link to our website Every town with deep roots has a Pastorie buried somewhere, and White River is no exception. The renowned Milner post war settlement of British soldiers on farms in the area leads people to think of the town as being an Anglicised one, but the region was used for millennia before then by the hunter / gatherer San people. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Afrikaner Trekboers camped out for several months every year, grazing their cattle and sheep in the verdant Lowveld throughout the arid winters on their home farms on the Highveld. Malaria and Tsetse Fly prevented permanent settlement, although by 1890 Wolhuter, Van der Plas, Jooste and Strydom had established smallholdings in the area. But here we have a conundrum. Our town history appears to begin in 1904 when the Transvaal Land Department, on Milner s order, surveyed the valley, yet sometime between 1885 and 1895 an Anglican minister planted a tree on the village green across the road from where the original church stood. The Natal Fig, not indigenous to the area, is a national monument and still stands today. The Vicarage was built near this tree between 1895 and 1905 and is probably the oldest house in White River. In 1916 the Anglican Church moved to its current whereabouts on the Plaston Road and the house was either given or sold to the Dutch Reformed Church, becoming Die Pastorie. When the Dutch Reformed Church no longer needed the Pastorie, the Dominee s home became a boarding house and was later converted into four separately let flats. At one stage, the house was the White River Post Office, and in the 1970 s it was converted into a lawyer s office and estate agency. In the 1980 s it became a fine dining restaurant called Timbuctoo, run by Mr & Mrs Mike Kay. When the building was sold, a rent increase resulted in the Kays relocating to a site in Allie van Bergen Street, which is now Dr. van Wyke s surgery. Between 1995 and the end of 2005, the Pastorie was used as a roadhouse, gay nightclub, restaurant, antique shop, nursery and clothing shop. In February of 2006 the house was bought and restored by Mr Braam Coetzee and his family and the Pastorie unfurled into a restaurant and bar once again. Alfresco s was a popular watering hole and had many loyal regulars.

5 In 2013, the poor old Pastorie was renovated and changed once again, neatly divided between the fine dining Timbuctoo restaurant and sushi bar on one side, and the Coffee Pot coffee shop and Ser.en.dip.i.ty nail bar on the other. And above it all, huge branches intertwined and supporting each other, the ancient Natal Fig stands guard, spreading over the adjacent Fish Aways restaurant and reaching for Marx Motors next door. Endearingly, White River s National Monument appears to protect the Pastorie and its neighbours. It s in this spirit that We Are White River intends to nurture and fan the flame of community connection and encourage a positive energy within and about the town. Sources: White River Remembered Claire Nevill Published by Louis van der Merwe In search of the Dutch connection Nicholas Clarke, University of Pretoria writes: You might have seen my post on the Heritage Portal. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are planning an exhibition on the relationship between the Netherlands and South Africa in This does not only cover the early years (Dutch settlement at the Cape) but extends to the present day. Of interest too is the 19th Century and the NZASM endeavour. The curator of the exhibition is searching for original artefacts to loan for the exhibition, for instance pieces of rack rail from the Waterval Boven - Waterval Onder section of the Eastern Line, but also any other original and interesting artefacts, of which there must be many in family and private collections. They have good connections with museums in South Africa, but are looking to find unique pieces that are unknown. Could you please enquire from your network if there are any leads in Mpumalanga? These could also be architectural in nature. I have been asked informally by the Rijksmuseum to assist them in locating interesting (read spectacular) artefacts. Of course there will be formal arrangements with owners of artefacts, including returns, insurance, transport costs etc.

6 FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE/MEER KORRESPONDENSIE Remembering the old teachers training college at Botshabelo MJ Matemane of Burgersfort writes:

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8 War memories William Lebotschy writes: The photograph is indeed the 105mm pack cannon. Soek inligting Jacoba Dongo skryf: Dankie vir die nuusbrief - interessant. My program laat my ongelukkig nie juis toe om aan baie uitstappies deel te neem nie. Ek wonder of jy my kan help. Ek soek inligting oor my man se oupa wat in die British African Police Service gedien het. Hy is in Piet Retief omgewing doodgeskiet in 'n "domestic dispute" rondom einde van 1930's of begin 1940s. Hy is moontlik amptelik begrawe. Hy het volgens oorlewering sy uniform aangehad in die kis. Waar kan mens sulke inligting soek? Thanks N.Q. Machete, writes: Thanks so much for updates of the MP heritage sites, rich and diverse history. UPCOMING EVENTS/VOLGENDE BYEENKOMSTE 25 to 27 April 2015 Pilgrims Rest Weekend 9 May 2015 Visit to Botshabelo at Middelburg 23 May - Annual Val Boer & Brit Dag, Beer & Boerewors tasting - contact Rita at

9 FROM OUR PHOTO COLLECTION/UIT ONS FOTOALBUMS Aerial shot of old White river most probably photographed sometime during the This is another picture from the new Photo Album of White River compiled by Hans Bornman. To order or obtain and copy phone or mail to ON BOOKS/OOR BOEKE: NEW/FOR SALE/FROM MY COLLECTION/IN SEARCH OF: NUUT/TE KOOP/UIT MY VERSAMELING/OP SOEK NA: History Books for Sale Bakkes, CM Die Militêre situasie aan die Benede Tugela op die vooraand van die Britse deurbraak by Pietershoogte (26 Februarie 1900) (1966/MA thesis/good condition/signed) R200.00

10 Du Plessis, H (Ds.) Bantoe Jeuglewe. Kennis vir almal reeks nr. 26 (1944/soft cover/good condition) Freed, Louis Franklin The problem of European prostitution in Johannesburg. A Sociological survey (published D.Phil. thesis/ 1949/dust cover/good condition) Gey van Piitius, BFW Staatsopvattings van die Voortrekkers en die Boere (1941/sagteband/good condition) R Hinchliff, P Calendar of Cape missionary correspondence National Council for Social Research (1967/Soft cover/good condition) Huizinga, J Geschonden Wereld. E3en beschouwing over de kansen op herstel van onze beschawing (1945/excellent condition/original dust cover)

11 Jooste, L Die kuns van oorlog. n Inleiding tot militêre kuns in Suid Afrika (soft cover/saddle stitch/excellent condition) Meijer, PJ (dr.) Nog nie die einde nie. Die Afrikaner en Wes-Europa (1954/Balkema publication/excellent condition) R Oliver, Roland & Atmore, Anthony Africa since 1800 (1967/Soft cover/good condition)

12 Ploeger, Jan (kmdt.) Die forifikasie van Pretoria. Fort Klapperkop Gister en Vandag (1968/Publikasie nr. 1/soft cover/x2 copies) Rowse, AL The use of history. Key volume in the Teach Yourself History Library (1948 edition/good condition) Scholtz, WL von R Generaal Christiaan de Wet as Veldheer. (Published D. Phil thesis/1978/sagteband-soft cover) R Stern, Fritz (edited, selected & introduced) The Varieties of History. From Voltaire to the present (1956/soft cover/good condition)

13 Van Jaarsveld, FA Lewende Verlede. Opstelle en referate (1961/excellent condition) R100,00 Verbruggen, JF (dr.) 1302 in Vlaanderen de Guldensporenslag (Soft cover/1977)