Dean McCleland, Author at The Casual Observer

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Camping at Bushy Park Beach in the 1930s

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 30 March 2022 0 Comment

In the era prior to World War Two, coastal towns such as Port Elizabeth were inundated with holiday makers. Their accommodation was not a luxury five star hotel with three hot meals per day. At best it would be accommodation in the house of relatives in the city. This is what my maternal grandparents experienced every Christmas vacation not for one week but for four weeks. Many indigent farmers from upcountry would arrive by ox-wagon. Even so, most would camp somewhere along the coast. This blog takes a surreptitious peak at family and friends camping at Bushy Park beach in the 1930s.

Main picture: Charlie, Billy & Ivan Clark at Bushy Park beach

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Colchester – A Promise never Realised

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 27 March 2022 0 Comment

In 1854 an enthusiastic scheme was started to build a rival port to Port Elizabeth. The Eastern Province Herald of the 6^th June 1854 carried details of a prospectus issued by a Port Elizabeth firm offering sites for sale at Colchester located at the mouth of the Sunday’s River.

Main picture: Colchester

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Story of the Buffelsfontein Farmhouse

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 27 March 2022 9 Comments

Officially this homestead is not accorded such a nomenclature. Nor is it recognised as one the houses which existed prior to the arrival of the 1820 Settlers. The reasons why such houses still exist – Draaifontein House is another exemplar – is due to the location outside the town environs itself but this house is unlikely to survive the tender mercies of the property developers ad infinitum as civilisation encroaches upon it.

Main picture: Buffelsfontein by EC Moore

Looking Back: An Appreciation of PE in the 1880s.

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 26 March 2022 0 Comment

From “Memories” by the Lionel Cripps, C. M. G.

Published in Looking Back Volume IV No. 1

The first sight I had of Africa was when we passed Cape Verde, with its white sands and a quivering heat to match. I felt drawn towards it by an attraction that, up to now has never waned; not a bad start for a youngster who had great longing for adventure in the half empty continent!

Main picture: 1872 Watercolour entitled View of Port Elizabeth from the hill behind the cemetry by Oliver Lester in 1874 in NMM AM

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The German Community

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 26 March 2022 0 Comment

Of all the nationalities in the world, I can count the Germans as being an integral part of all aspects of my life from my father-in-law being German, my best hiking buddies, my best running friends et al. Notwithstanding their integrity and hardworking character, they were cast for many years as bogeymen due to the World Wars and the policies and practices of the Nazi Regime.

Main picture: The Liedertafel after it was set ablaze by an enraged mob

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Joys and tragedies of sea swimming of the 1880s

By Dean McCleland in Jokes 24 March 2022 0 Comment

Having already dealt with the bathing rules, regulations and customs such as non-mixed bathing i.e. males and females swimming together – how immodest – and the areas allocated for swimming in another blog, I will now deal with the bathing events and tragic incidents in the 1880s as recalled by a Mr N. Cripps who would later be appointed as the first Speaker in the Rhodesian Parliament.

Main picture: 1894 Bathing House at the mouth of the Baakens River

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Era of Hunting

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 21 March 2022 2 Comments

Prior to the 20^th century, hunting was both a sport and a source of protein. The early explorers and adventurers in the 18^th and early 19^th century all reported encountering huge herds of elephants and even buffaloes roaming around in the vicinity of Kragga Kamma. By the time of the arrival of the Trekboers in the mid-eighteen century, most of the large game had been exterminated except for a patch near Alexandria.

Now it was the turn of the small game to be decimated all in the name of sport.

Main picture: PE Hunt Club on Willowby Farm, now Glen Hurd, owned by George Parkin

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Whale Skeleton at the Museum

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 18 March 2022 3 Comments

The first specimen of a marine mammal housed at the museum was the skeleton of a sperm whale caught in Algoa Bay in 1897. This is the information provided by the curator Greg Hofmeyer.

Main picture: Head of the sperm whale

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Water Supply from the Sand & Bulk Rivers

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 17 March 2022 0 Comment

Port Elizabeth’s earliest water supply came from the Shark River at Happy Valley and the Donkin Stream next to the Donkin Reserve. As the city started to grow in its early days of development the demand for water far exceeded this meager supply. After a competition held by the Port Elizabeth city council in 1862 to find proposals to supply the city with water, a weir and small dam was built in the Van Stadens River. This was later followed by the Bulk River (1903) and the Sand River (1907) dams in the Elands River Valley, both which can be seen driving along the Elands River Road. Of course these dams have since been replaced as the main supply dams by the Kouga, Churchill and Mpofu dams. Both the Sand River and Bulk River are tributaries of the Elands River which in turn at its concourse with the Kwazunga River forms the Swartkops River.

This blog is a photographic gallery of the construction of the dams on these tributaries of the Elands River based upon photos supplied by Robert Pringle.

Main picture: Junction of the Sand & Palmiet Rivers – Flood in October 1904

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Motor cycle racing prior to WW2

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 8 March 2022 0 Comment

Prior to WW2, Port Elizabeth hosted a prestigious motorcycle race known as the PE 200. This was the culmination of the development of motor cycle racing since the first race held as a 60 mile relay on the 7^th August 1922 on the Kragga Kamma circuit.

The early engines on the motorcycles were satisfactory for level or downhill riding but as soon as a hill was encountered, the rider had to pedal to assist the bike’s ascent of the hill. But this was only the start of what would ultimately become the power machines of today.

This blog covers the development of motorcycle racing from that date until the Second World War as well as the development of the early bikes.

Main photo: Winners of the PE 200 on 1st January 1958

The Opinion Pieces are an eclectic bunch on current affairs & history often with a human interest aspect. The Movie/DVDs reviews are mainly on documentaries with a smattering of movie reviews.

Author: Dean McCleland