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<strong>The</strong> <strong>First</strong> Fifty <strong>Years</strong><br />
the agent�<strong>The</strong> official opening was performed by the Governor<br />
General of the Union of South Africa, Dr E G Jansen� Invited<br />
guests included the Minister of Economic Affairs (represented<br />
by the Secretary for Commerce and Industry, P de Waal Meyer),<br />
the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Dr M H de Kock, Natal’s<br />
Provincial Administrator Denis Shepstone, the Chairman of<br />
Courtaulds Sir John Hanbury-Williams, the President of SNIA<br />
(represented by Alessandro Brunetti), Loring Rattray and the<br />
<strong>Saiccor</strong> Board�<strong>The</strong> celebrations started on the morning of 27<br />
January with Zulu dancing at Mnini, followed by sheep and<br />
beef on the spit for the Zulu employees� A feast was held in the<br />
<strong>Saiccor</strong> canteen for the white workforce, where the Board and<br />
some of their wives signed the first sheet of <strong>Saiccor</strong> dissolving<br />
pulp (now housed in the Club Comunita Italiana in Umkomaas)�<br />
That evening Loring Rattray gave a cocktail party for the dignitaries<br />
at his home in Durban� <strong>The</strong> official ceremony on 28 January started<br />
with lunch and speeches at the New South Barrow Hotel, followed<br />
by the ribbon cutting at the factory� A message from the Minister of<br />
Economic Affairs, Dr J J van Rhijn, was read out� ‘I welcome every<br />
new undertaking that promises to save or earn South Africa additional<br />
foreign exchange�’<br />
Press photo of the official opening of <strong>Saiccor</strong>, 28 January 1956, which<br />
appeared in the Natal Mercury with the following caption: ‘His<br />
Excellency the Governor-General photographed after he had officially<br />
opened the rayon pulp plant of the South African Industrial Cellulose<br />
Corporation (SAICCOR) at Umkomaas� With him are (LEFT TO RIGHT)<br />
Sir John Hanbury-Williams, chairman of Courtaulds Ltd�, Mr Alessandro<br />
Brunetti, of Snia Viscosa, and Dr H� J� van Eck, chairman of the South<br />
African Industrial Development Corp� <strong>The</strong> tablet near which they are<br />
standing is in three languages, English, Afrikaans and Italian, evidence of<br />
the collaboration of three nations to the enterprise�’<br />
22<br />
(CLOCKWISE) Dr Hendrik van<br />
Eck, Sir John Hanbury-Williams<br />
and Dr Franco Marinotti, and<br />
BELOW <strong>The</strong> Board of Directors<br />
Extracts from the brochure produced<br />
for the official opening of the <strong>Saiccor</strong><br />
factory on 28 January 1956�
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