Always Free
ISSUE NO.10
MONDAY WRAP Western Province Chinese Association August 11 2014
WPCA’s previous community centre in Mowbray, Cape Town WPCA moved into the Community Centre in Observatory in November 1999. Prior to that WPCA owned property in Mowbray just below the M3 (Mostert’s Mill turn off). The Cape Town Chinese Association, now WPCA, bought a house in 1940 and started a Chinese School. Community leaders collected funds and via George Ming raised the bulk from the Transvaal (now Gauteng) Chinese. In 1945 they purchased the property in Mowbray for £8000.The manor house is a Victorian building. The entrance hall was panelled in Teak, the ceilings were embellished and the fireplaces were marble. All the windows, the doors and the staircase were teak.There was an extensive garden in the front with 2 palm trees and 2 very large wild fig trees. Mowbray became the hub of the community for 50 plus years. Law Ming Sing and Lana Manley held the first wedding reception in one of the rooms. In 1950, a hall was built onto the end room with this room becoming the stage. Willie and Jacqueline Tim Fat held the first wedding reception in the hall. Many weddings, birthday parties, school concerts and dances were held in the hall. Sports played in the hall were badminton and table tennis. The steps of the manor house was the scene for many a photo. In 1963, the steps were widened to cover the length of the stoep so as to accommodate the community. Basketball was played on the original tennis court with spectators sitting around the court. This court was used for drilling exercises for the pupils. The manor house was the home of the Chinese Primary School until the late 1970’s. Originally pupils completed Grade 10 and wrote the Junior Certificate exams. In those days Chinese were not permitted to attend government school and those that planned to attend university completed their matric at Livingstone High School in Claremont. Then the government announced that private schools may no longer write the Junior Certificate exams. Community leaders visited the Anglican and Catholic schools to request their acceptance of Chinese children. These schools would then have to apply each year for a permit to allow Chinese to become pupils. The Catholic schools agreed but pupils had to be Catholics. The Anglican schools, St George’s Grammar School and St Cyprians, agreed to accept Chinese pupils. In 1959, The class of Daphne Manley and Patsy Keeson were the first to leave after Grade 8. However, changing in the second year of high school led to a syllabus gap and in order to prevent this or to become Catholics, some pupils started to leave before completing Grade 8. In addition there