An outpouring of support for Dundee museum following desperate appeal

There has been a positive response to the appeal in the Courier (published in February) for assistance for Talana Museum, which has been floundering amid a financial crisis. Pam McFadden, the former award-winning museum curator who still serves on the Board of Trustees (BOT), said the response was ‘overwhelming and heart-warming’.
“In February, we had only enough cash for six operating weeks.

The board employs four people who assist with the archives, data capturing and weekend workers, without which the museum would battle to function.”
McFadden said that while the municipality covers the salaries of the full-time workers, the staff complement is simply not enough to cover all aspects of the vast museum grounds – covering an active 80 hectares.

She explained that according to a legal agreement with the municipality, the museum should be receiving 20% of the entry fees, but this has not been forthcoming for three years. “The R500,000 allocation from the KZN Department of Arts & Culture, of which the BOT should receive half, has also not been processed, as we understand that the amount has been ‘set aside’ for salaries.”
Board chairman Pat Rundgren said, “Talana Museum has considerable international standing. The archives on the coal mining industry are respected enormously and used by national and international researchers.”

Rundgren stressed that the museum grounds ‘are large and beautiful and to keep them looking neat and tidy, a lot of work must be done’. “For the la

st couple of years, retiring staff have not been replaced, leaving a tiny nucleus of staff to do all the work.
“Realistically, this is not manageable by so few people.”
So it was with relief that board members received an influx of support from those in and out of town – some of whom the board had never previously heard of.

“Aubrey Walton read of our plight and was soon here to cut the grass, which he baled. By that stage, the grass was so long it was reaching a standard car window,” McFadden told the Courier.
Another sponsor promptly donated R15,000 to buy new lawn mowers.

“The three vintage push petrol mowers’ life-span had come to an end – but instead of buying new machines, we opted to get more out of the generous sponsorship by getting the engines refurbished, after which we will have three operational lawn mowers.”

Another generous benefactor gave Talana a brush cutter, which was immediately put to good use.
“Some areas of the museum grounds are currently totally inaccessible to visitors. We have had several incidents of visitors falling or stepping into holes that are not visible, and twisting an ankle.

There are also concerns over snakes and the bee hives.” AfriForum stepped in to assist by sponsoring R10,000 towards the digitisation and compiling of Anglo-Boer War diaries written in Dutch by different people from the area.

Of particular interest is the diary of Nita Meyer – the sister-in-law of Lukas Meyer, the president of the Nieuwe Republiek in Vryheid, who took refuge in the hills between Utrecht and Vryheid during the war in a bid to escape capture by the British.
The much-maligned driveway up to the museum – which ordinary cars failed to negotiate after heavy summer rains – has also been repaired.
“It was a sort of DIY job – we were given shale which we used to cover the holes using one wheelbarrow. I used my car to compact the covering!” McFadden exclaimed. More stone and/or shale is needed to continue the repairs, but she says the ideal ‘donation would be the use of a grader’.

Sponsorship from Buffalo Coal has dried up since the mine changed hands. Volunteers are also needed to type and do any other work, as McFadden promises that anyone volunteering ‘will never be bored at the museum’. “We also have to document the old Couriers in our archives, as often people come here looking for information from the Courier, which is a tiresome process without the information being documented into various topics.”
The famous Shosholoza steam train and carriage – used for small conferences at the mock Talana station – has also been scrubbed down and a piece of rusted metal replaced.
At the same time, the carriage roof has also been repaired…

Plans are to spray paint the carriage in the old SAR colours to make the train experience as realistic as possible.
“We still have a problem with fumigation. With the municipal budget cuts, we are no longer fumigating the entire museum premises – at a cost of R7000 a session – every three months.
“So we would need a sponsor to assist with this. This fumigation is specialised because of the rare archives and documents we have, but we have to do it in terms of the law.”
If you can help with anything or would like more information, please contact any of these trustees: Pat Rundgren chairman) on 072 803 2885, Pam McFadden (treasurer) on 079 490 5933 or Siya Africa (curator) on 063 978 8100.

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