Mary shares her decades of memories

Mary Putter (91) of Benoni was born in the Benoni Post Office; it wasn’t the post office then, it was a semi-detached house.

The City Times recently caught up with the bubbly New Beginnings resident and her granddaughter, Constance Thompson, to hear more about her wonderful memories of our town and the City Times.

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Putter attended Benoni West School, St Dunstan’s and Benoni High schools.

She fondly remembers being in the newspaper at just 10 years old, captured diving off a diving board at the local swimming pool.

“I was the only girl at that time who was doing it,” she explained.

“My friends would come up to me and say ‘are you going to jump, Mary? Will you be diving now?’

“I would always respond with a ‘yes, I will do it later’. After an hour or so I would head up to the board with all eyes on me; everyone at the pool would come watch me dive off the board.”

Mary and her family were, in fact, featured in the City Times through the years:

• In 1950 Mary worked as a PRO and assisted in organising the Benoni Jubilee.

• Her uncle started the Christmas lights in Benoni CBD and was the town’s electrician for many years.

• Her mom was in the newspaper for being a leap year baby.

• Her mother and father owned Alpha Butchery on the corner of Pretoria Road and Miles Sharp Street.

“There is so much I can remember about being a part of Benoni,” she said.

“My mom and dad bought the butchery and my dad died shortly after that, so my mother and I ran it for 11 years. I would always joke with people telling them I delivered the meat on my bicycle.”

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Constance explained that she remembers being taken to see the Christmas lights.

“As a little girl we would go to the Christmas lights and then to the sweet shop. It was such a great time and a lovely memory to look back on,” she said.

“Another great memory is that Nancy McDowell, my cousin’s great-grandmother, was actually the mayoress of Benoni three times.

“She opened an education facility in Daveyton.”

Mary said: “But her photo isn’t in the museum, which saddens us, as we went to visit the museum the other day and it’s nowhere to be seen.”

Mary loves the City Times, adding the “adverts are a bit much” but otherwise she receives and reads it weekly.

“I just love Benoni,” she said.

“I remember my gran would come from Wales to visit and she just loved the palm trees that used to surround Benoni. She would arrive here and say ‘Benoni, my beloved Benoni’, every single time she came to visit.”

Mary also shared a sad memory regarding her sister, Constance.

“My little sister, who my granddaughter is named after, was unfortunately one of the children who died from capsulitis in 1956,” Mary explained.

“Children died within 48 hours of contracting this disease. Constance was only 22 months and she died in my arms. It was just terrible.”

Constance’s grave is at the Benoni Cemetery and, according to granddaughter Constance, has been maintained beautifully.

Mary loves to dance, spend time with people and make jokes.

She refuses to let her age define the women she is and still hopes to become.

“I want to marry a rich man when I turn 100,” she laughed.

“He must be able to take me on cruises, wine and dine me then drop me at my front door. Matthew McConaughey can put his slippers under my bed anytime.

“Happy birthday, Benoni City Times. Thank you for all you speak on about Benoni, the lovely town of Benoni and the home we will always come home to.”