How it works: FAQ

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Allan Jackson

This section is designed to frequently-asked questions (FAQ) about how to use these new diary pages on FAD. You’re welcome to leave a comment or get in touch if you don’t find what you’re looking for. Continue reading →

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Lee Men Ltd

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Allan Jackson

Here’s a cool advert sent in by my informant Lorna Thomopoulos. I must confess I don’t remember Lee Men Ltd or Tiles, but the guys look cool anyway.

Click to view enlargement.

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First day cover

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Allan Jackson

I have been unpacking boxes and, among my stuff, I discovered this First Day Cover commemorating the centenary of Durban becoming a borough. I had forgotten that I even had it but here, at last, it is.

It brought back a sour memory or two, when I contrasted the 100th celebration with the stunning burst of indifference which greeted the 150th anniversary in 2004. The sad fact is that the city authorities totally ignored that milestone, as they did the fact that the Metro (City) Police had also turned 150. I mentioned this in diary entries at the time, here and here.

Talking of the City Police reminds me of a long-standing oversight. At the time of my initial research into Durban’s history, it was commonly stated that the Durban City Police was the oldest police force in the Southern Hemisphere.

That ‘fact’ did make it into print all over the place, including Facts About Durban, and I’m indebted to reader Peter Gaffney, once the force’s Deputy Chief Constable, for the information that this isn’t so. Turns out that the Royal Falkland Islands Police predates Durban’s force, having been established on November 1, 1846.

By coincidence, the Falkland Islands were once adjacent to the KZN coastline, as readers of my article on Durban’s geology will remember.

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Bits ‘n’ Pieces II

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Allan Jackson

I have a few more things for you today including the following from Derek Levy:

Claridges Hotel July 1964.

I have strong memories of attending Cookie Look hour (5.00pm-7.00pm) at Claridges Hotel over the July holidays. The reason for my being in Durban was for my late father to attend the Durban July. The winner that year was Numeral ridden by jockey Raymond Rhodes. Continue reading →

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Bits ‘n’ Pieces

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Allan Jackson

I have had a number of contributions that I need to post. Chris Allen sent in some wonderful pictures, including one of a whaling vessel aground. Chris’s email says that the vessel was named Addington and is aground on the beach named after it. If anything, I think the reverse must be true, because whaling didn’t begin in Durban until 1909 which is, as far as I know, after the beach (and hospital) was named.

Continue reading →

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The “Little Train”

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Allan Jackson

Reader Allan Banfield has written in with his memories of the miniature steam train which used to operate on the Beachfront and, in particular, throws some light on what happened to the steam engine and train. He also asks for some information:

Dear Allan
I relocated from Durban to Cape Town in 1975 and then subsequently to the UK in 1988. I have managed a number of return visits to Durban and have followed the changes with great interest.
As an architect, I think the current master plan is excellent – removing the cars and turning the immediate access into a pedestrian promenade on both The Upper and Lower Marine Parades. Once the final gap to the Umgeni Mouth and Blue Lagoon is complete, it will be a most impressive facility.
Could you help with some background information please?
What is the name of the sunken gardens / amphitheater near North Beach?
Whenever we visited with my parents up to the 70s, my Dad never failed to remind us that the gardens were built during the Great Depression years c1927/29. This was a relief work project initiated by the city council / state to provide work and income for the unemployed. He told us that white lawyers were wielding picks and shovels and pushing wheel barrows during the construction in order to put bread on the table for their families.
I have a few other stories about the beach which I will save for another e-mail.
Thanks for your site. You are performing a great nostalgia service for ex-Durbanites now living in many other parts of the world. It really is a super walk down memory lane reminding me of some great times back in the 60s and 70s.
Yours sincerely
Allan Banfield

I have always referred to them as the sunken gardens and amphitheater but would not be surprised to hear they have formal names. I have added Allan’s story to the bottom of the miniature trains page, originally started by Gerald Buttigieg.

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50 years ago – 1962

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Gerald Buttigieg

What happened in Durban 50 years ago?

Last year I wrote up an article covering what happened in Durban 50 years ago. I used my late father in law’s newspaper cut-outs as reference. I am doing the same this year so here goes:

 1962.

The winners of the Dusi Canoe Marathon were the doubles pair, Derek Antrobus and Peter Gladwin of Pietermaritzburg.  Continue reading →

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Happy, happy!!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Allan Jackson

In keeping with FAD’s [read My] noble tradition for being late with stuff, I missed wishing you for Christmas, but I hope you had a good one. In the nick of time before the clock ticks over to the new year, however, I wish you all the best for 2012. I fervently hope that it is not quite as full of change for me as 2011 was, with the big move downunder, and that I can settle down and do more on this site and on the family history I’m working on. We’ll see how that goes.

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Follow up

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Allan Jackson

We’ve had a response to a question in a previous post about the mouth of the Umgeni river. It came from William Paterson and has been posted as a comment at the bottom of the diary entry.

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Mystery Hind

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Allan Jackson

Readers of this site, between them, know everything and even the most obscure of facts eventually surfaces. The latest example refers to the the diary entry on site dated 13 March, 2005, where I posted a picture of a mysterious helicopter photographed off Scottburgh by reader Marius Beytell. A little research revealed that it was a Russian attack helicopter but  we never found out where it cam from, and what it had been doing.

Just the other day, reader Peter Noci wrote in to cast light on the mystery. I have added his comments below the entry for 13 March, 2005, on Diary page # 18.

And talking of the diary, even though this shiny WordPress blog only dates back to the middle of 2011, I did keep a site diary from 2003. I recommend you take a look through those pages which are linked from here, to get a good idea of what’s been happening on the site, since the very beginning.

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