The Casual Observer

Harvards: The Iconic Sound of Summer

By Blaine McCleland in Military History 9 May 2017 0 Comment

One forever associates sights, smells and sounds with where one grows up. Sometimes they are pleasant and sometimes not so, but they all define our childhoods and underpin our lives in subconscious ways. The sound of the surf is one of my most pleasant memories as much as I’ll never forget the rotten sulphuric smell of the aptly named Smelly Creek at the shunting yards in Deal Party. But a distinctive sound that I oddly found soothing and comforting, probably because of its familiarity, was the otherwise harsh sound of Harvards flying lazily overhead, particularly on beautiful summer days. Being a boy and a WWII buff, that sound would always bring out the Biggles in me and get my pulse racing.

Main picture: The iconic North American AT-6 Harvard (Texan to Americans) resplendent in SAAF colours

Buffalo Rally: Easy Rider

By Blaine McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 8 May 2017 0 Comment

Hard tailed Hogs with their equally hard tailed chicks on the back burbled laid back into town from points North and West, occasionally emitting an ear shattering bark to serve notice of a weekend of mayhem. The Kawas, Hondas and Yammies made a more strident entrance, racing between robots but the attitude, chicks and threads were the same. It was September 1977 and 4000 horsemen of the Apocalypse – well the Nomads Motorcycle club amongst others – had descended on PE for a weekend of exhaust fumes and burning rubber fueled by high octane petrol as well as high octane chicks, brandy and rum – Coke optional.

Main picture: The 1978 massed bike parade through the city

Port Elizabeth of Yore: End of the Era of the Double-Storey Buildings

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 5 May 2017 6 Comments

This blog is largely based upon the reminiscences in the 1940s of Anthony Scallan who was born on the first floor of his father’s shop in Main Street on 12^nd October 1852. Below, the sign on the shop front, it read, “James Scallan, Tailor.” This business was run by John’s grandfather, James Scallan, an early Settler but not strictly 1820, and by his father, Patric [sic], who had been born in 1822.

He vividly recounts what Main Street was like in an era when most buildings were double-storeyed with the upstairs area being the family’s home. Join me on a journey to a long-lost world of early Main Street, not only the buildings but also some of the characters that inhabited them.

Main picture: One of the earlier photographs of Market Square long before the erection of the Public Library

Captivating photographs

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 30 April 2017 1 Comment

Perhaps I am a sucker for photographs but only if they display pathos, skill, unalloyed beauty or a social message. All of these photos meet one of the criteria. Hence, I must admit mea culpa.

Main picture: Amsterdam at night

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Town Officials and Residents in the 1840s

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 28 April 2017 4 Comments

By virtue of the town still being so small less than three decades after its establishment, it was still possible to print a comprehensive list of all its officials and residents. The List of Town Officials was published in 1843 whereas that of all Town Residents was published in 1849.

What do they reveal about the character of these people and the occupations that they held?

Main picture: Port Elizabeth in 1840 with its short-lived first jetty

Port Elizabeth of Yore: John Centlivres Chase – Father of the Eastern Cape

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 26 April 2017 0 Comment

Often spoken of as the “Father of the Eastern Cape,” John Centlivres Chase, friend and son-in-law of Frederik Korsten, one of Baillie’s Party aboard the Chapman, a Member of the Legislative Assembly, he was one of the most prominent and influential settlers of the early town of Port Elizabeth.

Despite setting foot initially on the sands of Algoa Bay, Chase’s southern African odyssey would not begin in Port Elizabeth. But that is where it would end, after an adventure filled life during which he contributed substantially to the body of knowledge about his adopted homeland.

Unlike Korsten whose focus was as a trader and merchanting, Chase spent his remarkable talents, energy and vigorous intellect enhancing the colony and its people. He was also a strong proponent of Separatism.

Main picture: John Centlivres Chase

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Chinese Settlers Arrive

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 25 April 2017 10 Comments

Providing part of the cosmopolitan mix of Port Elizabeth was the Chinese community. They were scattered throughout Port Elizabeth, particularly in the city centre as well as Sidwell, Korsten, South End, Sydenham, Perkin Street and Dassie Kraal. Their status in South Africa of yore was ambivalent; not black enough yet not white.

The history of the Chinese community in Port Elizabeth is a long-standing narrative of endurance, retail entrepreneurship and resilience against systemic racial exclusion.

This is their story in Port Elizabeth.

Main picture: Chinese School in North End

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The First Generation of McClelands in PE

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 24 April 2017 2 Comments

Much is known about the 1820 Settler, the Reverend Francis McCleland, merely because he was the first Colonial Chaplain at St Mary’s Church in Port Elizabeth and probably more so due to his house, Number 7 Castle Hill, which is now a museum. But how did his offspring fare in this new land especially given that there were no school facilities initially?

Main picture: Number 7 Castle Hill, the house in which they were brought up

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Surreptitious Beginning of the Eastern Province Herald

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 21 April 2017 2 Comments

Even though technically not a “son” of Port Elizabeth, having been born in Aberdeen in Scotland, John Paterson’s influence on Port Elizabeth was profound. Amongst his numerous achievements was the establishment of the Eastern Province Herald, now simply called The Herald.

Main picture: John Paterson

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Early Port Elizabeth by Lawrence Green

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 19 April 2017 6 Comments

Lawrence Green’s book Harbours of Memory sketches what the port cities of South Africa during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s were like. It provides a vivid depiction of life in those days. This blog covers excerpts of his musings and prognostications on early Port Elizabeth’s harbour and shipping activities, its different communities, its highways and byways and the characters that inhabit it.

Main pictures: Baakens Valley in the 1860s