Count Natale Labia legacy fading without care

Count Natale Labia wants the government to give back the house his father built. The 20-room Italianate mansion overlooks the sea in Muizenberg. Count Natale Labia senior was Italy's consul in South Africa. He built The Fort, as it was named, in the style of 18th century Venice, the city of his ancestors. The furniture and fittings were all Venetian. After his death in 1936, the house was leased first to the Canadians and the Argentinians for use as an embassy. In 1985 Count Natale Labia (Luccio), the son, donated The Fort and all its contents, including many valuable paintings, to the government, on condition it was run as a museum for the benefit of the community. F.W. de Klerk, then Minister of Education, officially opened it. It became a venue for exhibitions, lectures, musical recitals and art classes, and had its own restaurant. In 2005 the Department of Arts and Culture closed it and stopped financial support. Since then the government has hired it out for film and photographic shoots. The Fort is not well-cared for. A caretaker is employed by Count Labia to live on the property he no longer owns, to try and give some kind of protection. The laminated windows have become opaque because of water seepage. Inside walls are peeling and mouldy, vases are cracked, the crystal chandeliers are grime encrusted, hinges are broken, brass fittings are missing, carpets are stained, there are cigarette burns in antique chairs, and a R450 000 painting by James Stark has disappeared. Count Natale Labia believes the government has breached the conditions of the donation and he is trying to recover the house and its contents.

Paarl windmill to be remembered

Paarl's most famous windmill is going to be remembered in a new security estate near Paarl named Waterpoel de Windmeul, developed by Chianti Civil Construction. The development is situated next to Rheebokskloof wine estate in Windmeul, Agter-Paarl. The most famous of the 27 windmills that once stood in the Paarl countryside was the one that stood in Windmeul. Farmers would come from all over the Agter-Paarl and Perdeberg districts to mill their grain there, and to buy whatever they needed from the adjoining shops. The production of flour stopped during the Anglo-Boer War and recession, and the windmill was taken down in 1927. Windmeul Wynkelders, established in 1944, was named after it. The old windmill will be rebuilt during the second phase.

Historic Carnarvon Farm for sale

Historic Eastern Cape family farms are being sold off, some for hefty price tags. The 3650 ha Carnarvon Farm, 50km from Queenstown, is on the market with a price tage of R35 million. The National Heritage site is one of the most highly conserved, historically significant game and cattle farms in South Africa. Archaeologists recently discovered a 120 000-year-old stone-age workshop site and San paintings. It also includes one of the oldest landing strips in South Africa, two hunting lodges, a lucrative water source which supplies Sterkstroom and a 1880 farmhouse. The owners are reluctant to sell. Robin Halse (75) is not in good health, and his wife Bertha (64) has taken over the management of the farm with the help of his daughter and son-in-law, who also live on the property. The Halse family has owned Carnarvon since 1854. Robin's father and grandfather watched from the porch as the Anglo-Boer War Battle of the Stormberg on the farm's border in 1902. Now none of the couple's daughters is keen to take it over.

St Cyprian’s Cathedral centenary

St Cyprian’s Cathedral in Kimberley concluded its centenary celebrations this month. The Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman, the Rt Rev. Oswald Swartz, unveiled a centenary plaque to mark the occasion. The cathedral’s centenary was launched last year when Bishop Crowther visited forty years after his deportation from Kimberley in 1967. Bishop Tom Stanage unveiled a plaque marking the century since the laying of the foundation stone. A new Garden of Remembrance was dedicated by the Dean of Kimberley, the Very Rev. Fr Brian Beck. Two longer-term centenary projects are under way. One is the installation of a ring of bells in the tower to be dedicated to the memory of victims of HIV/Aids. The other looks back to the historical role of St Cyprian’s in establishing some of Kimberley’s earliest schools in the late 19th century.

Mpumalanga needs help

The Mpumalanga Provincial Government is taking steps to record, preserve and present the province’s rich history. Premier Thabang Makwetla’s office is looking for private companies to implement and co-ordinate the province’s flagship programme - the Heritage, Greening Mpumalanga and Tourism Programme. The Heritage, Greening and Tourism Programme required expertise in various fields such as heritage preservation and management, environmental conservation, waste and pollution management and tourism development. Successful service providers would be appointed for three years. The heritage component involves identifying, recording, preserving and representing the province’s heritage sites and other resources. Last year, the provincial government published a book called Mpumalanga History and Heritage to raise awareness about Mpumalanga’s rich history and heritage.

South African painting fetch high prices

Irma Stern's paintiog, Pondo woman, which she painted in 1929, and Maggie Laubser's Woman in a blue kopdoek, were recently sold at an art auction in Johannesburg for more than R5 milllion. Stern's painting went for R2,82 million, while Laubser's went for R2,42 million - way more than the expected R1,5 million and R1 million respectively. The Stern painting came from the private collection of a collector in Israel. Stern was born in South Africa in 1894. After the Anglo-Boer War, she left for Germany with her parents. In the 1920s she returned to South Africa but her work was criticised negatively. It was only in the 1940s that South Africans started appreciating her work. She died in Cape Town in 1966.

Moffat Mission Station

The Moffat Mission Station in Kuruman should be declared a heritage site, according to Miss Dipuo Peters, the Northern Cape Premier, speaking at a recent plaque ceremony at the site. The Scottisih missionary, Robert Moffat, lived there from 1820 to 1870, and built the Moffat Church which was completed in 1838. The first Tswana Bible was also translated and printed there.

Prestwich Place bones find a final resting place

The remains of about 2500 people, including slaves and Khoisan, uncovered during building operations in Prestwich Street, Green Point, in 2004 were given a final resting place in a newly-built ossuary at St Andrew's Square. Prestwich Place (corner of Prestwich and Alfred Streets) is one of the few known and identifiable burial places of the time, which served the city's poor. Bones were also found underneath the Grand Parade in 1960 when the Post Office tunnel was dug. A few years later, a Vredehoek resident also found bones when building a new driveway on his property. Bones have also been found in Mechau Street, Chiappini Street, Buitengracht, Adderley Street and Milnerton beach. Last year bones were found where the new Greenpoint Stadium is being built. The Prestwich Place discovery led to emotional scenes. Dr. Pallo Jordan, Minister of Arts and Culture, made a decision that the bones could not be scientifically studied as it would upset some communities. After the discovery, archaeologists from UCT determined that the bones dated back to the 1800s and the site was declared a heritage site. After the bones were carefully recovered, they were locked up in the Woodstock Hospital's Mortuary. Tim Hart, one of the project co-ordinators and co-director of archaeology contracts for the University of Cape Town (UCT), said that after initial observations, the bones could be the remains of slaves because some had dental formations uncommon to the Cape and some were not buried in coffins, and instead huddled together in shallow holes. The Prestwich Place Project Committee appealed decisions by the South African Heritage Resources Agency to continue with excavation, but failed to stop the digging until all of the bones were removed.

Molteno hand-over of village

Molteno Brothers (Pty) Ltd, one of Elgin's oldest farming operations dating back to 1903, through its Molteno Brothers Trust, has given an entire farm village to farmworkers. The Oaks Village, comprising 106 houses and including a school, a crèche, a library, sports fields, swimming pools, a clubhouse, a church, and a retirement home, was handed over to the families who have worked on the fruit farm for up to four generations. This gave the village's 720-odd residents ownership of their homes. The deal made use of the government's R16 000 housing subsidy. The Oaks Village is now managed by a body corporate. The farm paid a monthly subsidy of R250 to residents employed by the farm and to its pensioners, to help pay electricity and other costs. The farm also paid for the teachers at the crèche. Residents will be entitled to sell their properties. To encourage residents to keep their homes, clauses stipulate that they will only personally take 100 percent of any profits after eight years, increasing on a sliding scale starting at 12,5 percent after the first year. The remainder of any profits would accrue to the body corporate, for the benefit of the community. The houses were last upgraded in 1992, all are either two- or three-bedroomed units with garages.

Bethlehem's sandstone heritage buildings damaged

Professor Deon Knobel, a former resident of Bethlehem in the Free State, has protested about the heritage destruction in Bethlehem.Various sandstone buildings have already beeen damaged or lost in the name of "development". Prof. Knobel, now living in Cape Town, cites the example of Dr. Jannie Loubser's old house which was demolished a few years ago, with the then mayor of Bethlehem's approval. Despite pleas by the community, the house could not be saved and today the site stands empty and neglected without an development. The old Royal Hotel and the old Standard Bank building have been damaged. Now a new development in Pres. Boshoff Street has the old Bungalow building in its sights. This building was one of those around the NG Church in Bethlehem that were built of sandstone. Pleas to the heritage agencies have fallen on deaf ears. In the case of the Bungalow building, the architect was not aware of the heritage laws in place that protect historic buildings older than 60 years.

The Apple Express - steam train memories

A 1904 narrow-gauge railway coach has been restored to its former glory. Coach NG59, an 18-seat, four- compartment carriage with its own toilet, was built by the Bristol Carriage & Wagon Company in the UK. The restoration team included coachbuilders Clive Nel and Pieter van Rooyen, undercarriage builder Willie Schaap, steam fitter Nico Bezuidenhout, process worker Manie Mampen, and Vuyani Dakuse, Theo Drinkrow and Lindi Ndyambo. The restoration work was unveiled recently in Humewood, painted in the green-and-white colour scheme of the Apple Express. n its early years, the coach was used to transport fruit pickers along the Langkloof between Twee Riviere and Misgund. The restoration team has another eight coaches to restore. The Apple Express is seeking sponsors for its heritage coaches. Sponsorship of R5000 per coach will be acknowledged by a brass plaque inside the coach as well as the sponsors having exclusive use of the coach on one trip per year. The Apple Express currently has 22 heritage coaches. The Apple Express is only one of two narrow gauge steam trains still operational in southern Africa. It also runs across the highest narrow gauge bridge in the world – the Van Stadens Bridge, approximately 77 metres (250 ft) – and has one of the longest working narrow gauge tracks. The Van Stadens Bridge was built in 1904 and remains operational for train excursion purposes.

Valuable donation to museum

The Van Tilburg Museum at the University of Pretoria (UP) houses a collection of about 8000 ceramic pieces. The latest addition comes from the van Zyl family. A rare porcelain serving plate, made in England in 1901, was donated by Lynette van Zyl. The plate belonged to her grandmother who bought it during the Anglo-Boer War. The plate was made by Ceramic Art Company Ltd. of Crown Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent. The donation is in accordance with Lynette's parents' wishes. Percy and Jeanette van Rooijen passed away in 2007.

Heirloom wedding dress

David Taylor and Catherina (aka Katrien) Mattheus recently got married at Stuart's Garden, Fernkloof Nature Reserve. Dave, from Bristol, England, is a businessman and former rugby player for Bath Rugby Club in Somerset, England. Katrien, the only daughter of Adli Swart, wore a family heirloom wedding dress. The dress belonged to her great-grandmother and was made of pure silk chiffon imported from France. Katrien, an anaesthetist, works at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. The couple live in Southstoke, Bath.

Century-old hotel

Southern Right Hotel, a century-old Glencairn landmark hotel, is looking at possible new landlords as an auction is set to take place on Tuesday 15 April. The land and buildings housing the hotel, Flukes restaurant, the Blowhole pub and several small businesses are to go under the hammer. The hotel has been a prominent feature of the False Bay coastline since 1904 and was previously known as the Glencairn Hotel and the Just Nuisance Inn. In 2004, a century after it was built, it was reopened as the Southern Right Hotel by the current owners of the land, Frans Hollenbach, Paul Jaques, Bovain MacNab, Guido Richert and Andrew Weeks. It is the land and buildings that are for sale, not the hotel as a going concern. The hotel, restaurant and pub have valid leases for another seven years. The hotel is a heritage building, built in 1904 by the Scottish architect John Parker, initially as a private residence and later established as a grand hotel.

Krige family burial vault rebuilt

Johan Krige, of Caledon Villa Guest House in Stellenbosch, has helped reconstruct a Krige family burial vault that was built in 1842. Six years ago he received a photo of the neglected vault at the Stellenbosch Dutch Reformed Church. The vault was built by Carl Otto Hager for Willem Adolph Krige of the farm Uiterwyk. Hager was a well-known architect who built many churches. Willem Adolph Krige was the grandson of the Krige progenitor, Wilhelm Adolph Kriege, a VOC official that arrived at the Cape in 1721. In 1942, Willem jnr bought the burial plot at an auction held by the church council. Willem and his wife, Elizabeth, were buried in the vault. Shortly afterwards, the church council opened a new burial ground at Du Toitstasie. In 1967 the Krige family vault was demolished. The original vault could house 12 coffins. With the reconstruction, 120 cremation recesses were built, of which 50 have already been sold to descendants of the Krige progenitor. The Krige Family Association was founded in 1976.

De la Rey death mask

A death mask of Afrikaner nationalist General Koos de la Rey was recently revealed in public in Houghton, Johannesburg. DNA tests by Unistel Medical Laboratories confirmed that the plaster of Paris mask belonged to the Anglo-Boer War hero. The mask is believed to be the only one of its kind ever found in Africa. Dutch-born sculptor Anton van Wouw made the death mask just a few hours after the General was shot in 1914. He later used the mask as a model for his busts of De la Rey. After Van Wouw's death, the mask was bought on auction by one of his friends who kept it until August 2007, when the publication of a book on De la Rey, which contains a photo of the mask, led to its discovery. The book, De la Rey: ’n Stryd vir vryheid, was written by Prof. Andries Raath. Strands of De la Rey's beard, attached to the mask, were matched with blood taken from his great-grandson, Jacques de la Rey. Death masks were common in the 18th and 19th centuries. Other famous figures who left death masks include Napoleon Bonaparte, William Shakespeare and Mary Tudor.

New South African newsletter

A new South African newsletter, Bygones & Byways, is now available. Bygones & Byways is an independent, privately published publication which has something for everyone, whether you are just starting to trace your family tree or have been doing so for many years. Find out about the hidden history of little-known places and people, what is available in old records and more amongst the feature articles, advice tips and news. The newsletter was launched in January 2008 is a must for all who are interested in South African family history / genealogy, heritage, history and travel.

CONTENTS OF BYGONES & BYWAYS Issue 1, January 2008:
History Matters: news & notes about heritage:
- Dolphin Hotel demolished
- Kimberley church centenary
- Regimental move
- Oral History Institute launched
- Housing estate on Anglo Boer War site
- Name changes
Century Club: celebrating long lives
On The Bookshelf: reviews & announcements:
- Die geskiedenis van boerekos
- Sailor’s wartime memoirs
- Van der Merwe book
- The Hottentot Venus
Past Lives: Helen Martins
Old Jail Becomes Guesthouse
Research Tips For Better Results
Family History Centres: world-wide records near you
Green & Gold: Our Rugby Colours
The Heatlie family
The Rugby Museum
The Springbok designer
S.S. Ceramic: WWII drama at sea
Bush Telegraph: South Africa-related queries from readers

The first issue is free, in pdf format, at http://www.rupert.net/~lkool/page4.html The pdf file is 3.3 MB so may take time to download, depending on your Internet connection.