Port Elizabeth of Yore: On the Cusp of the 20th Century

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

This blog is loosely based upon the reminiscences of Mrs. Margery Lochhead who was born in 1888 in Port Elizabeth and recalls the town of her youth. Not only was the town on the cusp of a new century but it would also herald the advent of revolutionary technologies such as the motor vehicle and electricity. These inventions would forever change the mode of transport but also humanity’s relationships with work and leisure.

However, these changes were still in the future. In the latter part of the 19th century, the horse, the cart and Shank’s Pony [i.e. one’s own legs] were still the predominant modes of travel.

Main picture: Main Street before 1883. Note that this portion of western Main Street north of Donkin Street still possessed numerous of the original basic single and double storey buildings. As redevelopment steadily extended towards Russell Street, in due course these buildings would be replaced with larger more elegant structures

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John Dunn: Part 3 – From Port Nolloth to Steinkopf

By Dean McCleland in Other Family Histories 0 Comment

Now faded in the mists of time, the Bondelswarts Rebellion of 1922 is a mere footnote to the history of Southern Africa. In the early years of the 20th century, the whole of the area was in tumult. South West Africa was captured by the South Africans from the German colonisers in 1915. With South West Africa now controlled by South Africa in terms of a League of Nations mandate, the khoikhoi peoples of southern SWA were also restive. 

This series of blogs covers the first-hand account of a South African Police Force officer, John Dunn, who was involved in the suppression of a rebellion by the Bondelswarts people in southern SWA. 

In Part 3 of the series, John Dunn provides his personal reminiscences of Port Nolloth and the trip to Steinkopf. 

Main picture: John Dunn in later years

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