McGregor Museum Kimberley, 5-10 Atlas Street, Kimberley (2026)

19/10/2026

PIONEERS OF AVIATION MEMORIAL - OCTOBER ANNIVERSARY

Forty five years ago, on 17 October 1981, the Pioneers of Aviation Memorial at Kimberley was unveiled by General Kenneth van der Spuy. It incorporated a sarcophagus containing the re-interred remains of Edward Wallace Cheeseman who could be considered the first fatality of an aeroplane crash in South Africa. In 1991 the ashes of General van der Spuy were placed in a niche in the memorial.

Before the ceremony of dedication Silver Falcons, a lone Mirage III jet and a Harvard Trainer made various manoeuvres in the sky above the memorial. The ceremony began with the arrival of the Guard of Honour composed of South African Air Force (SAAF) troops accompanied by their brass band. General van der Spuy, aged 89, the last surviving pupil of the Compton Paterson School of Aviation gave the speech of dedication in which he said: “this is the birth-place of the South African Air Force which has now grown to great proportions… We hope this memorial will symbolize what we set out to do. Perhaps it will serve to encourage pioneers of the future”.

Wreaths were laid at the memorial by several people including Lawrie Shuttleworth chairman of the Pioneers of Aviation Committee. Also present at the ceremony were Mrs Paula Winearls daughter of Cecil Compton Paterson (founder of the South African School of Aviation at Kimberley in 1913), Richard Bentley and Gordon Store. The latter were pioneers of trans-Africa aviation. Some 140 SAAF Association members formed part of the large concourse gathered to witness the unveiling.

The mayor, Louis Botha in his speech singled out Lawrie Shuttleworth, Dr Richard Liversidge and the staff of the McGregor Museum for their efforts to establish and create the memorial and museum. Later the guests were able to see the replica of the Compton Paterson bi-plane recently installed in the museum building, a replica of the original hangar of the School of Aviation.

By Robert Hart

18/10/2026

KIMBERLEY URBAN VIEW c 1973-1976 mmkp5012/7

This photograph taken from the multi-storey Trust Bank building at the corner of George Street and Jones Street (now Phakamile Mabija) shows amongst other buildings Trevenna Super-market, the premises of Klein Brothers and the Alex Roadhouse. The Kimberley Mine is just behind. In the distance is Galeshewe.

17/10/2026

CABINET CARD PHOTOGRAPH mmkp2074

This photograph of three girls was taken in Kimberley by John Trim c 1886-1894. It is a gelatin-silver print that has been toned and is mounted on thick card, in the format known as a cabinet card. This format, where the mount was approximately 165 x 108 mm (length x breath) had been introduced in 1866 and remained in popular use until about 1914, though some were still made into the 1920s.

The format may have be given the name cabinet card as the images were large enough to be placed on a cabinet and viewed from a distance in a room.

Cabinet cards often had paper coverings on the front and back printed with the details of the photographer responsible for the image. The back of this example is particularly decorative depicting on the left a woman artist at work, and in the upper right corner a leafy branch. This back paper was commercially available, and the design included a blank area that was used to print the photographer’s details.

Note in the upper middle the British royal coat-of-arms. This is somewhat puzzling as it suggests Trim had a royal warrant, which is almost certainly not the case. Usually below the coat-of-arms the words ‘by appointment to’ followed by the specific monarch’s name appear. A possible explanation could be that Trim was photographer by appointment to the governor of the Cape Colony. But then why was the Cape Colony’s coat-of-arms not used. More likely could be that he felt the use of the royal arms would add lustre to his work, and maybe even make some customers think, at first glance, he had a royal warrant.

- Robert Hart

16/10/2026

CONSOLIDATED BUILDING IS ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD

The Consolidated Building, at the corner of Stockdale Street and Old De Beers Road, in Kimberley is one hundred years old having been constructed in 1926. It contained offices, and rooms where diamonds were sorted. The building was the headquarters of the Diamond Corporation Ltd an organisation that controlled the distribution of most of the diamonds in South Africa for many years.

The Diamond Corporation was established in 1930 and largely took over from the Diamond Syndicate. The Diamond Corporation was controlled by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. The Consolidated Building later belonged to De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. It seems the building was sold in 2015/2016 when De Beers disposed of most of its assets in Kimberley.

It is a Grade II listed provincial heritage site, but the current ownership and usage of the building are unknown.

16/10/2026

WOODLEY STREET, KIMBERLEY, with jacarandas and syringa trees in bloom, 1950s. AND as it appeared in the recent past.

This view includes the one-time Anglican church of St John the Evangelist, at the corner of Woodley and Bean Streets. The church was designed by DW Greatbatch (a fine presentation sketch was prepared by the Greatbatch's talented architectural partner A.E. Lindsley) and the foundation stone laid by the Bishop of Bloemfontein, the Rt Revd Dr Arthur Chandler, in 1905. The congregation consisted of a break-away group from St Cyprian's who wished to worship with simpler ceremonial, and styled themselves as the "Moderate Church party".

The spire in the distance is that of Trinity Methodist Church in Chapel Street.

1950s Photo: mmk(p) 10138-2

15/10/2026

On this day, 15 October, in 1880, the Crown Colony of Griqualand West (a separate colony since 1873) was formally incorporated with the Cape Colony.

The Griqualand West Annexation Act was passed by the Cape Assembly on 27 July 1877. It provided for implementation within three years of proclamation.

The Act specified that Griqualand West would have the right to elect four representatives to the Legislative Assembly of the Cape parliament, two for Kimberley and two for the Barkly West region. It would also elect one representative to the Legislative Council, the smaller upper house. In the judiciary, the local Griqua attorney-general reported to the Cape Supreme Court, which got concurrent jurisdiction with the Griqualand West Supreme Court in the territory.

The Act was not without controversy however. The seats were allocated according to population, but Kimberley representatives argued that the number should be increased to represent the relative wealth of the area. The Cape Government also enforced its non-racial Cape Qualified Franchise system. This meant that all resident males could qualify for the vote, with the qualifications for suffrage applied equally regardless of race. This was welcomed by the Griqua and Tswana majority, but rejected by the diggers, who comprised much of the white minority.

(Sources: Roberts - 'Kimberley, Turbulent City', and Wikipedia)

15/10/2026

ADAM KOK IV, a Griqua leader at Campbell, was commemorated in the village in October 2014.

A photograph from 1974, forty years previously, shows Captain Adam Kok IV (centre) with his brother Gert Kok at Campbell during a visit by historians Theo Aronson and Brian Roberts, with David Morris (who was subsequently an archaeologist at the McGregor Museum).

15/10/2026

📢 TEMPORARY CLOSURE: WILDEBEEST KUIL ROCK ART CENTRE

Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre will be closed to the public from Friday, 16 October 2026, while we carry out essential work on the site’s water supply.

We expect to reopen on 23 November 2026 and will confirm the date here.

If you have a booking, we will contact you to arrange a new date. You can also reach us at 053 8392735 or [email protected]

In the meantime, you are welcome to visit the McGregor Museum on Atlas Street, Kimberley.

Thank you for your understanding.

14/10/2026

BROADWAY RHYTHMICS DANCE ORCHESTRA - KIMBERLEY
(Photo mmkp12992 - and a second photo shared by Purly Sasse

This photograph shows members of the Broadway Rhythmics Dance Orchestra (also referred to as Broadway Rhythmics Dance Band) active in Kimberley during the 1930s and perhaps into the 1940s. Repertoire would have been swing jazz then in vogue - Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and the like.

On 30 November 1939 a dance for the ‘coloured community’ of Kimberley was held in the City Hall. It was organised by the Broadway Rhythmics Dance Orchestra under the leadership of W Sasse. The proceeds of the function were donated to the mayor of Kimberley’s ‘National Fund’.

Desmond Desai has writtten that William Sasse, a teacher, lead the Broadway Dance Band in Kimberley in the 1930s. His cousin Edgar Rhoda, also a teacher and violinist, succeeded him as leader.

In the 1930s Japie Kamies was a well-known pianist, who taught at Perseverence. He relocated to Cape Town.

Desmond Desai adds: "Who knows more about the dads who were brothers-in-law (stemming from Japhta Rhoda from Strand / Somerset West / Stellenbosch)? Their dads Rhoda and Sasse were both bookbinders in Kimberley."

In the first photo: Marcus Kenny suggests that the pianist resembles Me Genade teacher at Ronaldsvlei primary school.

In the second photo, Mr W Sasse plays the piano accordion and Mr J Kamies the piano (Info from Purly Sasse).

Sonja Moorby comments: "These teachers must have had a huge impact on my late grandmother, Hester Cloete, who won a world prize in Kimberley at the age of 8 for playing the trekklavier. It was in the news at the time. Later in life she had her own orchestra and could play the piano masterfully. If someone has photos or newsclips it will be appreciated."

14/10/2026

KIMBERLEY BESIEGED 127 YEARS AGO - 14 OCTOBER 1899

On 11 October 1899 what has become known as the Anglo-Boer South African War broke out. It had been imminent for some time that a conflict between the British Empire as it then was and the Boer Republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State would occur, and certain preparations had been made on both sides.

Kimberley was no exception and it was expected that the town would be besieged by Boer forces. In the weeks prior many residents who could left Kimberley and went to the Cape, whilst others came into the town from outlying areas seeking refuge. A state of siege officially commenced on Saturday 14 October and in an editorial on 16 October the Diamond Fields Advertiser stated ‘Kimberley for the last thirty-six hours has been undergoing a strange and novel experience- that of being cut off, for the time being, from prompt and direct communication with the outer world’. Further on it said: ‘The cutting off of telegraphic communication with the south took place at 10.45 on Saturday night, at which hour Colonel Kekewich and his staff happened to be in the instrument room of the telegraph office; communication with Vryburg having ceased an hour or two previously. As the enemy had been reported to be moving during Saturday, and fences were reported to be cut near Modder River, the seizure of the railway line and severance of the [telegraph] wires at Spytfontein caused no surprise’.

At this time nobody could have foreseen how long the siege would last and what a toll it would take on the defenders and especially the civilian population of the town. The same editorial expressed, the in retrospect dashed, hope that the Boer artillery would never be in effective range to do damage to the town.

Text: Robert Hart

McGregor Museum Kimberley

19/10/2026

18/10/2026

17/10/2026

16/10/2026

16/10/2026

15/10/2026

15/10/2026

15/10/2026

14/10/2026

14/10/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Museum

Shortcuts

Share

Listing takedown request