Talk 19 November 2020

12 Advertising & Newsdesk: (046) 624-4356 Find us on Facebook 19 November 2020 TALK OF THE TOW N
The city is renowned for its
educational institutions, for
being the national seat of
the judiciary and for its
cultural events
makhanda
festival city
with SID PENNEY
Send your news of local events
and achievements, or of any
issues you might be having to
sidp@imaginet .co.za
or call (046) 624-4356
picture © bernard mackenzie / 123RF.com
REGIMENTAL REVELATION
Whenever I’m out and about on a walk
in the streets of Makhanda
(Grahamstown) I almost always spot
something new, or something that
takes me by surprise.
Like last Saturday morning, I
walked past the Drill Hall in Hill Street
and noticed the sign above the front
door that read “Chief Makhanda
Regiment Drill Hall”.
It was the first time I had seen the
sign, I must admit.
Now, I’m wondering, when did the
renaming take place?
The last I heard, it was the
headquarters of First City Regiment,
but clearly I am behind the times.
Emily O’Meara wrote in the book
Grahamstown Reflected, published in
1995, “The swirl of blue and green
Graham of Montrose tartan kilts, the
skirl of bagpipes – First City, the oldest
of South Africa’s four Highland
regiments, on parade exercising its
honorary freedom of entry into the
city”.
She wrote further that the Drill Hall,
a “handsome stone edifice”, was
erected in 1866 as the Albany Hall,
and has been First City’s headquarters
“since the turn of the century” -
remembering the book was published
in 1995.
MASK UP!
Well done to all those people who
continue to wear face masks as Covid-
19’s second wave looms. To all the
defiant others who do not – wise up!
WEEDY ON HILL
Do we still have what was once called
the parks department in the
municipality? Just asking.
Judging by their height, some of the
weeds on the pavement just below the
High Street/Hill Street corner (eastern
side) have been there a very long time.
Come on now, municipal
councillors and officials, this is in the
very centre of town, a busy, highprofile
area.
Surely it will not take more than an
hour or two to sort it out?
MARKET ON THE FIELD
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the
annual Grahamstown Christmas
Market will not take place in the PJ
Olivier school hall, as has been the case
for a few years.
Instead, a morning market,
organised by Ilze Curling, will be held
on the school’s main sports field from
9am to 2pm on Saturday, November
28.
More than 30 stalls are expected to
trade on the day. For more information
call Curling on 076-151-3050.
GRUBBY
On walking past the taxi rank in Queen
Street the other day, I was disappointed
to see how grubby the area was, with
litter strewn about, and weeds and
grass growing freely.
MONITORS ON THE HILL
PJ Olivier Primary School’s monitors for
2021 were announced at its prizegiving
last week, with their parents
pinning their badges to their blazers.
The 2021 monitors are Conre
Henning, Viola Kivitts, Kungotando
Ndizweni, Khwezilonso Smaile,
Langalam Smaile and Marthinus van
Wy k .
GOLF DAY AT THE BELMONT
The GBS Mutual Bank-sponsored golf
day at Belmont Golf Club on Saturday
November 28 will be played as a
betterball with lots of prizes on offer.
The entry fee is R250.
For more information and to enter,
contact Deon on 082-924-4797.
SPORTS AWARDS
At its Grade 12 prize-giving, Graeme
College presented sports awards for
cricket, swimming, waterpolo and
tennis, a notable exception being
r u g by.
Due to Covid-19 lockdown
regulations, the inter-schools’ r u g by
programme did not take place this year,
apart from Graeme’s annual rugby day
PIPING HOT: A smaller-than-usual St Andrew’s College pipe band, comprising four
pipers, a bass drummer and two snare drummers, enter Church Square for the annual
Remembrance Day Parade Picture: SID PENNEY.
REMEMBERING THE FALLEN: Among those laying wreaths and showing respect for the
fallen in World Wars and other conflicts are staff and pupils of PJ Olivier High School, led
by principal Joubert Retief (centre). The occasion was the Remembrance Day Parade on
Church Square Picture: SID PENNEY.
in March, prior to lockdown. The
trophy for the best all-rounder in the 1st
cricket team was awarded to
Sonwabile Tshona, and for the best
batting average to Garwin Dampies.
Joshua Pamphilon received the
trophy for the most outstanding
swimming performance, and the
trophy for the best senior waterpolo
player went to Liam Taljaard.
On the tennis front, the trophy for
outstanding temperament and
sportsmanship was awarded to Tinashe
Gomo.
TRAINING CAMPS AT KC
School campuses are usually pretty
quiet at the beginning of January each
year, but the swimming pool and sports
fields of Kingswood College will be
buzzing between January 7 and 10
when the school hosts two sports
training camps – a cricket camp for
Under-12 and U13 levels and a
waterpolo camp for boys and girls from
U12 to U16.
The cricket camp will be headed up
by Murray Ranger (Kingswood highperformance
coach), Andrew Birch
(ex-Warriors cricketer) and Ryan van
Niekerk (coaching director at Gary
Kirsten Cricket). The waterpolo camp
will see participants training and
playing under some of SA’s top national
and provincial-level coaches.
For both camps, contact Pieter
Serfontein at 079-891-7983 or e-mail
p . s e r f o n t e i n @ k i n g swo o d c o l l e g e . c o m
BUSINESSES BACK THEN
Below are two sets of names – the first
is a list of businesses in Grahamstown
in the 1960s and 1970s, and the second
a list of their owners or managers. Your
task is simple – match them up. Some
are easy, others more difficult.
The businesses are: Ellmore’s Motor
Services; Krige’s Butchery; Town &
Country Supplies; Butterfly Snack Bar;
Grahamstown Motor Services; City
Electrical Contractor; T Birch & Co
( B i rch ’s); Hewitt & Palmer men’s
outfitters and sports dealers; and Simon
& Barnes ladies’ outfitters and
h a b e r d a s h e r y.
The owners/managers are: Ronnie
Liddiard; Botha Family; Gideon Krige;
Ernest Dicks; Lewis Miles; Lionel and
Molly Haefele; Eric Botten; Joe
Ellmore; and JC Bates.
Answers: Ellmore’s Motors/Joe
Ellmore; Krige’s Butchery/Gideon
LEADING PROCESSION: Flag bearer John van Rensburg
leads the wreath-layers from the City Hall onto Church Square
for the 2020 Remembrance Day Parade. The annual parade
was organised and arranged by the Makanakop Shellhole of
the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTHS) Picture: SID PENNEY
SOMBRE SALUTE: Officers from 6SAI Battalion at the SANDF
military base situated outside Makhanda (Grahamstown) lay
wreaths at the recent Remembrance Day Parade on Church
Square Picture: SID PENNEY
Krige; Town & Country Supplies/JC
Bates (co-owner with AC Carmichael);
Butterfly Snack Bar/Lionel and Molly
Haefele; Grahamstown Motor
Services/Eric Botten; City Electrical/
Ronnie Liddiard; Birch’s/Ernest Dicks;
Hewitt & Palmer/Botha Family; Simon
& Barnes/Lewis Miles.
FINALS AT ALBANY
It ’s something of a double-header at
the Albany Bowling Club in Charles
Street on Saturday November 21, with
the finals of their night bowl business
league and a Christmas market.
BELMONT CELEBRATES
Belmont Golf Club celebrates its fifth
birthday on Saturday November 28,
with the Settler City Toyota Belmont
Open for players with official
handicaps. Entry fee for the beterball
stableford is R1,400 per fourball.
HE LAID THE STONE
A reader wondered the other day how
PJ Olivier High School acquired its
name. On a subsequent visit to the
school, I noticed a foundation stone at
the entrance to the admin block.
It stated the foundation stone was
laid by the Administrator of the Cape
Province, Mr PJ Olivier, on Monday
September 17 1956. Now the reader
knows and I know.
OUT OF INTEREST
Joining the “working class” in January
1964 on the staff of the Grahamstown
Post Office after leaving school, I was
encouraged by colleagues to open a
Post Office Savings Bank account,
which I did, and earned interest.
Not much interest in those days, but
it was something.
Later, I opened a similar account at
the United Building Society (remember
them?) and earned interest as well.
No bank charges or other levies
were deducted from either account in
those days.
Many years later, I closed those
savings accounts and opened one at
another financial institution, and over
the years I sort of forgot about it.
A few months ago I found the
savings book and thought I’d close that
account and withdraw the almost
R300 in it.
Surprise, surprise! The balance was
“nil”, and it was explained to me that
various monthly administration
charges had been levied.
So much for a savings account.