The Kalk Bay Historical Association has an exciting lineup of talks for the rest of 2017 and into 2018. Check out all the details below.

THE HISTORY OF POESPASKRAAL FARM, FISH HOEK. 1743 - present

DATE:            Tuesday 30 May at 8pm

VENUE:         Kalk Bay Community Centre

SPEAKER:    Trish Wood

In 1743 the DEIC granted three farms in the then -‘empty’ Fish Hoek Valley. They were Poespaskraal (now The Old Homestead, Sunnydale), Slangenkop (later Imhoff’s Gift), and De Goede Hoop at Noordhoek. Their purpose was to supply victuals to the ships using the new winter anchorage at Simon’s Bay. Poespaskraal homestead today occupies a small part of the original land grant much of which was sub-divided off and developed as Sunnydale. Built in 1745, the homestead was the hunting lodge of Carel George Wieser who, at the time, also owned Groot Constantia. It was recently carefully restored by Trish Wood and is probably the most authentic of the original farmhouses of the Valley.

Trish Wood’s family have been owners of the farm since 1864 and she will give an illustrated talk on its rich history and renovation.

ST JAMES TO SIMON’S TOWN – THEN AND NOW

DATE:           Tuesday 25 July at 8pm         

VENUE:        Kalk Bay Community Centre

SPEAKERS: Barrie Gasson, Lewis Walter and David Erickson

Some time ago the Fish Hoek Valley Museum came into possession of a set of rare glass negatives which David Erickson of Simon’s Town Historical Association repaired and cleaned up electronically. The photos run from St James to Simon’s Town. The old 19th – early 20th century photos have been juxtaposed with contemporary pics of the same scenes to produce a revealing Then and Now.

The three speakers will expand on the historical contexts of the old photos and the changes along this coastal strip over the past 100 years.

‘DIE LAND’, KALK BAY: A SOCIAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY

DATE:           Tuesday 31 October at 8pm

VENUE:        Kalk Bay Community Centre

SPEAKER:   Steve Herbert

‘Die Land’ is the area occupied today by the Fishermen’s Flats. It was one of the earliest land grants in Kalk Bay (1810) and was sparsely settled until the late-19th century when the rise of fishing and the demand for housing resulted in the construction of many houses. The area became the heartland of the fishing community and home to families with deep roots in the area. Adjoining it, but in many ways separate from it, were the people and homes along Ladan, Harris and Main Road.

Steve Herbert will give an illustrated talk using archive records, title deeds, baptismal and burial records, oral histories, photographs, and building plans.

MUIZENBERG - THE STORY OF THE SHTETL BY THE SEA

DATE:           Tuesday 27 February at 8pm 

VENUE:        Kalk Bay Community Centre

SPEAKER:    Hedy Davis

The ‘Shtetl’ (‘little town’ in Yiddish) is part of the historic core of Muizenberg and a central component of the larger proclaimed Urban Conservation Area stretching from  Muizenberg to Clovelly. In 2014 Hedy Davis published a book about it based on extensive research into oral histories, archive records and photos, and her own memories of the place.

Hedy, teacher and lecturer, spent her childhood in Muizenberg and developed a life-long love of the village. She will give an illustrated talk about the Shtetl.

THE TALKS ARE OPEN TO ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. NON-MEMBERS ARE ASKED FOR A DONATION OF R20.00

THE ASSOCIATION WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS AND APPLICATION FORMS ARE AVAILABLE AT ALL MEETINGS OR FROM

PATRICK MORRIS: morrisp@iafrica.com & 021 788 8054

THE ASSOCIATION’S NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS MAY BE PURCHASED AT THE MEETINGS

PLEASE DIRECT ANY INQUIRIES TO BARRIE GASSON @ 021 788 1855