Looking back on South Coast history: June 26 to 30
It was mostly a week of progress, though there were complaints varying from soot to cinema seats.
SEVERE flooding caused a variety of problems.
June 26
1959
“UVONGO Borough Council is making an all-out effort to restore safe bathing at Uvongo beach, where the enclosure was washed away in last month’s floods.”
MEANWHILE… “PORT Shepstone Primary School marked the start of work on the new junior school when the chairman of the PTA and the school’s two youngest pupils dug the foundations for part of the building on Tuesday morning.”
AND modern plumbing is slow to catch on. “Although the Uvongo Borough Council set June 30 as the deadline for the closing of its nightsoil removal service, 20 householders have still not installed septic tanks.”
1970
“GROUP Areas Board to visit Marburg. The board has long been aware of the need for land and adequate housing for the coloured people.”
June 26
1981
A LONG and expensive experiment came to an end. “The R2-million electric shark barrier laid on the north end of Margate’s bathing beach has been taken out because it does not work.”
1982
“THE R52,6-million approved for coloured and Indian housing in South Africa is allocated to projects that have already been started.”
1987
“SHOPPERS flocked to the Shelly Centre for the grand opening of Phase II on Wednesday morning.”
June 27
1952
“CONSTITUTED at a well-attended and enthusiastic meeting last Monday night, the new St Michael’s Golf Club swings into action with its first competition tomorrow afternoon.”
1958
“MORE than 150 tons of sardines and an estimated three tons of gamefish and sharks have been accounted for by seine netters and anglers since the sardines began ‘running’ in earnest a week ago.”
1977
“IRATE residents of the elite residential area along Berea Crescent in Port Shepstone are threatening to get a court injunction to close the Umzimkulu Sugar Mill because of the damage that the soot causes in their homes.”
June 28
1935
IT seems that the makeshift cinema had its drawbacks. “What exactly is wrong with the bio chairs? Just this, that a conical ball of coir stuffed into their centre and slippery oilcloth covering, completes the utter impossibility of remaining seated.”
1963
SPEAKING at the 12th annual general meeting of the Southern Natal Public Bodies’ Association held in Port Shepstone, Mr RB Archibald, MPC for the area, urged the association to press for the building of a strategic road for defence purposes in the vicinity of the Lower South Coast and preferably through Harding to link the area inland to the national road. “Some people may welcome an independent Transkei on our borders,” Mr Archibald said, “but I personally have misgivings.”
1968
“OVER R2-million has been allocated to southern Natal for road construction and repairs.”
1985
“THE Port Shepstone Hospital has been granted seven new nursing posts and the fifth floor of the hospital will be opened as a 10-bed day clinic.”
June 29
1973
“INDIAN traders in Port Shepstone’s white, central area must go. The fight that has been waged for them to stay, mainly waged by the town council, has been lost.”
1982
“THE lush indigenous vegetation of the entire Lower South Coast is threatened with extinction by the uncontrolled growth of the noxious triffid or petrol weed.” Chromolaena odorata is, unfortunately, still a problem.
June 30
1967
“THE audience would have liked the concert given by the Port Shepstone and District Musical Society to have been continued beyond the advertised programme. The orchestra, now consisting of 36 players, must be congratulated on giving a polished performance.”
1972
“UVONGO town councillor Colin Lilliecrona would like to see one big town established along the Lower South Coast from Hibberdene to Port Edward.”
1978
“HOLIDAY Inns intend building a R25-million hotel and casino complex just south of Port Edward.”
1989
“MONDAY marked a milestone in the construction of the new freeway when the first train went through the new 500m stretch of rail under the freeway, which is being built past Izotsha.”
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