1860 - Natal Railway Company
(Our ancestors came to work in the Natal Government Railways in 1907)
The honour of the first running railway in Southern Africa would not befall Cape Town. The first railway line in Southern Africa was laid along the Bluff in Durban, capital of Natal, and was not hauled by a steam locomotive but by oxen. The Natal Railway Company was formed in 1859, and its line from Point into Durban, barely two miles long, was opened on 26 June 1860. The first ever steam locomotive in Natal is today standing in the Main building of Durban station.
Interesting read-up on 'Times of the 2nd Generation Seekolas'
From: "Rosemary Dixon-Smith" < DisplayMail('eastcoast.co.za','dixonsmithbygad'); [email protected]>
Subject: Re: [ZA] New book - Come to the Point
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 16:53:51 +0200
References: <[email protected]>
Thanks, Ann.It took an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1903 for Bamboo Squareto be demolished, though representations had been made for itsremoval from ca 1881.See photograph of demolition in progress in "Victorian &Edwardian Natal" by J & A Verbeek (Shuter & Shooter Pmb 1982 ISBN0 86085 646 4) p 90Regards all,Rosemary----- Original Message -----
From: "Lehmkuhl" < DisplayMail('sympatico.ca','rsa2can'); [email protected]>To: < DisplayMail('rootsweb.com','SOUTH-AFRICA-L'); [email protected]>Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 9:46 PMSubject: [ZA] New book - Come to the Point
16 November 2002 will mark the 142nd anniversary of the arrivalof the first indentured Indian labourers in South Africa. To mark theoccasion, a book about the pioneer Indians in the Point area (Durban) willbe launched.Come To The Point is a compilation of contributions by threeDurbanites - Swaminathan K. GOUNDEN, Kanakasabay "Barney" PADAYACHEE andGuru PILLAY - who can all trace their roots to the Point.Before the creation of Chatsworth and Phoenix townships in the1960s and 1970s, generations of Indians lived in quarters or barracks. Inthe late 19th century and early 20th century, Indians at the Point livedin a series of barracks that dotted the district. Famous among these wasthe Bamboo Square Barracks. Newly arrived labourers lived there whilebeing processed before being allowed to leave for the sugarcane plantations. They hoisted their red flags on bamboo poles, hence the name Bamboo Square.With the gradual development of the Point area in the late1800s, many Indians were employed by stevedoring companies and SouthAfrican Railways and Harbours as wharf labourers, boat drivers and shedemployees under the charge of "sirdars" or supervisors. Later, with the advancement of education, some obtained clerical employment at SAR&H andshipping companies.The Five Roses Tea Factory was situated in Shepstone Street anda large number of Indians were employed there.The Port Office Barracks was situated at the end of Point Roadand workers who lived there were employed by the Port Office.Depot Barracks was also known as the Indian ImmigrationHospital. These barracks had medical personnel who cared for sick municipalworkers and labourers from ships.The ABC Barracks was named after the African Boating Company.It housed Indians and Africans, most of whom were employed by SAR&H.Togt Barracks - "togt" labour is a colloquial reference tocasual labour - was owned by Akka and Moosa Brothers, and workers fromMayville, Overport, Riverside and other areas who worked as casual labourers lived in the barracks in Bell Street.Kathraya R. PILLAY, the first Indian to own an ice-creamfactory and later one of the first to open a service station, Atlas Garage in Alice Street,lived in Point Road. Others who occupied independent premises were mainly business families such as the DAYAL family of Southampton Street and other Muslim general dealers.
Abboy NAIDOO (1893-1958) was a noted Tamil scholar who showed a keen interest in the cultural affairs of the community. In1922 he was appointed chairman of the Point Indian Young Men'sSociety.S.A.PILLAY (father of the book's contributor Guru PILLAY), helda clerical position with a shipping company, branched into business andbecame the only Tamil merchant in the area. His son-in-law, V. Manickum PILLAY, looked after the business interests. The business suffered a setback in the race riots of 1949, as it had not been covered by insurance.Muthukrishna PILLAY established the Mercantile Printing Press,which was later taken over by his only son, Kunnabiran, who published aweekly newspaper, The Graphic. Kunnabiran was a founder member of the Natal Indian Blind Society.R.K. GOUNDEN (brother of the book's contributor SwaminathanGOUNDEN) worked as a male nurse at the Indian Immigration Hospital. He later played a role in the Friends of the Sick Association (FOSA) and the Durban Municipal Employees' Union. His father, Karuppa GOUNDEN, arrived in Natal from India and worked at Mitchell Park Zoo as a mahout, looking after the famous elephant Nellie.The Point Rangers Football Club produced several soccer stars.Jack GOVINDSAMY played for Natal on several occasions. Two otherstars were brothers Aroomugam and Kista NAIDOO, who played for MayfairFootball Club in 1944 and later for Aces Football Club.
Bud GENGAN was a boxer from the Point, winning 35 fights byknockouts and the first to hold titles in two divisions, lightweight andwelterweight. His manager was a white man by the name of SUTHERLAND and hewas the first person of colour to fight in the racially reserved Durban City Hall. Bud owned CV Laundry and Dry Cleaners, which was patronised byleading hotels, boarding houses, restaurants and nightclubs. The owners ofthese establishments became his firm friends. At the height of hiscareer, he couldn't walk down Grey Street without being mobbed. He lovedentertaining and threw lavish parties with live bands in attendance. TheEdward Hotel sent him free lunch every day without fail for many years.The Point also produced musicians, among them Billy GENGAN, Narain GENGANand Jack CHETTY, who all played for the Ranjeni Orchestra.
A chapter in the book is devoted to the fishing families wholived in Fynnland, which came to be known as Fishing Village. One of thestories concerns six Indian fishermen who rescued 175 people with theirboat during the Umgeni floods on Sunday, 28 October 1917. The PADAVATANbrothers, Mariemuthooo and Gengan, together with Sabavathy GOVINDEN,Kuppusamy NAIDOO, Rungasamy NAIDOO and T. VELOO, risked their lives to goto the aid of people who would have otherwise have perished in the ragingriver.
PLEASE NOTE: I don't have this book, nor do I have thepublisher's details > yet.>> __________/\/*******\/\______> Anne Lehmkuhl http://www.rupert.net/~lkool/>> __________________________