FRIENDS OF IZIKO SOUTH AFRICAN
MUSEUM
thousand years of each other. Why did this happen? What roles did climate change and our own species play in their disappearance? Using some of the latest advances in genetics, forensic science and good old-fashioned palaeontology, scientists have begun to gain a far better understanding of the extinction of this iconic creature than previously thought possible. What discoveries will the future hold? Is there any chance the mammoth might one day roam the steppe of Pleistocene park again?
Non-Profit Organisation 052-511-NPO Postal address: P O Box 61 Cape Town 8000 South Africa Physical address: 25 Queen Victoria Street Cape Town SA Phone: 021 481 3913 Fax: 021 481 3993 Cell: 072 225 6893 E-mail: samfriends@iziko.org.za Website: http://www.iziko.org.za/; http://www.iziko.org.za/ static/page/friends-of-the-south-african-museum Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofIzikoSAMuseum/
NEWSLETTER – APRIL 2017 As autumn has arrived, we have planned some interesting outings to accommodate the change in weather. Please look out for exciting events and lectures. We welcome suggestions from members; please contact us should you come across anything of interest.
LECTURE PROGRAMME 2017 Due to the building renovations at the Iziko SA Museum, the TH Barry Lecture Theatre is currently unavailable for Friends lectures. The South African Jewish Museum, 88 Hatfield Street, has kindly agreed to accommodate us during this time. Lectures will be held there at 18:00 on the last Tuesday of the month, as always. They are however unable to assist us in May. This lecture will take place at the Mountain Club, 97 Hatfield Street, opposite the Jewish Museum. Tuesday 25 April 2017 Speaker: Matthew Scarborough Title: Mammoths, mastodonts and men: unraveling the causes of extinction and the role of humans in their disappearance At the height of their distribution, mammoths roamed freely from Britain in the west, right across the plains of Europe, Asia and the northern part North America. By the end of the Ice Age, however, their distribution had shrunk dramatically, eventually splitting into a few isolated pockets which all disappeared within a few
Above: Mammut borsoni from Greece, photo copyright Matthew Scarborough Tuesday 30 May Speaker: Elizabeth van Heyningen Title: W.G. Atherstone and the Namaqualand Copper Boom of 1854 Tuesday 27 June Speaker: Dr Benjamin Schoville Title: TBA Tuesday 25 July Speaker: Dr Rebecca Ackerman Title: TBA
OUTINGS Booking and advance payment to secure your booking is essential for all outings. Thursday 20 April 10am Exploring slave space in the city, lunch at Biesmiellah restaurant Join us for this exciting walking tour guided by Iziko staff. As a follow up to our very interesting visit to the Slave Lodge last year, you are invited to join the Friends on a walking tour guided by Iziko staff to visit various slave spaces in the city centre. Commencing at the Slave Lodge, we will walk to Green Market Square, view the slave church in Long Street, and then go to Prestwich Place and the Strand Street quarry. Presentations will be done by staff members at each site.
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We conclude our morning at Biesmiellah Restaurant, 2 Wale Street for a delicious Cape Malay lunch. To secure your booking, please respond by email
samfriends@iziko.org.za
Cost: Members: R 200 (including lunch) Non-members: R 250 (including lunch) Tuesday 2 May Wellington area, visit Buffalo Ridge, Quenti Alpaca Farm and Lazanou Organic vineyards. The Friends have planned an exciting and diverse day excursion to the Wellington area. Commencing at Buffalo Ridge, the only water buffalo dairy in South Africa and the country’s only producer of buffalo mozzarella, we continue to Quenti Alpaca Farm and mill. Alpaca is known as one of the world’s most rare, soft and beautifully luxurious fibres across a spectrum of natural colours. We will tour the farm to see the animals and view the spinning and processing of the fibre at the mill. Our morning concludes with a visit which includes a light lunch to Lazanou Organic Vineyards, a Certified Organic wine farm where no herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used. To secure your booking, please respond by email
samfriends@iziko.org.za
Cost: Members: R200 (including lunch) Non-members: R250 (including lunch) Friday 19 May Visit to Hotel Verde, Africa’s greenest hotel Saturday 10 June Visit Philippi horticultural area Wednesday 19 July Guided tour of Holocaust Museum
FIELD TRIP FRIENDS FOSSIL TRIP TO NIEU BETHESDA & GANORA GUEST FARM Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 July For those who love the outdoors and wide open spaces, are fascinated by all things natural and have a desire to learn, the annual Friends fossil trip to the Karoo is for you. Once again we are privileged to have Professor Roger Smith lead us on a fossil dig in the Nieu Bethesda area where we will be staying at Ganora Guest Farm. (Please note that this guest house has limited space, therefore accommodation has to be on a shared basis. We are limited to 25 people only, including Roger and his assistant). This year we will visit the Ou Wapads Pass to see the Permian/Triassic extinction boundary (yes, the actual layer signifying this event) and visit Wellwood, the Rubidge family farm. We can’t guarantee that you will find fossils but we can assure you that a world-class scientist will teach you how to go about finding them. We can also guarantee lots of clean, fresh air, congenial company and an opportunity to escape the pressures of daily life in the city. An extra bonus is enjoying the Karoo off the beaten track. We will visit isolated farms far from anywhere with few signs of life. Although finding fossils is not easy, once one gets the hang of it this becomes much easier. Even amateurs have a chance of making a major discovery. However, if you don’t find anything, wandering around isolated koppies, seeing all manner of different plants and insects with the only sound being birds or the occasional sheep makes this a unique experience. This trip begins on Wednesday 5 July. On the first evening Roger will give a brief talk on what to expect. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are spent in the field on different farms. Each day starts with a hearty breakfast after which we head out for the day. Lunch is enjoyed in the field. The drive from Cape Town takes about ten hours and is tarred all the way. As we prefer to limit the number of vehicles, please contact Charlotte if you require or are able to offer a lift. Cost: Members sharing: R 4 000 Non-members sharing: R 4 500
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ORANJEZICHT HERITAGE WALK
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon a group of Friends and guests enjoyed a pleasant walk through Oranjezicht with Dr Patricia Davison, listening to interesting stories of this historic part of Cape Town. The walk began in what is now the Oranjezicht City Farm, originally the home of seven generations of the van Breda family and now filled with a variety of vegetables and herbs which are marketed every Saturday morning at the Oranjezicht City Farm Market at Granger Bay. Highlights on the former estate included the recently restored old barn and the field of springs where we saw the vault-covered main spring dating back to 1813. Further down the hill on what is now a suburban street corner stands the Prince Street pump, also known as the Hurling swaaipomp, dating back to 1895.
REPORT BACKS PARLIAMENT
Our tour of parliament with Lila Komnick was a delight. Being a Saturday, we were the only people in the building which added to the enchantment. After giving us the fascinating history of the buildings making up the parliament precinct, Lila showed us the library, the selection of 18th and 19th century Africana art, including watercolours by Bowler, de Smidt, Le Valliant and Angas, the Museum Room with the exquisite portraits of British monarchs and memorabilia pertaining to that era and a storeroom where large-scale portrait paintings from pre-1994 are kept. We ended the tour in the National Assembly Chamber public gallery, an area currently much in the news. This outing proved to be very popular and was repeated to enable all interested members the opportunity go behind-the-scenes at parliament. Our thanks to Lila for her time and expertise in making the first outing of 2017 such a success. Photos by Erica Smythe.
The outing ended with a walk along Belvedere Avenue with the Molteno reservoir on one side and the elegant Victorian/Edwardian architecture of private homes on the other side. Five of these homes were proclaimed National Monuments in 1980 and are now protected as Provincial Heritage sites. Exploring one’s own city is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Photos below by Sherry Woods. Maxine Davies
Charlotte Honiball and Maxine Davies
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NEW MEMBERS Welcome to the following new members:
ARTSCAPE
Friends were treated to an interesting and fun guided tour of the Artscape Theatre Centre. After listening to a brief history of the building and looking at the beautiful tapestry and chandeliers, we were taken to the opera house backstage area where we could view the props and costumes for the current show, Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Operational details of the stage were explained before we were taken past the green room, the dressing rooms and some rehearsal rooms. We were amazed at the size of the area of which the general public are unaware. We were shown the wigs which are made on the premises and the fascinating and detailed process was explained in detail. In the sewing room a group of very talented women work from the design drawings to make the patterns and then sew the most beautiful costumes which we see on the stage. We enjoyed seeing this process and being able to have a close-up view of these gorgeous and clever creations was a privilege. (Photo above my Maxine Davies) At the theatre backstage area we were able to see the preparation and activity for the start of Nataniel’s new show. It was fascinating to experience the setting up, stage markings and preparation. This outing has enriched theatre visits for all who attended. Charlotte Honiball
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Peter Bam Karin Belo Bob & Daphne Commin Margaret de Villiers Kathy Jay Jocelin Kagan Jackie Roy Michael Scher Martine Viljoen Michelle Vrettos Jan George Steytler Belinda Roux
2017 MEMBERSHIP Your 2017 membership expired on 31 December. If you have not already done so, please remember to renew your membership. It is helpful to complete and return the membership renewal form to assist in record keeping. Some deposits have been made without a reference being given which means we have been unable to identify who made the payment. If you have paid and not yet received your 2017 sticker, please email proof of payment to arrange for your renewal to be processed. See the Iziko website to download the membership form: http://www.iziko.org.za/static/page/friends-ofthe-south-african-museum Charlotte Honiball Friends of Iziko South African Museum