At a certain point in your life, you will come to realise that everything and everyone you grew up with has been reduced to your own memories. As the publisher of the Cape Chronicle, I can speak first-hand of this.
I remember school holidays when I used to go with my cousin to work at his father’s factory. I recently wanted to write an article about the history of the factory, as it was in operation from the days I got my walking legs and closed a few years ago. Sadly, there is not a single post, or photo of the factory on the internet. It has been reduced to a mere figment of my imagination. Nothing is left of it, other than what me and my cousin and our family can remember of it.
Luckily I had three uncles in the furniture business, and two of their employers still exist today. Joshua Doore and Russels is still with us, albeit only in brand name. The souls of those companies have long ago been sold on the Stock Exchanges of the world.
Growing up in Tiervlei, later to be renamed Parow Valley when Group Areas became a witch-hunt, I recall places like Noordhof Motors, Suiderhof Motors (Still there, perhaps under a new name), Bru-ply with their overhead gantry and railway siding where Parow China Town is now, and the beacon we used before Google Maps; the Ster 700 Theatre. All of this has been reduced to a photo on facebook or a comment like “I remember that.”
That is why I am appealing to our readers today to become a Guardian of History. I started the Cape Chronicle for this very reason; to capture my childhood memories for future generations. Even if those memories were the History lesson of Mr Voges at J J Du Preez High School or Mrs Louw (aka Slagos) at the primary school I attended.
I therefore invite you to join me and become a Guardian of History – YOUR history.
The Cape Chronicle cannot recreate the entire Cape history directly, since it only started in the 1850’s. But that leaves 175 years to catch up with to get to 2025. Your Guardianship can make this possible.
Who should get involved?
Cape-owned business people can guard a year of history from 1850 to 2025.
Everything we publish in that year, will then be attributed to your business.
You will also receive a digital badge to display in your place of business.
Cape residents with a keen interest in reserving history, tradition or our Cape heritage can guard our history by joining the Friends of the Cape Chronicle and contribute stories, photos, memories, family traditions or cultural recollections, and we will create the articles to match those contributions.
What is important?
One of the most important things a Guardian must do is to preserve our architectural heritage; our buildings, monuments and parks and protect them from the greedy hands of the City of Cape Town and property developers. Help us to expose the ruthless destruction of our heritage because they cannot think ahead.
The second thing is to take the Pledge as Guardian of History. This will be emailed to you in your next newsletter. Download it, complete it and send it back to us. Once received, your name will be added to our Roll of Honour and published here.
To secure your spot as a Guardian of History, place your order here.
