Flashback Thursday — January 1984
The Roodepoort reflected in newspapers in January 1984 is a completely different and a much cheaper version of the city today.
Roodepoort’s darling SPCA lady, now-manager Mandy Cattanach, appeared on the front page of the first edition (6 January 1984) with her New Year’s baby, daughter Sabrina Cattanach in her arms. Sabrina turned 30 in 2014.
Back to school advertising prominent in the first week of January revealed the immense price difference that 30 years can make:
• A 72-page A4 soft cover book cost a mere 60 cents.
• A Collins Dictionary was relatively inexpensive at R4,99
• The Little Oxford Dictionary, a must-have, costs a mere R6,35.
• A Pritt glue stick, cost a low 99 cents.
• Highlighters, a commodity to most pupils in 2014, cost but 70 cents in 1984.
Parents also could purchase school uniforms from various stockists for between R2,50 and R10 per garment, with blazers being the most expensive at R11. Proper leather school shoes sold at R13 a pair.
The front page on 13 January 1984 concerned the then-dubbed ‘Trolley wars’ in Roodepoort CBD, where Roodepoort Council made the decision to impound trolleys that weren’t organised and in the streets. Some stores had to pay as much as R2 000 in fines to get their trolleys back.
Lastly, the journalist was excited to learn, current branch manager at Caxton West Rand, Jeanette Peach started working as a receptionist at the offices in January 1984. Her climb up the corporate ladder proved an impressive story.
