Watch: Keeping our history alive

Are you interested or want to revive your interest in local history? If you answer yes, then you’re perfectly suited to help the Boksburg Historical Association (BHA) fulfil its mission to preserve our treasures, heritage and help us make sense of the world.

As things stand, the association has around 30 members.
The average age of these members is about 75, which is why BHA is inviting young men and women across all cultures and colour lines to join the association.
Having lived almost a century, the elders want to pass on the valuable information and Boksburg treasures directly to the younger generation to keep it alive for the next generations to come.

About BHA
BHA’s Tess Uren, said this association is an organisation of people who care about the heritage of our town.
They meet every first Saturday of the month at 14:00 for 14:30 at Alan Woodrow Park Retirement Village on Jubilee Road in Boksburg South.

The meetings mainly encompass a variety of interesting aspects, such as personal histories, the history of the retail industry in South Africa, the Presbyterian Church, the history of biscuit making in the country, sing-along with old records sessions, an exhibition of artefacts and documents, a talk on St John ambulance history, members bringing of memorabilia to discuss, and all sorts of interesting things and stories on local history.

“The variations in topics are designed to keep people interested in the world around them and to learn something new. We are looking forward to meeting new people young and old across all cultures. Hope to see you there,” said Uren.

Why does preserving history matter?
Explaining the importance of preserving our heritage, Uren said: “You can’t have a future if you don’t have a past. The past is represented by physical structures, artworks, buildings…things of that nature. So if we can preserve those old things at least we know there is a way to move forward.”

The association’s Kim Ward added that while young people (teenagers and those in their 20s, tend to shun history, they often start to develop an interest in what happened in the past when they reach their 30s and get older.

“As they become older they begin to start asking questions about things, asking: what happened here, do you remember this?
“These questions become difficult to answer if there is nothing to show because all our history and heritage have been taken away, redeveloped or demolished. That’s why we are trying to promote history with the youngsters so that they can carry this knowledge forward when they get to their older age.

“People will also protect treasure when they understand its value.”

Support
The association has since it was formed decades ago been receiving some donations of various historical items from community members and local organisations.
“We have also had mining-related artefacts given to us, we have had Masonry material given to us because they are all part and parcel of what went on in our town.
The association has a storage where it keeps all the valuable materials that are in its possession. However, it now needs support to find a safe place for the stuff to be made accessible to the public to explore Boksburg’s history, particularly school children and those who want to do research.
“We, however, have to ensure that whatever we put out there is safe and cannot be destroyed. We want the community to use our stuff, but not to destroy it. We are also looking into having something like an online platform where we can post photographs of our stuff for people to access and use.

“I think it’s important to also educate people that these items are our treasures and must be treated as such.”

Uren urges schools to also preserve their historic material and educate learners about the importance of understanding and preserving our local history.
To join or support and find out more about the association, you may contact Kim Ward on 083 235 5495 or email kimcomax.co.za or contact Tess Uren on 083 701 9074.

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