Afternoon all Please find below the next episode of Rondebosch OAK AVENUES He had cultivated as much of it as possible, and may well have been looked upon as a man after Simon van der Stel's own heart, many of the fine oaks we see on these lands to-day having been planted during his tenancy. Mention has been made of his opulence and power. But he possessed a virtue rarely found in conjunction therewith, namely, generosity. A striking instance of the latter was afforded in 1830 by his gift to the first Dutch Reformed Church in Cape Town, of a splendid organ. This instrument, restored and greatly improved in 1897, is still in use in the Groote Kerk. In 1831 Mr. Hoets, on the score of advanced age, advertised his property Rustenburg for sale. Included in the list of goods and chattels we find "a quantity of very old wines made on the estate, and about 70 or 80 capital slaves". The subdivisions containing the fine old house, its gardens, and the famous Summer House, were bought by Mr. P. L. Cloete, a former owner of the extensive place, Mount Pleasant, on the hillside to the southward, the homestead of which had been destroyed by fire. The remainder of Rustenburg passed in 1833 to Mr. A. de Smidt, senior, then proprietor of De Groote Schuur. The Summer House had also been known as the Belvedere. That name the writer's father remembered having noticed on the facade. About 1894, when Mr. Rhodes acquired the upper portion of Rustenburg lands-later merged in De Groote Schuur proper-this Summer House was in a ruinous condition, and the old masoned seat to the left, in similar plight. The house was properly restored, and the old seat rebuilt to match the one to the right. On a resurvey plan made in 1814 by Thibault, are depicted oak avenues leading up from the two seats, as well as one from the homestead to the Summer House. During the late "eighties" of last century, the upper portion of these three avenues still led from the road known as the Lover's Walk. Not far from the Summer House was a spot overgrown, and known as the Slaves' Graveyard. One or two of the graves, however, were of a type which seemed to indicate that persons of a station far less humble had also here found a last resting-place. A DJSASTER OF THE "FIFTIES" The property transferred in 1833 to Mr. Cloete had passed in 1850 to Mr. Michiel Louw, but a melancholy fate was soon to overtake the mansion thereon, once the Dutch Governor's Pleasure House. For during the early fifties a number of houses in the village, including the one referred to, were destroyed by a disastrous fire which had originated on the densely-wooded mountain slopes. The homestead of Rustenburg was shortly afterwards re-built. Two very interesting guardrooms fortunately escaped the disaster that had involved the adjoining buildings in ruin. These remain as notable links with the official period, as it may be styled. As such, they are well worthy of careful preservation. Without going into further detail regarding ownership it is of interest to note that an old resident has recorded recollections of having attended a school conducted at Rustenburg as long ago as the year 1866. During later years a boarding house, which has taken the place of the early school mentioned, was a very popular resort; but an event of far greater importance was the opening, in January 1894, of the now well-known Rustenburg School for Girls. It was a wise choice, truly, to have selected for a purpose so useful, a setting so historic. A FASHIONABLE RONDEBOSCH WEDDING 1845 In the Grahamstown Journal of October, 1845, was given the following account of the wedding of Captain Browne, R.A., with a niece of Mr. Abraham de Smidt, the first de Smidt to own Groote Schuur, and the daughter of Mr. Johannes de Smidt, Assistant Commissary General, by name Sarah. She was the grand-daughter of a British (Albany) settler. "This wedding will excite some agreeable reminiscences in the minds of many of our readers, the fair bride being a grand-daughter of an Albany British settler (Johannes de Smidt born 21.6.1794 died 18.1.1866, was the 4th son of our great-grandfather Abraham-Johannes married Jane Shallon Biggar on 10th August 1824. Her father Alexander Biggar. He and his two sons, George and Robert, fell in fighting the Zulus in Natal, in 1838. The Biggars had rushed from Port Natal to aid the Voortrekkers.) "One of the most elegant and effective entertainments was given on Thursday last 9th October, 1845, at Groot Schuur the residence of Mr. Abraham de Smidt, an uncle of the bride, after the marriage ceremony in St. George's Cathedral. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. C. D. D'Acre, Captain of the Forces. The whole line of road to Rondebosch was a scene of gaiety from the numerous equipages hastening to this fete of hospitality and splendour. The approach to the Mansion winds thro' an avenue of stately Italian pines. The house itself is spacious and handsome. The gardens and pleasure grounds which surround it are laid out with infinite taste and skill. The shady walks extend to every part of the grounds-here and there one comes to a cool arbour wherein to rest and enjoy the surroundings and the fragance of the air. Now and then one hears the sound of the mountain streams in the Glen-(It used to be called the Wolvegat-we found an old rusty trap in the glen)-fiowing down to the garden where were several fountain and jets d'eau. It is an enchanting spot rich in every charm. "The entire range of the splendidly furnished apartments forming the lower Suite, drawing rooms and ante-rooms, library, sitting room and dining room, were all thrown open for the occasion, where rich Turkey and Brussels carpets vied in magnificence with the gorgeous damask and silken curtains, lustres, girandoles and other costly articles and where a self-acting grand piano afforded infinite surprise and delight to the assembled company. There were musical clocks of the most intricate and valuable kind, Mr. de Smidt being a great connoisseur in all these elegancies of art. "The company invited were the near relatives of the family, also Lieut. General Sir Benjamin D'Urban, Lieut. Frederick Kerr, His Honour Sir John Wilde, Lieut. Col. Ortel, Mrs. Wood, Lieut. Col. Cloete, Baron and Baroness Lorenz, Captain and Mrs. McClean, Captain and Mrs. Lewis, 29th Regt., Captain and Mrs. Curruthers, Lieuts. Russell and van Sillarh R.A., Mons. Duval, vice consul for France, the Chevalier du Plax, Captain Maitland ADC., Rev. B. Maitland, Rev. D'Acre, with very many other guests. Covers were laid for over 70 guests. "The elegant plate, glass, and china upon which the déjeuner was served were the admiration of all, whilst every delicacy which the seasons could afford in game, and fruit were laid out and decorated with beautiful and variegated flowers in which this luxurious climate abounds-it presented a coup d'oeil, not unworthy of comparison with the description of similar ceremonies abroad, whilst wines of every country were enjoyed and quaffed amidst greetings and congratulations to the newly married couple. After several well-chosen toasts the party separated, all overflowing with praise of the hospitality of their kind attentive host and hostess-for an entertainment which as to the beauty of the great mansion where the fete took place, and the delicacies of every sort with which they were regaled, could not have been surpassed in any other country." GREAT WESTERFORD When the Southern Life Association of Africa found it necessary to erect new and larger premises to cope with its progress and to provide more adequate accommodation for its staff, no happier choice could have been made than to move to Rondebosch and to acquire the historic site of Great Westerford for its Head Office. The Great Westerford estate stands on the prominent site in the Main Road adjacent to Dean Street on the boundary of Rondebosch and Newlands. It was most appropriate that this South African Insurance Company should have taken occupation of its new Head Office at Rondebosch on the 303rd anniversary of the landing of Jan van Riebeeck at the Cape, the move from the former Head Office in St. George's Street, Cape Town, having been made on 6 April, 1955. The imposing new three-storey building has been designed not only to tone with the charm of its lovely surroundings in this beautiful part of the Peninsula but to accord with the earlier history of the once famous Great Westerford homestead. The architecture is based on the Cape Dutch style of dwelling house found in the towns as distinct from the gabled farmhouse found in the countryside. Features of this architecture were the spacious dignity of style, white walls, pediments, heavy cornice mouldings and vertical sliding windows. The new building is on the site of part of the old Great Westerford estate, which is thought to have formed the northern section of the Van Riebeeck farm, "De Nieuwelanden". The Great Westerford homestead, one of the oldest in Cape Town, was a beautiful eighteenth century home and the Great Westerford estate which covered a much larger area in those days extended from the Main Road to Newlands Avenue. It was one of the show places of the district-its history can be traced back to the beginning of the eighteenth century, to the days when the Dutch East India Company began to transfer land to the Free Burghers of the Cape. On 20 April 1706, the Governor of the Cape, Willem Adriaan van der Stel, transferred 10 morgen of land at "het Ronde Boschje tusschen 's Companje koornschuur en de Brouwerij van Mensink" to Johannes Phijifer. The "barn" referred to was the company's group of barns Groot Schuur, Klein Schuur and Onder Schuur; the latter is now known as Westbrooke and is, of course, the residence of the Governor-General. Phijifer named the land Westervoort after the district in Holland whence he had come. In 1743 the land was sold to Steven ten Holder who later sold it to Capt. Johan Daniel Wieser; he built the Great Westerford homestead which was not demolished until 18 November 1953. Capt. Wieser sold the estate to Rudolph Cloete in 1801. By this time more land had been acquired and the estate covered 29 morgen. On Rudolph Cloete's death the farm was left to his son, Jacob Pieter Laurens Cloete, and he, in turn, left it to his son, Peter Lawrence Graham Cloete. In 1850 part of the estate was divided into 83 stands, Cloete retaining Westervoort which, however, at some time since 1801 had been renamed Great Westerford. (This is the Great Westerford site now owned by the Southern Life Association.) The estate was then sold to a Mr Little and since then has changed hands several times. In recent years, the homestead was used as a boarding-house and when the site was taken over by the Southern Life Association, the famous 200-year-old homestead was in a tumbledown state and incapable of restoration. As a reminder of the past, some magnificent chestnut trees on the Dean Street boundary are said to be the oldest in the Union. These trees are being carefully nurtured. It is interesting to note that a descendant of Peter Lawrence Graham Cloete, owner of Great Westerford in 1850, is Mr. M. Graham Cloete, who until his retirement on pension on 1 August 1955, was District Manager of the Southern Life Association at Springs, Transvaal. Towards the end of the nineteenth century the old outspan in front of Great Westerford was known as Little's Outspan. Here under the large oaks as many as fifty farm wagons, piled high with bundled forage and pulled by upwards of 16 horses or mules, used to outspan for the night. The appetising smell of the chops or sausages being fried on the open fires used to waft across on the breeze to the houses opposite, one of which is still standing today. Little's Outspan is now a modern parking area. When the Germans fought the Hereros in South West Africa they imported hundreds of mules from the Argentine and these were stabled at Great Westerford. The mules were taken in batches down to the river for water and the half-wild animals would career down the Main Road with the stable-boys chasing them. Another interesting story is that the famous Doctor James Barry frequently used to spend her leave with the Cloete family, and it was from Great Westerford that she rode to Newlands House to fight a duel with another officer. And so Great Westerford, tranquil old homestead, has made way for the home of the Southern Life Association of Africa which was founded here towards the end of last century and since that time has provided, on the mutual principle, insurance facilities for the people of Southern Africa. kind regards Heather Visit South Africa's Premier Genealogy Web Sites www.ancestry.mweb.co.za and www.familytree.co.za Join the Cape Town Family History Society www.ancestors.co.za/society/socweb.htm

Good Evening everyone Please find below the next instalment of the History of Rondebosch THE RONDEBOSCH COMMON There is no need for the inhabitants of Rondebosch to motor to Namaqualand to see wild flowers-they have in their midst a bit of veld, a relic of the old "Kaapsche Duinen", which from June to November is a bright panoply, a tapestry broidered in buttercups and arums, in golden stars and vygies, in cerise sorrels, in yellow daisies and irises, in sky-blue flax, in white scented catstails and orange gazanias. This is the Rondebosch Common, the only level open public ground in the more populated suburbs where the elderly can stroll and the young fly kites and model aeroplanes. The number of blue flowers growing here is astonishing-drifts of small glossy blue liliaceae, patches of pale short and longer dark baviana, strips of delicate irises and other bulbous plants, and that loveliest of daisies which is dark blue in colour with a navy centre. Tortoise berries drop now unheeded on the sandy soil and the observant may even find a kukumakranka, a deliciously scented yellow juicy seed-pod, in days past much sought by buck and Hottentots, sticking out of the ground. The story of the Common is as varied as its floral wealth. There is in the Cape Archives a most interesting map of a hundred and fifty years ago: "A Military Sketch of the Ground near Rondebosch with the Situation of the Encampment under the Command of His Excellency, the Hon. Lieut.-General Grey,-November, 1807." This map extends in fact from Wynberg to the military lines ending at the Castle and shows the farms along the banks of the Liesbeeck, against the Mountain, and those few on the verge of the enormous stretch of vacant land, the Cape Flats, which provided wood and thatch for the homes of the Cape and where cattle were driven out to graze-a difficult obstacle with its deep. sand for the traveller to the east. The properties marked on the mountainside of this map are the Newlands Headquarters going right down to the Liesbeeck, with Mr. E. L. Truter's farm Zorg en Rust on the lower side of it; the Schuur (the "Fiskall's Country House") on the upper bank; the Rondebosch Farm (Rustenburg); Eksteen's farm, below that of Mr. van Reenen (Welgelegen); and the holdings of Messrs. Breda, Smuts, Maude, Blankenberg, Kelter and Robinson extending east along the upper banks of the Liesbeeck; while on the lower banks westward from Colonel Baird's Valkenberg there were those of Huyser, Groenewald, de Vos, John Munnik, Mr. Hopley's Myrtle Grove, Col. McLean's, and John Truter's. J. A. van Reenen's farm stretched into the dunes (now Pinelands) and so did Mr. Veyll's with a Mr. Barn's holding above it. On the Common several army regiments were encamped: the 87th under Lt.-Col. Sir E. Butler, the 89th under Major Hilliard, the 72nd Highlanders under Lt.-Col. Halkett, the 83rd under Major Collins, the 4th Battalion of the 60th under Lt.-CoI. Austin, and the Royal Artillery under Lt.-Col. Spicer. Before the second English capture of the Cape in 1806, the Dutch too had encamped on the Common, but a sad event had made them move their army to higher ground at the Wynberg Camp. Recruiting for the Dutch army in preparation for the expected invasion had been tardy, so to spur it on General Janssens had had his own teenage son enlist, after he had returned from an extensive tour of the country with Commissioner-General de Mist. His tutor, the botanist Dr. Lichtenstein, who also was a member of the party, has left a well-known description of this expedition. That army, too, camped on the Common. The winter of 1805 was cold and wet, with many of the familiar mists on the Common. Large numbers of the recruits contracted dysentery and many died. Among these was young Janssens, aged only 17, who died in June 1805. These military occupations gave its name to the Camp Ground Road. Even today, school cadets carry out military exercises on the Common. Slowly the land on the fringes of the Common became the homes of new English colonists, many of them belonging to the legal profession, but the Common, then 69 morgen in extent, was kept as an open space, the army under Lord Charles Somerset moving elsewhere. In 1855 Governor Cathcart, at the request of that dynamic first Anglican Bishop Gray, granted the use of the Common to Rev. J. Fry, Rector of St. Paul's Church above Rondebosch Fountain, for grazing his cows-it being stipulated, though, that the public should always have access to the Common. At the same time two adjoining squares of ground on the Common were given to the Wesleyan and Mohammedan communities for cemeteries. Pines edged each square, and these form the little wood in the middle of the Common today. There was a "Doordrift" near the present Park road for the passage of cattle to the dunes. In 1870 the Common was taken over by the Rondebosch and Mowbray municipalities, being later transferred to that of Cape Town. Parts were lopped off it-one of these is now Rondebosch Park-and its extent has dwindled to a hundred acres. A small golf course was laid out on it, on its southern edge. A bunker and the depressions which were water hazards still form winter pools. A house in Mimer Road is named "The Links", and a Links Road leads off Park Road on the southern edge. But the golf links have been moved to the northern part of what used to be commonage, while the New Children's Hospital is also on part of it over Mimer Road. The Rondebosch Cottage Hospital and several nursing homes overlook the Common. Perhaps the best-known Capetonian living close to the Common was Mr. William Anderson, founder of the shipping firm, who was the owner of Erinville, now the Rustenburg Senior School. Colonel Gorges, a picturesque character, lived at Mont Clair in Park Road, and later, near by, Sir Robert Kotzé, a famous mining engineer. The Common is a wonderful natural asset to Rondebosch. May it ever remain open and free-as free as the falcons that wheel above it. WHEN RONDEBOSCH WAS A TOWN ON ITS OWN If any proof were necessary of the individuality of the ancient and notable community of Rondebosch, it could be found in the survival, directly opposite the Railway Station, of the Rondebosch Town Hall-a double-storeyed building in the solid Victorian style constructed largely of dressed stone and still in use as a meeting-place for the local public. For many years indeed Rondebosch was an independent municipality complete with Mayor and Council, a fact only dimly remembered even by middle-aged people and almost completely forgotten by the generation of today. The birth of civic government here may be traced back well over a century, to 3 November 1837, a few weeks after Queen Victoria had ascended the throne, when the Cape of Good Hope Gazette published the following notice: "BUILDING LOTS AT RONDEBOSCH "On Monday morning, the 3rd November next, at 10 o'clock, will be sold by Public Auction, several Lots of Ground delightfully situated on that healthy and salubrious spot, the Camp Ground, about five miles from Cape Town. The Soil is excellent and worthy of attention of Persons desirous of erecting Country Residences. "The advantages they offer to the Builder are scarcely to be equalled, there being an Ironstone Quarry only 200 yards from the spot, and the ground itself well adapted for the purpose of Brich Making, etc., and the distance from the Village Church about five minutes walk. "On the Lots there is a Cottage fit for immediate occupation. "The whole may be viewed any day previous to the Sale, (Sundays excepted) on application to the Proprietor, H. Home, Myrtle Grove, Camp Ground. 27th Oct. 1839. ELLIOTT BROS. AUCTIONEERS." This marked the beginning of Rondebosch as an organised suburb, and brought with it a substantial rise in the population. Unfortunately there was no provision for amenities, and everybody made his own arrangements, with the result that the Liesbeek River-the common source of water for drinking and washing-became little better than a cesspool. Although the community was already far enough advanced to have justified the Government, as early as 1846, in setting up a Post Office, the health conditions here and even nearer Cape Town would today be described as appalling. It was not till 2 September 1850 that, as a result of a number of meetings, a petition was prepared and forwarded to the Governor from the inhabitants of Rondebosch, the "Mowbray Camp Ground" and other areas, asking for a pure water supply. Nothing effective was done for another generation, but the incident helped to stimulate civic feeling. From all parts of the Colony demand arose for the provision of some form of machinery by which communities too small for municipal honours could be effectively administered. In 1870, Act No. 10 made an attempt to provide for Village Government and Rondebosch was among the first places to take advantage of its possibilities. Hence, on 10 July 1873, there is a record of a meeting being held in the schoolroom of St. Paul's Church, to "consider Municipal Regulations", and in the following month, on 28 August, an existing "Act for Abating Nuisances in Municipalities" was formally extended to Rondebosch. Another decade began before the Colonial Parliament provided any more adequate facilities. On 25 June 1881, Governor Sir Hercules Robinson signed an Act "to provide for the Management of Villages and other Communities, not being Municipalities". Its principal feature was the creation of that now familiar institution, the Village Management Board. Before the year ended, at a meeting of Registered Voters on 22 August 1881, Rondebosch set up the first "Committee of Management". This comprised the well-known merchant prince of those days, R. M. Ross, with J. Reid, and J. Gaisford. Before the new administrative machinery could be set in motion, however, certain preliminaries had to be complied with; and though we find that Mowbray led the way in this field, by 1882 Rondebosch, Claremont, Wynberg and Maitland were similarly equipped. We still have a record of the earliest attempt at a Town Hall, located next to Mossop's Tannery, and consisting of two tiny semi-detached cottages thrown into one to form a room large enough to accommodate not only the assembled Councillors, but, we are assured, the reporters of the local newspapers as well. In May 1883 the Rondebosch Village Management Board was already hard at work, issuing regulations against the uncontrolled roaming of dogs and banning the noisy hooting of fish cart drivers. Traffic problems also demanded attention and the Community helped to lead the way in specifying that every vehicle must carry a light after dark. Despite this promising beginning, Rondebosch soon found that its independence brought attendant difficulties, largely on account of the growth in population, with the accompanying severe demands on its finance. Cape Town, Green Point and Woodstock (till then known as Papendorp) were given the status of municipalities in 1881. The new railway to Wynberg helped to bring large numbers of inhabitants further south and, as a compromise, the surrounding areas were merged together. In 1883 we are told: "The villages of Mowbray, Rondebosch, Newlands, Claremont and Wynberg, with a portion of the Field Cornetcy of Deep River, have also been constituted a municipality, under the name of Liesbeek." The first Mayor was G. Bembridge, who worked with G. V. de Kock and S. van Breda to represent Ward No. 1, Wynberg. Rondebosch was Ward No. 4, its local affairs being under the aegis of A. Bell as Chairman, John Forrest, the miller, and J. Gaisford. Claremont was Ward No. 2, with J. Bissett as Chairman, assisted by F. Bacon and B. H. Hudson; Newlands, Ward No. 3, with J. Endean (Chairman), A. Manson and H. Thompson; and No. 5, Mowbray, with J. F. J. Wrensch (Chairman), S. Tonkin and J. Thorne. The Municipal Clerk (now Town Clerk) of Liesbeek was H. Bower, and his staff comprised five inspectors: J. McGee, C. Kirkham, W. Moore, A. Batchelor and F. Bond. How modest was the scale of operation is indicated by the fact that the entire municipal revenue of Liesbeek was £3,751, with an expenditure of £5,417. An account, published in 1886 by the Cape Post Office Directory, mentions: "The Municipality of Liesbeek consists of six local Wards. The population is roughly estimated at 20,000, and the assessed value of rateable property is stated to be £2,000,000. The municipality comprises a series of suburban retreats along the line of railway, all of which have more or less independent status. The district is well planted with trees, and boasts a large number of handsome and stately houses, the country residences of the aristocracy and the leading merchants of Cape Town. These form part of the Western Suburbs, and extend as far as Wynberg, about 9 miles. The scenery is very lovely, being always in the vicinity of Table Mountain, and in ample shade and woodlands, and the lengthy avenues of oaks and firs, the numerous gums and lofty trees of every description add to the general picturesqueness, while the culture of flowers serves to heighten the charming appearance of the country houses. "The water supply is now chiefly maintained by wells, but a scheme to supply the entire Municipality from the Table Mountain spring, at a cost of £20,000, has been brought forward, and is likely to be adopted eventually. There are four breweries, each of which derives a good revenue; and each Ward has its necessary supply of schools and churches." The scattered nature of its population proved the downfall of the Liesbeek Municipality and in 1886 it brdke up again into Claremont, Rondebosch and Wynberg. Rondebosch then became. a municipality on its own. R. M. Ross was the Mayor, along with W. F. H. Pocock, the chemist; W. Balme, R. Hare, 3. R. Gaisford, M. Haybittel, I. H. de Villiers and T. Tregidga. W. A. Batchelor was the Secretary (Town Clerk). After two years of service R. M. Ross was succeeded by W. F. H. Pocock. The new municipality started in an enviable financial position-with a Municipal Valuation in 1887 standing at the then considerable sum of £475,064, on which the rates were 1d. As a matter of comparison, Cape Town that year had a municipal valuation of £2,800,000, and rates of 2d. in the £ on land and 1 d. on improvements. In Rondebosch the total amount of loans outstanding in 1887 was nil, and the arrear rates came to only £41. A year later they were £98. In 1889 we read: "The Municipality of Rondebosch embraces the distinct villages of Rondebosch, Rosebank and Mowbray. It is bordered on the East by the Black River, on the West by the slopes of the Devil's Peak, North by Maitland and Woodstock, South by the Claremont Municipality. The boundary runs East from the junction of the Kromboom and Black Rivers, to a point on the Black River cut by the Eastern boundary of the Royal Observatory; thence in a straight line to the Prince of Wales Blockhouse, which forms the Northern boundary; thence in a straight line to the North-West Beacon of the Mount Pleasant Estate, which forms the Western boundary; thence in a straight line to Newlands Avenue, along the avenue to Dean Street, and from thence to Westerford Bridge; thence along the Liesbeek River and Northern boundary of the Mariendal Estate to the railway; then to the Forrest Lodge on the Campground Road; thence to the Black River, then along the river to the point first named." By 1890 the Municipal Council consisted of W. F. H. Pocock, R. M. Ross, W. P. Balme, J. R. Reid, W. Thorn, J. Forrest, J. Tregidga, R. Hare and J. Mossop, Jnr. For several years the constitution of this body showed remarkably little change. Rondebosch's financial progress was marked by the queerest fluctuations. In 1891 the revenue came to £6,582, against an expenditure of only £2,592, but the position was reversed in 1892, when the revenue for some reason dropped to £2,497, and the expenditure rose to £6,696. The recession was also marked by the fact that Rondebosch for the first time had a bank overdraft of £209, with arrear rates of £112 and outstanding loans of £4,009. Because of bad times the valuation, incidentally, went down to £315,950 in 1892, on which a rate of 1+d. in the pound on land was levied. The Municipal Treasury was still in a bad state in 1893, when the revenue came to £4,139, against an expense of £6,752, but the following year Rondebosch made a sudden financial recovery, for its income was £7,002 and its expenditure cut to £4,487, yielding a tidy surplus. The better times were also reflected in the drop in its bank overdraft to a mere £110, while the ordinary debts totalled £6,710. Although within another 12 months, on 31 December 1895, Rondebosch was in the proud position of having no bank overdraft at all, only £24 arrears in its rates and a total indebtedness of £6,400, the revenue had dropped again to £4,196, and the expenditure came to £4,905. A new valuation, made that year, showed that the place was worth £537,000, paying 2d. in the £ on land and 8d. on improvements. Before the turn of the century, Rondebosch had acquired not only its Medical Officer of Health, Dr. M. L. Hewat, but a Surveyor in the person of 3. Stonier and a Municipal Inspector, J. Williams. The Rate Collector was W. R. Whitton. During the Boer War period, E. J. Earp was Mayor (three times in succession), and was largely responsible for a new water supply. His Council comprised S. S. Hutton, 3. Andrews, A. W. Sawkins, 3. Jenkinson and T. H. Lewis. A leading Cape Town attorney, Charles Willoughby Herholdt, was another prominent Mayor of Rondebosch at the time of Union in 1910. With him were Councillors A. W. Sawkins, J. Chalmers, C. H. Smit, F. W. Rix, C. H. Dufton, A. Shoyer, J.P., Lt.-Col. W. E. Stanford, D.S.O. and J. W. Wright. The Municipal Clerk at the time was Walter M. Martin, while the Municipal Engineer was P. Ashenden, A.M.I.C.E. Dr. M. L. Hewat remained Medical Officer for many years. Rondebosch continued to have a personality of its own, and, whereas Cape Town had its Council Meetings in the evenings, the Rondebosch Council preferred to meet on alternate Fridays at 4.30 in the afternoon. On 31 December 1909, the valuation of Rondebosch had risen to £1, 1 37,725 with a civic debt of £57,105, carrying interest at 4 and 5 per cent and a rate of 2+d. per cent on land and 6d. per cent on improvements. But the days of Rondebosch's civic independence were drawing to a close. For years the need for unification had been growing more obvious to the inhabitants of the Peninsula, and negotiations were now begun between the representatives of the various Councils to achieve a merger. This was finally carried through and took effect in 1913, when the old municipality of Rondebosch became a portion of greater Cape Town. kind regards Heather Visit South Africa's Premier Genealogy Web Sites www.ancestry.mweb.co.za and www.familytree.co.za Join the Cape Town Family History Society www.ancestors.co.za/society/socweb.htm