The Breakwater Prison
For human misery in the mass and over a long period I suppose there has never been anything in South Africa to match the Breakwater Prison. The evidence is abundant. It was in July, 1846, [...]
Noon Day Gun
There cannot be many Capetonians who have never set their watches by the noon day gun, That resounding boom marks the days of our lives; and in this atomic age the old muzzle-loader has become [...]
Benjamin Moodie of Melsetter
Benjamin Moodie of Melsetter was born on 1st January 1780 in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. He was the 10th Laird of Melsetter. On returning from the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 as an office on [...]
Rose’s Round Up – 358 July 2023
Soon a new Fossil Centre A new centre, which will exhibit the highly acclaimed fossil collection of the Rubidge family, is soon to open in Graaff-Reinet, an area widely known by fossil hunters. This remarkable [...]
Rose’s Round-Up June 2023 No 357
Philippolis, a little town with a big history, celebrates its bicentenary this year. It is the oldest town in the Free State and it has much to celebrate. The San, Griqua, Sotho, Tswana, Xhosa, English, [...]
World War 2 Records South Africa
Did your Ancestors receive any WW2 medals? As we approach the upcoming anniversary of D-Day next month, there's no better time to delve into the history of your military ancestors and the medals [...]
Dutch Reformed Church Records
Dutch Reformed Church records form an integral part of anyone tracing their Afrikaans ancestors or ancestors of Dutch origins. Dutch Reformed Church records started in 1665 but the church formally started in 1652. These early [...]
Adoption Research and DNA
I am Don MacAlister, Heather’s husband of forty-plus years, we were chatting the other day and she asked if I would write a recommendation for her for the work she does. Initially, I thought I [...]
Courts of the Landdrost and Heemraden
Did you know that in the outlying districts of the Cape Colony, law and order were maintained by a Landdrost or magistrate who was assisted by several Heemraden or councilors appointed from the ranks of [...]
Pea & Mint Salad
Pea & Mint Salad Ingredients 1 cup frozen peas (defrosted and blanched) ½ cup fresh edamame beans ½ cup fresh snap peas 6 finely sliced fresh radishes ½ cup fresh whole corn kernels 1 [...]
Rose’s Round-Up October 2023 No 361
Dreams That Turn To Dust Alex Stone’s newly-launched Dreams and Dust is a unique book and a fascinating read. It takes an unusual look into South African history as it explores the dreams of so [...]
Immigration References for the Cape Colony 19th and 20th Century
Immigrations References for the Cape Colony 19th and 20th Century are not as difficult as people imagine, however, most of them are not indexed and you would need to physically visit the archives or [...]
British Residents at the Cape
British Residents at the Cape 1795 - 1819 was written and researched by Peter Philip. He was born at St. James in Cape Town and educated at the Diocesan College in Rondebosch and at [...]
Billy Butlin and his Holiday Camps
Billy Butlin was born William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin in Cape Town, South Africa. Contrary to the worldwide biographies of his date of birth being 29 September 1899 in South Africa, my passion for [...]
Buy a DNA kit
Buying a DNA kit has never been easier with the online purchase of one click to find out your roots and ethnicity as well as see how many people you are related to and [...]
The Colonial Office Archives
The Colonial Office Archives in the Cape Town Archives is one of the largest collections of Cape History. They are extensive and contain 8702 volumes and a diverse collection of documents that offer the [...]
DNA Tests in South Africa
Having your DNA test in South Africa done is a fast and effective way of confirming who your biological parents, siblings, or grandparents are. This also includes any blood relative who has also had [...]
The History of Adoption in South Africa
The History of Adoption in South Africa is rather straightforward but most of us do not know when adoptions officially started in South Africa, so here is a brief explanation of its beginnings. How [...]
Poisoned young lover
Maria Lee was a cruel and callous woman that thought about nothing except herself and slowly but surely poisoned her young lover with ant poison. She was married four times, first when she was [...]
Francis Peregrino – Newspaper publisher
Francis Peregrino was a name I had never heard of before but I got caught up in a friends family history a few months ago when my tenant asked for some help with his [...]
Rose’s Round-up June 2023 No 357
WORLD’S TOP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL It’s official – the world’s best extra virgin olive oil comes from De Rustica Estate in De Rust. A blind tasting, by a 26-man international jury, tested 1 000 olive oils at the 2023 International Evooleum Awards in Spain. The De Rustica Estate Collection Coratina was adjudged “best in its class”. This test is completely uninfluenced by countries of origin because the blind samples were coded by a notary. This category won by De Rustica includes best monovarietal/single cultivar; best Coratina; best “mixture green and ripe fruity”; and best from South Africa. The [...]
Rose’s Round-up April 2023 No 355
GRAVES REVEAL THEIR SECRETS Unmarked graves in a hinterland cemetery, set Doreen Atkinson off on an intriguing quest. A professor of political science, trustee and vital cog in the wheels of the Karoo Development Foundation (KDF), she was touched by a visit to Kuilsville cemetery near Danielskuil. During her 30 years of working in the Karoo she had seen many unmarked graves, but this time she paused and pondered wondering know who was buried there, what they died of, when and was there anyone left to tell their story? So, in 2019 assisted by a team of people interested in [...]
Rose’s Round-up March 2023 No 354
DISCOVER THE KAROO Live The Journey, a company that claims to be fuelled by curiosity, inquisitiveness, wondering and wandering is offering three seven-day exploration tours through the Karoo. These guided, self-drive trips are scheduled to take place on April 20 to 26, October 5 to 11 and October 12 to 18. They will start at Ceres and move through Sutherland, Merweville and into the Beaufort West district to meet actress, singer, author and traditional herbalist, Antoinette Pienaar, on the farm at Theefontein. After a two-day visit, during which Antoinette will share her knowledge of the medicinal value of Karoo plants, [...]
Rose’s Round-up February 2023 No 353
ANOTHER HORSE SPEAKS Dr Juliette Whelpton’s latest book in the Heroes with Hooves Series tells the story of Maharajah, an Arab stallion which belonged to Captain Jack Seeley. Jack first saw Maharajah on the Egyptian plains and was captivated by him. He came to South Africa with Jack to serve during the Ango-Boer War, and this is their story told by Maharajah himself. During his lifetime he met Queen Victoria, Lord Kitchener and many other important British officers. He also met some top Boer leaders, like General Christiaan de Wet and the teenage hero Japie Greyling. Maharajah had many friends [...]
Rose’s Round-up January 2023 No 352
FIRST DEEP SPACE GROUND STATION IN AFRICA Matjiesfontein has been chosen as the site for the first deep space ground station in Africa. This announcement was made towards the end of 2022 by NASA and the Department of Science and Innovation. “Dry air and clear skies make this area ideal for a ground station,” said Raoul Hodges, managing director of space operations at SANSA. “The aim is to establish a sustainable station on the moon, land the first woman and first person of colour there by 2025 and prepare for missions to Mars and beyond.” Construction is scheduled to start [...]
Rose’s Round-up December 2022 Special No 351
A DIFFERENT WAR Looking for in an interesting read? Then, The Infamous Malaboch War and More Gripping Stories From The Old Transvaal and Beyond should be just the thing. This book follows David Hilton-Barber’s earlier books on footprints in the old Transvaal on the way to Tzaneen, and Footprints in the Lowveld. Despite the fact that the Malaboch War has been extensively covered in military journals, David’s research revealed several aspects that offer a fresh look at the campaign. The war broke out when Chief Malaboch of the Bahananwa people refused to have his territory demarcated in 1888, have his [...]
Rose’s Round-up December 2022 No 350
END OF AN ICONIC RIDE The journey is over, but the memories remain. Some say reminiscences of their ride along 600km of the Forgotten Highway will never fade. This includes the armchair travellers who so much enjoyed seeing Piet Coetzer’s six beautiful Flemish horses, Minister, Kimon, Kristal, Tom, Klara end Karnet, almost every day. They were the “stars of the show.” There were, however, many more who contributed to this historic ride which left Sutherland on October 22 and arrived in Griquatown on November 6.. Among them were Skoene, Sadriek, Papie and Heinrich, who cared for the Flemish beauties [...]
The Forgotten Highway Express March 2023 No 3
A SALUTE TO SA’S ITINERANT PEDDLERS - THE SMOUSES Some walked, some rode, but they all played a vital role in developing SA’s economy. Many of the Jews who came to South Africa in the 1800s became smouse (peddlers or hawkers). Itinerant commerce was the only way for these men, mostly from Lithuania (which was the epicentre of Jewish peddling), Latvia, Poland and Eastern European, to get on their feet and become independent. They had fled to escape economic hardships, religious persecution, anti-Jewish pogroms and rapidly spreading anti-Semitism. Lithuania, was under Russian rule, people were persecuted, their language was [...]
Rose’s Round-up November 2022 No 349
EAGER YOUNG MAN’S UNFORGETTABLE TRIP When William Burchell arrived at the Cape in 1811 he was an eager, but inexperienced naturalist with a romantic passion for science. Soon after setting foot on shore he commissioned a custom-built wagon, and set off in it accompanied by Khoekhoe servants, to explore the flora and fauna of the vast southern African interior. He travelled through the Cape across the Roggeveld escarpment, traversing the Great Karoo and onwards to an area east of Kuruman where he ultimately reached the extremities of the northern Cape. By August, 1812, he arrived at Litakun (now Dithakong), [...]
The Forgotten Highway Express February 2023 No 2
EARLY CURRENCY OF THE HINTERLAND Money is good for nothing unless you know the value of it - P T Barnum The tale of South Africa’s first coinage and the Griqua tokens is a rich saga interwoven with myth and mystery. The DEI had money, but it did was useless in the hinterland, where there were no banks and initially no stores. This was the world of barter until in the early 1800s, trading stores began popping up and doing good business. Barter over long distances was always a problem. However, launching currency in remote inland areas was not easy. [...]
The Forgotten Highway Express January 2023 No 1
THE LOVES AND LIVES OF TWO WOMEN NAMED MARY I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. – Elizabeth Barrett Browning The road to Kuruman, conceals many a love story. Among the greatest is the tale of two women both named Mary who fell in love with Scottish Congregationalist pioneer missionaries, arguably among the greatest Men of God this continent has ever seen. Both suffered hardships, but neither complained. When the great Robert Moffat trailed across the dryland towards Kuruman, he was a lonely man. He had left his heart in Scotland with the lovely [...]
Rose’s Round-up October 2022 No 348
BACK ON THE SAME PAGE Booktown, Richmond’s BookBedonnerd book festival, is back on track. It was rescued when the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of the Western Cape, announced that MadibaLand would move to Booktown Richmond and happily become part of that festival forever. And, there is even more great news. John Banville, the Irish Booker Prize winner, has agreed to open the festival. “Who would have thought it possible that such a great writer would open a festival in a small Karoo town? ” asks Darryl David, one of the organisers. The dates have [...]
Rose’s Round-up September 2022 No 347
SOME BEAUTIFULLY TOLD TALES Two books of /Xam stories will be launched in Sutherland in October 21 just before Piet Coetzer sets off on the 600km Great Forgotten Highway Expedition to Griquatown. The first book, entitled The Man Who Cursed The Wind And Other Stories From The Karoo (Die Man Wat Die Wind Vervloek Het En Ander Karoo Stories) is a selection of 61 /Xam tales collected in Afrikaans from present day Karoo storytellers, translated into English, and edited by José Manuel de Prada Samper. These tales capture the harsh, but beautiful, landscape of the Karoo and its lively [...]
Rose’s Round-up August Bonus 2022 No 346
%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#% There is so much happening in the Karoo that I can’t hold on to the news until I create a September issue in the middle of the month, so here’s a special issue of Round-up. NEED A QUIET PLACE TO WRITE? Most authors seek a quiet, peaceful place in which to write. Cradock has the answer. Litnet, together with Die Tuishuise and Victoria Manor, has just announced the launch of a Resident Authorship Project which offers authors the opportunity to write in a comfortable, undisturbed, tranquil surroundings. To officially kick off the project Litnet and Die Tuishuise invited [...]
Rose’s Round-up August 2022 No 345
BOOKTOWN FESTIVAL CANCELLED It is a sad time in the Karoo. Richmond’s annual BoekBedonnerd Booktown, the longest continuously running live literary festival in South Africa, has been cancelled. This announcement was made by organisers Darryl David and Peter Baker in Issue No 55 of the New Richmond Reader. After 15 years the Northern Cape Government has stopped its sponsorship. “Sadly this year we were planning to honour Athol Fugard, one of the Karoo’s most famous sons – a man who is hailed as the world’s greatest living playwright,” said Peter. “We had the support of the Fugard fraternity, the [...]
Rose’s Round-up July 2022 No 344
SNEAK PEEK Karoo lovers are in for a special treat. Chris Marais and Julienne du Toit are about to launch a new book which takes yet another look at the dryland. Karoo Roads III is scheduled for blast-off in August/September this year. This, as usual, excellently illustrated book takes readers on a long, winding road trip into what the authors call “the Never-Never Land” as well as to some lesser-known areas. Readers are introduced to a fascinating array of past and present characters who all make-up the Karoo and add to its luster. Those who would like to ramble [...]
Rose’s Round-up June 2022 No 343
CELEBRATING A RESIDENT WITH VISION On June 7, 2022, at 18h00, Prince Albert will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fransie Pienaar Museum. This Museum, the cultural hub of the village, doubles as the tourist information centre and houses one of the country’s largest fossil collections. It grew out of the collections of one local resident, Fransie Pienaar, who was born in Prince Albert in 1897. After leaving school she studied music at Sullivan College in Cape Town. She then returned to her home town, married and began to collect any pretty and interesting thing that caught her eye. [...]
Rose’s Round-up May 2022 No 342
SHUNTED TAKES ANOTHER BOW Eric Miller’s short film, Shunted, is far from shunted - it has once again been propelled into the limelight. This film captures the history and memories of the community at Hutchinson, a small Karoo railway station named in honour of colonial administrator, Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson. This short documentary, made towards the end of 2020, premiered at the Apollo Theatre in Victoria West and from the outset was a winner. Since then it has received many awards and been featured at several film festivals. Eric submitted the film to the Singapore World Film Carnival. “It was [...]
Rose’s Round-up April 2022 No 341 with supplements
Supplement 1: DESIGNED TO KEEP THE PEACE Supplement 2: GREAT HEROES, BUT TRUE LOSERS TRACKING THE TRAIN ATTACKERS Anglo-Boer War researcher Johan van Niekerk has taken a closer look at the train wreckers and captured the fascinating story of the train attackers in a soon to be published book entitled An Unfinished Line To Heaven - Boer War Trainwreckers - 1899-1902. “This is not just a book about the Boer saboteurs and trainwreckers,” says Johan. “It studies the legitimacy of attacking the railways and lines of communication in a time of war.” In this book Johan covers the actions [...]
Rose’s Round-up March 2022 No 340
THE DEVIL’S ROUTE INTO THE KAROO The story of Duiwelskop, the first north to south pass over the Outeniqua mountains, has been captured in a full-colour book, just released by Dick Metcalf. He lives in Prince Albert and studies pioneer routes into the interior. Dick is currently engaged in an on-going programme of recording the old wagon passes of the Cape and the tracks that linked them. Duiwelskop was an extremely rugged route and it terrified early travellers. It runs from Louvain farm in the Klein Karoo to Woodville Store on the Seven Passes Road in the Garden Route. [...]
