Flashback — Roodepoort’s heritage

The big question of whether Roodepoort is still conscious of its heritage consumed the Record journalist while looking at archives of the 2 March 1984 edition.

Public outrage a number of years ago about the idea that Roodepoort Museum might be closed because of problems with funding comes to mind. Along with the outrage when changes were made without public consent to a memorial fountain at the Roodepoort Civic Centre, these questions have become more prominent and urgent.

Back in 1984 there was an entire Roodepoort conservation committee that dedicated their time and budgets to ensuring that our local history be kept in place, be restored and be enjoyed at all times.

By the front page article that Gien Elsas wrote on the subject, it was clear that people at the time were frequent visitors to such cultural heritage sites.

Residents took family that were visiting from other provinces and even tourists to these places to enjoy its historic interest.

One man in Florida was extremely embarrassed back then to take his visiting friend to the steam locomotive and stamp mill in Florida where the grass was too tall to his liking.

The conservation committee immediately apologised when they heard of the unfortunate experience and later told Elsas of their plans going forward.

Mr Koos Liebenberg of the committee wrote in detail of their plans for the Roodepoort heritage sites.

In 1984 the committee was busy clearing exotic vegetation from nature walks in Roodepoort for residents’ enjoyment and had plans to restore the Strubens mine site.

They were motioning to have Roodepoort’s first municipal office in Berlandina Street declared a national monument, along with the site of the Jameson raid in Vlakfontein.

Liebenberg promised that they’ll cut the grass at the then location of the locomotive and stamp mill, and did so within a week.

Although at the time Elsas questioned just how conscious Roodepoorters were of their heritage, that question is all the more urgent today.

Do you even know of the sites mentioned here?

Have you visited them, are you sure they still exist and what they contribute to our cultural understanding of Roodepoort?

If anyone other than the journalist remembers these sites, has complaints over their current state or knows more about where such sites are located or what they mean, please contact Mathilde Myburgh via email at mathildem@caxton.co.za.