Diary – Page 28 – Facts About Durban

8 Aug 2012

Did you come across these Durban personalities?

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: Mini Memories | 152

Growing up in Durban from the 50s onwards, there were certain individuals one came to meet possibly through the business they had or perhaps they were just well known names in and around Durban. As someone else pointed out to me that in the 50s and 60s, Durban was a relatively close knit community and through a friend of a friend there was this network that existed of knowing people. Read More

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4 Jul 2012

Memorial Tower – University of kwa Zulu Natal

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: InfoRequests | 0

Some time ago Coleen Seath was enquiring about the Memorial Tower at the University. With acknowledgement to the University’s FOCUS magazine here is an article that appeared in Issue 1 2002. Click on the pages to enlarge.

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28 Jun 2012

ZS-ADT

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: Appeals, Pictures | 2

My regular correspondent William Paterson has sent in a very interesting photo from his parents’ scrapbook. On the back, it says it is of Granny Collier departing Durban on 13 December.

Granny Collier departs Stamford Hill Aerodrome — Picture courtesy William Paterson.

By a coincidence, I already had a few details on the pictured aircraft supplied by Alan Taylor a couple of years ago. He wrote that it was:

ZS-ADT: DH80a Puss Moth
Registered in July 1932 to Durban Light Plane Club
Written off on 2 November 1935.

Not much is known about Granny Collier except that one of her grandsons married a dancer and became chief brewer at SA Breweries and the other was briefly married to William’s Aunt Dodo. Anyone who can add any details about Granny or the aircraft or is welcome to get in touch.

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7 Jun 2012

How Durban celebrated the Coronation of Queen II in 1953.

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: Uncategorized | 2

I found this booklet relating to the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth amongst my collection of Durban odds and ends. It consists of 36 pages and covers the Queen’s life and the Coronation ceremony and regalia. The contents of the book were written by Miss Pauline Linfield, a Durban girl working in Fleet Street, London. It was edited and compiled by Mr T.S. Meehan (probably Tom Meehan of SABC Radio). The cover portrait was by Karsh of Ottawa. I have copied the cover as well as the Organising Committee and then the programme. Click on pages to enlarge.

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6 Jun 2012

Captain Mollard

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: New Articles, Pictures | 0

My informant Nicole White has sent in a collection of pictures and newspaper articles which belonged to her grandfather Captain Roger Mollard who flew Imperial Airways/BOAC flying boats and ended up as BOAC Line Manager in Durban. I have put the stuff up on a new page here.

Besides the new page, there is a lot on flying boats in Durban on this website. The contents page is here.

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6 Jun 2012

Memories

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: Mini Memories | 60

Robert Hart wrote in recently:

I too have fond memories of Durban. I was born in Johannesburg in 1972 and remember our annual holiday in Durban. You must appreciate that I was very young and my memories of the holidays spent in Durban are not as vivid and detailed as that of an adult at that time. Read More

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6 Jun 2012

Info requests

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: Uncategorized | 12

Piet Jonker wrote in some time ago to ask:

I am searching for information about the iron barque Willem Eggerts. This ship was built in 1885 for the Dutch owner N. Brantjes by McIntyre shipyard in Paisley, Scotland.

Willem Eggerts 1886 - courtesy Piet Jonker.

The ship was sold in 1910 to Rennie and Sons and was sailed to Durban (Natal) by Captain Rigden. The ship was used as a coal-hulk and around 1930 beached in front of the Beira lighthouse.

Do you have any information about the ship during her time in Durban?
Greetings, P Jonker, Holland. Read More

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24 May 2012

The Emma

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: Appeals | 1

I have a couple of queries today. The first comes from Ian Hart who found a reference on this site to a vessel called Emma which was scuttled off Durban in 1927. He wonders if the vessel was one of the Union Whaling Company’s first catchers which had the same name, having been built in 1895.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same ship, but don’t know for sure. Please drop me a line if you know. The diary entry for 31 July 2003 mentions the Emma and has quite a bit of interesting stuff on wrecks around Durban.

It’s hard to believe that FAD is nearly a decade old!! 10 June next year will make it 10 years we’ve been in business.

Anyhow, the second query is from Coleen Seath who wonders if anyone knows about the Memorial Tower Building at UKZN Durban campus. I believe that it was built after WWII to honour the dead of that conflict but it is very Art Deco which might mean that it is earlier than that.

Tobias Viljoen wonders if anyone knows where to find pictures of the inside of the old Durban Station. Please contact me if you know something about it.

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6 May 2012

Hotel name

by Gerald Buttigieg | posted in: Appeals, Mini Memories | 10

Bob Gooderson asks if anyone can remember the name of a hotel that has slipped his mind. He wote:

Does anybody remember the name of the hotel which stood on the site where Marine Parade Post office is now sited?

In 1957 when my Dad family purchased our first hotel, the Lonsdale, I was installed as manager. We had Jack Bartram playing the organ in the ‘Lonsdale Lounge’ and Cashel Kelly was the singer.

On nights when it seemed quiet I used to walk round and check on how many people were in the Palmerston and then up the road to the [other] hotel where the owner or manager played the piano and his wife sang with him. I seem to remember that she was a soprano. Neither my brother Alan nor I can remember the name of the hotel, who does?

Bob also sent in this picture of the beachfront which, he says, has the following inscription ‘Photograph by D.John Lucey Studio, 22 Albany Grove, Durban.’ and the reference number 61-6 52-A. He surmises that the picture was taken in 1961.

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