Diary

This Post was sent to me for posting on Facts about Durban by Sid Bretell now living in the UK. .His photos are included.

 

Durban Police Dog Unit in the 1960s and 1970s

 

Sid Brettell. May 2025

 

Many older Durban residents may remember the large police squad cars with dog kennels in the rear seat area and the long metal aerials on the side of the vehicles bending backwards as they raced off to another crime in progress. There were a variety of vehicles used including Ford or Chevrolet vans with the Studebaker Larks being favoured for their V8 engines and compact chassis and incredible acceleration. Other vehicles were Ford Fairlanes and Valiant sedans.

My first recollection about police dogs and their handlers was my mom reading the Natal Mercury in the mid 1960s on a Saturday morning when she remarked “these dogs are amazing”. She then went on to talk about the latest arrest of a criminal that had been caught committing a housebreaking, robbery or other serious crime.

The newspaper reports about the successes of the Durban Dog unit in the 1960s and 70s were regular to the point where many readers knew the names of the handlers and their dogs. This created an enhanced sense of safety and admiration for these men and dogs who fearlessly went into dangerous situations not knowing what may lie in wait for them.

One of the factors creating such positive feeling about the Dog Unit was that they had a very open relationship with the two Durban daily newspapers. Leon Mellett, the Natal Mercury crime reporter and Gehri Strauss, the Daily News crime reporter were allowed to crew with the dog handlers, particularly on night shifts. They were able to see first hand how audacious and violent criminals were and the despair and suffering of victims of crime. They saw the bravery and determination of the policemen trying to deal with crime and violence. I wish magistrates and judges would be exposed to crime scenes to get a better understanding of the consequences of crime and its impact on the victims.

Tracker dogs had been used successfully by the police in rural areas for many years but the idea of using dogs for police patrols in cities as an aid to detecting criminals hiding in buildings or overgrown areas as well as apprehending fleeing criminals rather than resorting to firearms only came into being in 1962.Among the first Durban Dog Handlers trained in 1962 and assigned back to Durban were Sergeant Piet Van Rooyen who was the first commander and his dog Beauty, Laurie Kaplan and Rex (Kaplan was later a successful businessman and Durban City Councillor in the 1980’s) and Tjaart Riekert and Fritz. Riekert and his dog were killed in a landmine explosion in 1972 on the Caprivi Strip whilst on Counter Insurgency duties.

Tjaart Riekert and Fritz

 

The first few years of the Durban Police Dog Unit was so successful that within a year of deploying the first dogs and handlers a medal of Honour for Courage and Faithfulness was established by authorities and awarded to a number of the unit.

The first medal awarded to a Durban dog handler was awarded to Constable Manie Odendaal and Prince. On the 5 th of November 1964 Odendaal arrested a suspected housebreaker and tookhim to a police station. He also took Prince into the charge office with him whilst he questioned the man. During the discussion the man produced a knife and attacked Odendaal, screaming that he was going to kill him. Prince, who seemed to have been forgotten, attacked the man from behind dragging him to the ground where he was disarmed. Prince’s action saved his handler’s life and he was awarded the medal of honour for courage and faithfulness.

In 2022, I went to visit Manie who was then in his mid-80s and not in good health. He produced his old scrap book with newspaper and court reports whilst we discussed old cases including a famous case in 1964 of the Burman Bush rapist who preyed on lovers in their motor cars. Odendaal saw a man matching the description of the rapist near the Scout camp. He fled when challenged. Odendaal released Prince and they gave chase that resulted in a cliff top struggle above an old quarry where the suspect tried to push Odendaal over the edge. With the assistance of Prince, the man was arrested and later convicted of a number of charges.

Photo taken 2022: From left to right: Doug Linden (Course of 1974) Sid Brettell (Course of 1972) Manie Odendaal (Course of 1963)

 

Constable Johnny Aissing and patrol dog Charlie were awarded a medal resulting from an incident on the 14 th of September 1965. Constable Gert Van den Bergh from Umbilo Police station arrested two suspects from an armed robbery near the Berea Road railway station when one of the suspects produced a revolver and shot him just below his throat with the bullet travelling to his chest organs. Aissing and Charlie sped to the scene and proceeded to a dark lane where Charlie picked up a scent which led to the fire escape of a block of flats and up on the second floor Charlie found two men hiding behind large pot plants. A 38 revolver was found nearby which was the firearm used in shooting Van den Bergh, who recovered after several months in a critical condition. A contributing reason for the award to Charlie was another crime incident in the Warwick Avenue Market area where Aissing and Charlie attended an armed robbery and confronted the robber. The robber produced a knife and attempted to stab Aissing. Charlie attacked the man saving Aissing. The robber then turned his attention to Charlie, stabbing him in the neck, but Charlie held onto the man until Aissing could overpower and arrest him. The Dog Unit had a Veterinary practice on call for such incidents and their timely treatment saved the many dogs who were stabbed on duty. The first vet was Eric Gordon who donated a trophy awarded to the dog that made the most first schedule offences (serious crime) in a year.

On 19 July 1966 Constable Brian Boucher and Rusty together with other police members were sent to Clermont township near Pinetown to look for an escaped prisoner. The prisoner had been sentenced to life imprisonment for a number of serious offences and was wanted in connection with seven additional charges of armed robbery and attempted murder. This was a very dangerous man who was thought to be armed. The policemen approached a house where the escapee was suspected of hiding and as it was after 10pm they hoped to catch him asleep. The man however was awake and spotted the police approaching the house. He jumped out of a window and opened fire on the policemen before jumping a fence and running off. Boucher released Rusty who chased after the man who fired two shots at Rusty before disappearing into the darkness. Boucher and the other policemen ran in the general direction of where the suspect was last seen heading off into the bush with Rusty close on his heels. After some minutes, the police heard barking and realised that Rusty had found the man. Boucher ran in the direction of the barking and found that Rusty was holding onto the man who was then arrested. Rusty was not deterred by the shooting and his courage and determination was the key reason that a dangerous criminal was put behind bars. Rusty was awarded the medal for courage and faithfulness.

The Dog Unit was often asked to accompany detectives when looking to arrest dangerous suspects especially when the place where they hoped to find the criminal was near bush or other place that could have likely escape routes. In February 1967 Constable Phillip Sonnekus and Rex were asked to accompany Murder and Robbery detectives to arrest a suspect who was wanted for charges of murder and armed robbery. The suspect was believed to be at an address in Kwa Mashu. They approached the house around 3 am. The suspect was alert and realised that the house was surrounded by police. He called out that he would shoot the first person who tried to enter the house. The police broke a number of windows simultaneously around the house. The detectives distracted the man whilst Sonnekus lifted Rex through a broken window so he could attack the man. That was a sign to storm the house from multiple points. As Sonnekus and others got into the house, they saw Rex in a violent struggle with the man who was beating Rex with a shovel. They overpowered the man and found a .25 pistol in his pocket. Rex’s attack had prevented him from getting to the gun. Rex’s bravery had effected the arrest without any harm to the policeman and he was awarded the medal for courage and faithfulness.

Brian Boucher with Rusty and Johnny Aissing with Charlie. Both dogs are wearing their medals.

 

On 12 December 1967 Sergeant Fred Pautz and Caro were sent to Tongaat beach to search for an armed robber who had fled into the mangrove forest. The mangrove area was very dense with a tangle of roots, branches and trailing vines. Pautz was shown the place where the man had entered the bush and Caro picked up the scent. They had to crawl on their stomach in parts and when they felt they were close, Caro was released and ran rapidly towards a tree. Caro jumped up and grabbed the leg of the suspect who had climbed the tree. The man produced a firearm and shot at Pautz and Caro. Pautz returned fire wounding the man who fell from the tree whilst Caro continued to hang onto him, preventing him from running away or using his gun. Pautz arrested the man and found that Caro has sustained a bullet wound to his jaw. Caro had held onto his man in spite of the injury and was awarded the medal for courage and faithfulness.

On 2 September 1970 Pautz and Caro attended a housebreaking in premises in Williams Road, Umbilo. Suspecting that the criminals may still be in the premises he released Caro to search for the robbers. Sometime later Caro returned to Pautz and collapsed and died. It was found that a bucket containing cyanide was in the premises and Caro had eaten or drank from the bucket. This was a reminder that policemen and their dogs usually attended the most serious crimes and occasionally were injured or killed in the line of duty

Records of how many times the medal was awarded show that 33 were issued from 1964 to 1994. There is no record of any further medals being issued since. Sadly, the police leadership no longer value the use of dogs so the number of police dogs and handlers have been significantly reduced and the dog school in Pretoria has closed. Presently when dogs are used in arrests they are subjected to minute investigation to see that the use was justified with the risk of potential disciplinary or criminal action.

The Durban Dog Unit was the leader in South Africa with many Durban members passing promotion exams to Lieutenant and assigned to Dog Units across the country, including West Rand, East Rand and senior positions at the Police Dog School in Pretoria. That was to spread the Durban ethos and manner of using dogs to maximum effect. At its peak, the Durban Dog Unit comprised over 40 dogs and handlers in the early 1970s. There would be around 10 dog unit vehicles on duty across Durban at any time. The risk to dogs and handlers increased significantly in the late 1980s and early 1990s where the proliferation of weapons from unrest and political uncertainty resulted in dog handlers being despatched to false complaints that were in fact ambushes. The police were met with fire from armed groups using automatic weapons. Even ordinary criminals operated in large gangs and could be expected to have firearms, often outgunning the police.

Of the 33 medal winners, 12 were from Durban. Medals continued to be won after some of these earlier cases from the 1960s I have related here. The bravery of those Durban dog handlers and their dogs awarded medals deserves mention here.

11 June 1970 Sergeant Hennie Grobler and Argo

8 May 1980 Sergeant Vincent Zimmerman and Prince

11 November 1982 Warrant Officer Jan Louis Van Rooyen and Dillinger

17 April 1986 Sergeant CJ Van Niekerk and Brutus

18 January 1987 Sergeant Peter Knop (KIA) and Yaschin

20 December 1990 Constable Adrian Ash and Gus

14 March 1991 Warrant Officer CB French and Foxy

 

I served in the Durban Dog Unit from 1972 until 1979 with patrol dog Bruno. I rose in rank from Sergeant to Lieutenant during that time when I retired Bruno as he had been badly stabbed on two occasions over the years. Bruno was considered to be redundant government property, so I bought him for five rand. He became my house dog until his death in 1982. His ashes were placed at Hero’s Rest at the Cato Manor SPCA. When the Cato Manor SPCA was closed the many urns with dogs ashes were stored in a room at a police station for many years. I arranged for Bruno’s ashes to be brought over to me and his ashes are on my mantelpiece in London.

My adventures and those of my colleagues are captured in my book, Squad Cars; the Durban Dog Unit in the 1970s which is available on Takealot in South Africa and Amazon.The many former dog handlers funded a memorial which was erected at the Kloof SPCA some two years ago and is worth a visit to see the memorial and the urns with the names of the dogs and their handlers.

Durban Dog Unit Memorial at Kloof SPCA

 

When men face danger together it brings out the best in them. They work as a team and back one another up. The camaraderie is like no other job or group. There are many cases not recorded where dog handlers went above and beyond the call of duty in exposing themselves to danger that the public never heard about. The survivors still bond together and are a special breed who kept Durban safe and are

an important part of Durban’s history.

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A reader Vanessa Maitland recently contacted me regarding a picture she had which  is shown below.  She  asked me to comment  on  it  if  I  could. Actually there is a post on Facts about Durban regarding the first Ice Rink n Durban. Do a SEARCH to find it.

I cannot date the picture exactly but going by the buildings one can guesstimate   at about 1930s looking at the cars. What we are looking at is the construction of the West Street Groyne which was in line with West Street.  The original pier had heavy wooden poles driven into the sand to form the base.  Durban had experience of this because the original Safe Bathing Enclosure built opposite the Kenilworth Tearoom approximately, was of similar construction.  A steam powered pile driver knocked the beams into position. It ran on rails.  I am not sure what the hut at the end of the rails was for. Maybe a shelter. On the left is a building which is indicated as the Rotunda. This must be the first version of that building which remained there  for many years. In its later appearance it was somewhat changed in design and at street level was the Coo-ee Tearoom and Ice Cream Parlour.  Upstairs became a night club at one stage and then a type of horror museum if I remember correctly. The big building behind the Rotunda is Belmont which was a large block of flats on the corner of West St and Marine Parade. This building stood for many years but was demolished and rebulit as a more modern building. If one remembers the Golden Chopsticks Chinese Restaurant was on the first floor.   On the right there is a row of trees and this was an open space skirting Marine Parade. It was on this space many years later that the Durban Aquarium was built.  In the early days there was a band stand on the site where military bands would play for the public seated around in deck chairs. I have no idea what the two big window odd building was. Directly behind this odd building one can make out two smaller gables and a larger one behind.  The two smaller ones were part of the facade of the Beach Hotel probably one of the first hotels to built on the Marine Parade when the mountainous sand dunes were cleared. The Beach Hotel was on the opposite side of Marine Parade. The Beach Hotel went through many variations leading up to the the early 1960s when the corner site was completely flattened and a multistorey new Beach Hotel was built and stands today. The big gable that can be seen behind the Beach Hotel is most probably the Cecil Hotel  which faced West Street. Next door to it is the Balmoral Hotel, probably the oldest  building on Marine Parade in its original design.  It too has gone through some slight changes but it is a landmark building.  What is interesting is the tall mast that can be seen left of the Balmoral. These were dotted along the Marine Parade and have been there for many many years.  I recall them adorned with coloured neon lights from 1948 onward.

So lets get to the Ice Rink. This is the hangar type building left of Belmont. It faced and bordered the Marine Parade but in front of it was a large open space maybe a car park area. On the curved facade one can make out Ocean Rink. The site of the Ice Rink is where the Claridges Hotel was built in the mid 1950s. The aeriel picture below shows the area where the Ice Rink was located. The roof is marked x x .   This photo is much later and I would guess just before the ice rink was demolished early / mid 1950s.

The Claridges was the first “fancy” hotel to be built on Marine Parade and in the 1960s was where “Cookie Look” was introduced. If you have never heard of Cookie Look it was a properly controlled “session”.  A session was an uncontrolled rock and roll “do” normally held in MOTH halls, some church halls and other halls were a four piece rock band would play the latest rock music hits.  Normally ran for 4 hours as at midnight most entertainment stopped. They did get out of hand sometimes but it was the place to be on a Friday or Saturday night. At the hotels Cookie Look was more refined,  jeans and Tee shirts were not allowed. Guys wore Time to Shine suits and girls were glammed up. Deviating here but remembering good times.

PS I have to admit I can see no reference to this being an ice skating rink and wonder if it is not a roller skating rink.

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Personal Early Reminiscences.

The alert that Christmas was coming was the early arrival of overseas letters. Letters as opposed to the usual aerogrammes. Christmas letters usually included a card and photos which you could not include in an aerogramme.

 

An early 1950s Australian airletter also known as an aerogramme.

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Remembering Christmas.  Part 1

My memories of Christmases going back to my pre-teen years are not bad.  It would be just about now, a month before Christmas Read More

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A walk down a Memory Lane.

Click on Picture to enlarge

Amongst the many newspaper cuttings I was given, this one I came across took me back to different times, different chapters. Read More

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1.  Methodist Church cnr Moore and Manning Road.  The side view different from its normal front view.  In the 60s very popular for weddings.

2.  St Mary’s Anglican Church Greyville. I remember reading it was one of the few churches in Durban that still rings its bells.

3. Methodist Church Greyville near the Durban Bowling Club greens. Today the steeple has been removed leaving just a tower.   Sadly this church is up for sale “as is” however reading a comment there has been a request to AMAFA to allow demolition.

4. Baptist Church West Street.

5. Holy Trinity Catholic Church Musgrave Road. My sister’s  was one of the first weddings celebrated there  in April 1959. Sadly today not as in the picture as cordoned off by security fencing.

6. St Martin’s Anglican Church Chelsea Drive Durban North. This is an old picture.

7. Lutheran Church Renishaw Road Umbilo.

8. Congregational Church Aliwal Street . Unfortunately no longer as it was deconsecrated some years ago and sold off.  The new owners turned the church into an antique shop but this also came to an end after some years. Not too long ago the church was sold to a Muslim community and with internal modification became a mosque.  The first, as far as I know, such church to be transformed into a mosque in Durban.

9. St James Church Venice Road Morningside. An old picture as the church frontage has been changed with the three windows in the gable replaced by a rose window.    The tower in the background also seems to be no longer.

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Durban Pot Pourri 16

Post Office Part 3

I was giving some thought as to why I remember the Post Office building so well. Read More

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Durban Pot Pourri 15

The Town Hall later the Post Office    Part 2

This week its pictures of the Town Hall later the Post Office over the years. There are quite a few so I selected the better ones and adding some comment of personal memories.  Clicking on the picture should enlarge.

 1885

This picture is indicated as being 1885. That was the year the Town Hall was opened.  Knowing that Gardiner Street ran next to the Town Hall I would say the buildings on the left stretch from Gardiner Street to Mark Lane. Mark Lane runs from West St through to Pine Street. Originally it was an open drain running through a property. The Council purchased the land and ran a barrel drain down to West Street. The surface was hardened and turned into a lane. Buildings that stood / stand on the left today are the FNB Bank Building, Randles Bros. and Hudson, Castle Arcade and 320 West St. Looks like West St yet to be tarred.

1887

In 1887 Queen Victoria celebrated the Golden Jubilee of her reign. To mark the occasion a fountain was erected in the Town Gardens more or less where the entrance of the present day City Hall is. It also marked the inauguration of the water supply from the dam on the Umbilo River. The source was in the area known today as Paradise Valley. When the City Hall was being constructed the fountain had to be moved. It was relocated down to the beachfront and re-erected in the children’s paddling pond. Thanks to old post cards we can track it. Eventually it would appear the fountain self-destructed,  no doubt the steel reinforcing frame not able to withstand the salt air. In time it was removed and discarded.

The Jubilee Fountain now relegated to adorn  the children’s paddling pond.

1897

This picture must be circa 1897 as that was the year Durban’s electricity was switched on. The honour of switching on the “lights” was given to Mrs George Payne, the Mayoress of Durban. George Payne started the business Payne Brothers. The switching was performed in the lobby of the Town Hall.    Note the very ornate and stylish lamp standard.

Circa 1910

To date this picture one looks at the tram system which was introduced in 1902. The station is another marker in that the additional two upper floors were added in 1904. The rickshas had been introduced earlier in 1893 by Sir Marshall Campbell. An interesting view of Gardiner Street and note the lady elegantly dressed on the landing.

Circa 1920

The next two pictures are hard to say which is the older but I would say this one looking at the motor car. The motor car is travelling down Pine Street.  I have a feint recollection of a bar being on the corner of Pine and Gardiner Street when I was a young teenager.  I checked the 1957 Durban Directory and it was still there then known as the Victoria Bar.  In later years the corner and building in Gardiner Street were remodelled and at street level two stores were located which virtually everyone got to know. They were the Model Dairy and Tennison Burrows. On the corner was Natal Music. I well remember the Model Diary being a rather formal tea room. In the interior was a large room with tables and chairs laid about.  The tables all covered in white linen and properly set out. I have this memory circa 1956 when my mother and I and my sister and her boyfriend met the future in laws for the first time. We gathered at the Model Dairy and had tea and cakes there. Tennison Burrows was the well-known news agency that sold the imported British magazines and children’s comics that arrived weekly with the mail ships. Always remember it as being an untidy shop with piles of periodicals, magazines and newspapers about. I seem to recall it was also a tobacconist.

This pic is looking at the same building in the previous photo behind what is now the Post Office. What is interesting is the Empire signboard which was one of the first ‘bioscopes” in Durban. I cannot find any info on the Empire but it may well have been silent movies with a pianist in attendance to play the appropriate background music.  This is just a guess. There appears to be a queue waiting at the Post Office. This would be the area taken over by the Post Office for the big extension at the rear carried out circa 1926.

An old picture showing the Tramway Office in front of the Post Office.  Note the ricksha.  Being transported by ricksha was normal and quite acceptable.

Circa 1920s

Probably a bit later as the ornate lamp standard has been removed and traffic is such that the intersection required a points man mounted on a raised platform.  The pillar on the left is part of Reed and Champion West Street corner with across the road being the Natal Bank building. Next door was Randles Bros and Hudson which must have had two frontages one in Gardiner and the other in West Street. Men’s’ hats were obviously in fashion. The famous Dead Man’s Tree outside the Post Office can be seen. For those that do not know about this Durban tradition, it was normal practice for funeral parlours to nail funeral notices on this tree for public information. The West Street cemetery had been established at the far end of West St and beyond that all the funeral parlours were gathered just beyond Park Street. The tramways even had a special funereal tram.

 1930

Circa late 1920s early 1930s. The early type buses parked in Church Street are a Thornycraft and the longer ones Karrier. ( Bus info thanks to Frank Beeton).  The art deco War Memorial commonly known as the Cenotaph stands completed. This dates the picture as post 1926 as the Cenotaph was unveiled in that year. It honours the dead of World War I.

The design was the result of a competition held in 1921, won by the Cape Town architectural firm of Eagle, Pilkington, and McQueen. The ceramics were made in England by Harold and Phoebe Stabler of the Poole Pottery.

The ornamental gates fitted on the Gardiner Street side of the Cenotaph were opened by the late King George the Sixth and wife Queen Elizabeth when the Royal Family visited Durban in 1947.

The Natal Bank Building on the corner of Gardiner and West Street looks grand with its tower and smaller domed tower on the right.  The dome on the left was the Barclays Bank building with Randles Bros and Hudson next to it. Randles were wholesale merchants but also sold fine jewellery. This was one building I never had reason to go into. It always appeared upmarket to me. I was quite surprised not so long ago to see the firm was liquidated.

1940

A 1940s picture showing major buildings erected in Gardiner Street. On the left the Old Mutual building topped with the big Coca Cola signs on the roof front and back. I would say this neon sign was the precursor of the iconic Coca Cola sign mounted later on the Fairhaven Hotel on the Marine Parade. These neon signs were removed at some stage and I wonder if Coca Cola were asked to remove the signage as in a way it was inappropriate overlooking a memorial to the war dead and the City Hall. Next to the Old Mutual Bldg were two old buildings. The first I cannot find a name for but it was 57 Gardiner St. Next door was the Woolworths Building which was peculiar in a way in that it had a frontage on Gardiner St. but the main entrance was in West St. I well remember the store as it was hollow wooden floored throughout. In West Street was a wooden ramp leading up to the store entrance.  Anyone remember the stomp of shoes as people tramped upwards and into the store? I knew two ladies who worked on the Gardiner Street side where they manned the sweets counter. In later years when the site was remodelled the right bend access was turned into an arcade, Trust Arcade. Next door was the Trust Building which stood on the corner and this had replaced the old Reed and Champion Building.  At ground level the name Reed and Champion remained as the well-known pharmacy occupied this corner.

1950s

An interesting postcard as one notices that the Natal Bank building towers have both been removed and replaced with a new roof line and more modest single tower. The lower section of the building retained. Next door on West St side still Barclays Bank and Randles and one can see Castle Arcade with the dark and white façade. Still recall the opposition to its destruction when it was eventually torn down and replaced by 320 West in the early 1970s.

 

The two pedestals either side of the Post Office steps now have  ornate lamp standards fitted. I may be wrong but I seem to recall that there were two telephone kiosks fitted either side of the landing.

My memories of the Post Office are as you climbed up the steps and entered the lobby there were two halls either side entered through heavy, glass paned doors. The hall on the left was the postal side selling stamps, air letters (aerogrammes), registered mail, bulk mail, postal orders, parcel post etc. The single heavy wood counter stretched across the room and was divided into several counters. On the opposite walls were writing shelves where you could write or stick stamps on envelopes etc.  At the far end was a door way leading out to Gardiner St. On the other side of the lobby was a similar large room with a similar counter but here other Post Office business was carried out. One was to purchase radio licences, renting PO Boxes, and I think telegrams as well. In this hall the far end was cornered off with a counter and here was the information centre as well as the place where philatelic items could be bought such as First Day Covers and other philatelic items. This hall also had an exit into Church St.

Back to the lobby. Straight in front of you was a massive wood panelled façade which went from floor to the ceiling. It was worked with some fancy woodwork but still recall it was imposing. This must have been the main entrance to the town hall when it was a town hall and was closed off in this manner when the GPO took over. On this façade lower down were the various mailing slots where you posted your letters. I remember Overseas airmail, local mail, returned mail had separate slots. Also on this façade was a small door and next to it a buzzer button. When buzzed, the door would be opened by a postal worker. I recall bulk mail and parcels too big to post being handed over. I never saw what went on behind this façade but it was obviously the sorting room where the mail was being hand sorted. Electronic sorting only came much later along with the post codes. However you could hear that there was much activity going on. Also in the lobby were stamp vending machines on the one side. These were for one penny and halfpenny coil stamps where you put your coin in and a stamp would be fed out by the machine.  Postage in those days was one penny a letter. The stamps were half penny green Springbok head and a one penny red sailing ship (Dromedaris).  You had to put the right coins in as the machine could not give change.

 

Examples of the coil stamps from vending machines.

 

 1952

Coming to the more modern era circa 1950s a picture taken from the City Hall steps. The buildings around the Post Office are more or less unchanged bar the building next to Woolworths which was demolished and a new building erected for Saambou Building Society.  Behind it a new building is being constructed possible Cennewa House in West Street. The Cenotaph has now been walled off. Trolley buses have taken over from the trams but it looks like the tram tracks are still in place.  Opposite the Post Office the bus termini with their familiar semi-circular covering.

Two distinct memories from my teen age years was that in Durban there were three popular rendezvous spots. One was under the Greenacre’s clock, two was Stuttaford’s Corner and three the Post Office steps.  Meeting your girlfriend to go to Saturday “arvie” movies, the PO steps was the place. The trolley buses brought you in and took you home. I wonder how many first dates (blind dates?) were met on the steps of the PO? The second memory is that opposite the PO steps in front of Queen Victoria’s statue on a Friday and  Saturday evening as people were going across to the 6 pm movie, a preacher, bible in hand would lecture the crowd about repentance. Most going to the movies moved on but at the bus stops the preacher had a captive audience.

 

Continued in Part 3  

 

 

 

 

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Pot Pourri  14

The Post Office originally the Town Hall.  Part One.

If you were born pre 1960 you would have grown up in an era when the Durban City Centre was in a way more part of our lives than we give credit for.  It was the place where many worked on a daily basis, most Government Depts. were centred in it, commerce and retail shops were widespread within it, medical practitioners and services were abundant there,  the station was there,  the trolley and motor buses had their termini there, speech, dance and music academies abounded. It even was the place for family entertainment in the cinemas and hotels.  Sadly today the CBD is no longer what it used to be and I doubt if it will ever regain the vibe it once generated.   Read More

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