Connie Club was where gentlemen gathered

BENONI BYGONES LAYOUT PLEASE

The Constitutional Club in Benoni, known as the Connie Club, first appears in a photo taken in 1906, the location being 5 Ampthill Avenue.
It opened as a gentlemen’s club, founded mainly by English-speaking miners from the surrounding gold mines.
Members gathered here to create friendships, play games and spend time getting to know their fellow community members.
In 1911, the club applied to the newly formed Benoni Town Council to erect a building on stands 1553 and 1555 on the corner of Swan Street and Lake Avenue.
The building was designed by local architect Mr Robertson and erected by Messrs Clemo and Co, local contractors.
In January 1912, the new premises of the Constitutional Club were opened by the chairman, J Woodburn.
The building was an old-fashioned single-storey consisting of a large lounge, smoking room, card room, reading room, a billiard room, writing room, a bar, a bathroom and a staff bedroom.
In the yard there were the usual outbuildings with native quarters, a bicycle shed and a shed in which members could leave their dogs while they were in the club.
At this stage, the club did not own the premises.
The first president of the club was Walter B Madeley, a renowned socialist and labour leader who served as Labour Party MP for Benoni from 1910 to 1947.
During World War One (1914 to 1918), more than 100 of the club’s members volunteered for service, and 22 did not return.
During the 1922 strike, many of their meetings were held in the building.
Although the records have been lost, the club survived the depression years and by 1939, it was in a strong position once more.
During World War Two, the club made steady profits and invested heavily in War Bonds.
In 1944, the club made an offer of £4 250 (about R94 000 today) to purchase the buildings from its landlord, and it was accepted.
After the war, the facility grew and evolved from a gentlemen's-only establishment with membership opened to women to keep up with modern social changes.
In 1950, extensions costing £4 750 (about R105 000 today) were undertaken, which included extending the front of the building into stand 1555, adding additional lounges, function rooms and remodelling the bar area.
Building work continued, and in 1953, the main hall was added at a cost of £5 000 (about R111 000 today).
This was used for regular dances and also hired out to local sports clubs, such as badminton and boxing.
In 1958, new modern premises were completed, including a ladies’ bar and toilets and the front of the club was converted into a two-storey building.
From an inauspicious start, the club had risen from humble beginnings to become one of the finest of its kind in South Africa.
The additions were opened by Nancy Mac Dowell, the Mayoress of Benoni.
Sadly, in July 2024, the Connie Club went through a devastating fire, and the ruins are still standing today.
(Source: Articles in newspapers and supplements/retyped and grammar: Glynis Cox Millett-Clay, dated June 8 2016, updated July 10 2026).