Non-Profit Organisation 052-511-NPOPostal address: P O Box 61 Cape Town 8000 South AfricaPhysical address: 25 Queen Victoria Street Cape Town South AfricaPhone: 021 481 3913 Fax: 021 481 3993 Cell: 072 225 6893 E-mail: samfriends@iziko.org.zaWebsite http://www.iziko.org.za/; http://www.iziko.org.za/static/page/friends-of-the-south-african-museum

NEWSLETTER – OCTOBER 2014

As 2014 comes to a close we can look back on an interesting and varied programme. The Committee thanks all the Friends who have attended lectures and taken part in our excursions. It has been wonderful to have you at the museum and to the many places the excursions went. We look forward to sharing many wonderful activities and lectures with you again in the new year, and will be in touch with you all at the beginning of February.

FINAL LECTURES FOR 2014Lectures are held in the TH Barry Lecture Theatre at 19:00, unless otherwise advertised. Entrance is free to members on presentation of a valid 2014 membership card. Visitors are asked for a donation of R30 per lecture.

Tuesday 28 OctoberSpeaker: Professor JP van Niekerk Topic: The Baptists and the bootleggers: why drugs should be decriminalised

In the early 19th century two unlikely groups in the USA, the Baptists and the bootleggers, persuaded states to ban liquor on Sundays which eventually led to the era of Prohibition. The Baptists – representative of conservative religions – wanted liquor banned as it was sinful, while the bootleggers were delighted that restrictions cut out their competitors. We examine why people, given the same information, come to such opposing conclusions, examine the effects of the war on drugs and consider evidence to improve the management of this major international problem.

Tuesday 25 NovemberSpeaker: Dr Roger Smith, Curator of Karoo Palaeontology, IzikoTopic: Tetrapod migrations in western Gondwana: recent revelations from the fossil record.

South American and South African palaeontologists are constantly looking for fossil connections between these two former Gondwanan continents. Roger Smith is no exception. He has spent the last 10 years tracking the migration routes of ancient tetrapods along a series of rift valleys that formed just before the breaking up of western Gondwana. This illustrated talk will present his latest findings from East Africa, Namibia, Brazil and Argentina.

FRIENDS OF IZIKO SOUTH AFRICAN

MUSEUM

Above: Dr Roger Smith with Odontocyclops in a plaster jacket

TWO OUTINGS TO CLOSE THE 2014 PROGRAMME VISIT TO ELGIN VALLEYDate: 5 NovemberTime: 09:00

On this interesting one-day outing Friends will visit the museum dedicated to the early apple and pear growers of the Elgin Valley. We will be able to see old machinery, listen to old tales and learn about old pioneers. There will be an introduction to different types of apples and we will learn about the progression of harvesting over time.

Next we will go to Oak Valley Estate to see the packing sheds and glasshouses full of flowers that are produced for Woolworths. We will stop for lunch at the Elgin Country Club which overlooks a beautiful dam and the mountains.

On the way back to Cape Town Friends will visit the Palmiet storage dam. This will include a presentation on the supply and demand of electricity and a guided tour of the power storage, pumps and turbines that is 25 stories underground, as well as various engineering features and a tour of rehabilitated fynbos.

Cost: Members R200; non-members: R220

VISIT TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL LIBRARY AND COMPANY’S GARDENSDate: 21 November Time: 09:30

We will start this visit with a guided tour given by Rory Phelen, the current manager of the Company’s Gardens. As a horticulturist he has had years of experience planning and organising various projects in places such as New York, the Comores and Paarl Parks. The latest project in the old Company’s Gardens aims to recreate the vegetable and fruit trees from the very early days of its establishment.

After the guided tour Friends will walk to the National Library where Ms Najwa Hendrickse will give a conducted tour and introduce us to some of the wonderful material that is hidden but accessible to those curious enough to need it. Najwa is the Chief Librarian in the Information Access Services Programme which includes the reference section, reading room and special collections.

Cost: Members R50; non-members: R60

Booking and payment in advance is essential on all outings in order to secure your place as numbers are limited.

REPORTBACKS MOSSEL BAY IN JUNE

The Friends had an opportunity to visit the Pinnacle Point archaeological site. Professor Curtis Marean and his colleague, Dr Eric Fisher, both from the Institute of Human Origins at the Arizona State University gave a conducted tour of the excavation site. They explained the history of the site and their current research in great detail. It was wonderful standing where the San lived as was the opportunity to observe the meticulous mapping and observation being done. We learnt a lot of about archaeological research.

Before dinner Dr Hayley Cawthra presented a fascinating talk on 750 million years of the southern margin of our south-east coastline. This was very interesting and pointed the way to our explorations the next day.

On the following day we drove to Klein Brak to look at the coastal structures. This was fascinating and made it possible for us to understand the coastal geology. After this we visited the Groot Brak Museum where the curator took us on a tour of the collection he built up during the 10 years he has lived in the area.

On our return to Mossel Bay we were hosted by the Friends of the Dias Museum. A substantial lunch was on offer before we were taken on a conducted tour. This is a very impressive museum with a great historical story as well as an interesting shell collection.

Rosemary Smythe

WELLINGTON IN JULY

The group of Friends who drove out to Wellington on a sunny winter day enjoyed a ‘day with a difference’. The first stop was the J Sedgwick Distillery where we had a guided tour of South Africa’s only whisky distillery. The mechanically minded were fascinated by the complexities of the process involved in producing the final product. The tour ended with a tasting of the award-winning whiskies produced in the distillery.

The group then drove to a nearby farm, Welbedacht, where we enjoyed lunch at the restaurant, No 6, before heading off to an Alpaca farm in a tranquil rural setting surrounded by mountains. Here we learnt about these gentle animals and the process involved in turning their wool into different items of clothing.

A thoroughly enjoyable day thanks to Munro for planning and unusual day for the Friends.

DESIGN AND MAKING – The story of food with Marjorie Naidoo

FIRED - An exhibition of South African ceramics

A morning spent visiting the Design and Making and Fired exhibitions at the Castle was filled with contrasts – both the old and the new. Design and Making is a World Design Capital project that tracks the storage of food through the centuries to the present. Illustrating this progression are items from Iziko’s Social History collections as well as modern day methods of storage and preservation. This is an interesting concept that shows food as a basic necessity, a trading commodity, a luxury as well as how industry, science and art have all had a place in the process. This exhibition will be at the Castle until Sunday 2 November.

Fired is a permanent Iziko exhibition in the Granary at the Castle, It shows an interesting variety of items from Iziko’s Social History collections and includes examples of the earliest indigenous pottery made in South Africa, going back some 2 000 years, through to contemporary creations. Fired focuses on ceramics made by rural African potters, studio potters, production potteries and contemporary ceramic artists in South Africa. Collected over a period of more than a hundred years, the ceramics include items from archaeological excavations, fieldtrips, private donations, sponsorships and purchases from commercial galleries and auctions, or directly from artists.

Special thanks to Marjorie Naidoo and Esther Esmyol who made this a most enjoyable and interesting morning.

WALKABOUT AT THE CASTLE

The winter weather did not deter our group as we explored the Castle of Good Hope with Iziko guide Lungile Gadezweni. We discovered areas of the Castle most of us had not previously seen and learnt about the history and some of the people who had lived there. Many in the group admitted to not having visited the Castle for many years but would be back again because there was so much to discover and revisit. Thanks to our charming guide Lungile Gadezweni for making our morning very interesting.

Above: Friends enjoying the Castle walkabout

Below: History carved on doors of prison at the Castle

ROBBEN ISLAND: A GEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The fourth Friends overnight excursion to Robben Island to look at the geology of the island with Dr John Rogers can best be described as a magical experience.

Friends travelled to the island in good weather. After ‘checking in’ at the medium security prison, we were taken by bus to the maximum security prison for a tour and a talk presented by one of the previous political prisoners.

The first look at the geology on the island started with a walk from the prison to the beach adjoining the harbour, via Robert Sobukwe’s house, and then on to the lime quarry where we spent an interesting hour looking at various ancient features that Dr Rogers pointed out before we strolled back to the prison in which we stayed to have a braai under a star studded sky. The more energetic walked to the lighthouse after supper, passing thousands of squawking seagulls that don’t seem to ever sleep.

We set out the following morning in perfect weather to walk around the island, stopping at various interesting sites, including a modern shingle beach, ancient beaches and the Van Riebeeck quarry. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Langbaai and then walked across the island back to the lighthouse and finally to the prison to collect our luggage and begin the journey back.

It is difficult to describe just how wonderful it is to be allowed to walk around on the Island. It is a truly unique place, steeped in history and replete with interesting features. There is something for everyone interested in the natural sciences – geology, botany, marine biology and ornithology.

For those Friends who have not enjoyed the privilege of going in this excursion I recommend that you consider joining us when we next go to Robben Island.

Munro Bloch

SOUTH AFRICAN BREWERIES AND JOSEPHINE MILL

The Friends started the tour of the Brewery with earphones and ‘goggles’ as we were going into a very loud environment. We were told about the history of the area and how this had become the first brewery in the country. The control room was fascinating as every single step in the process was controlled from there. The assembly lines and the statistics were mind blowing as the quantities are so large, especially the number of empties per day that were washed, sterilised, refilled and shipped out again the following day. The noise was incredible and earphones proved to be essential. In the last area we visited we tasted four beers and were told about the ingredients.

We then walked over to The Josephine Mill where we were met by Tony Davenport, an avid historian on the history of the Mill. This was all very informative and interesting. Some of the old equipment is on display and a demonstration of the milling of flour was done.

There are plans and hopes that the Brewery, Josephine Mill and the Liesbeek River will eventually be included in the plans for an historical precinct that will celebrate these important places.

Rosemary Smythe

PLANNING AHEADKOGELBERG NATURE RESERVE: 1–2 MARCH 2015

The Friends will be visiting this very special Biosphere in March next year.

The group will be lead by a well-known guide through the local Fynbos in this picturesque nature reserve.

In order to keep this as affordable as possible we will only stay one night in the beautiful new eco-friendly self-catering cabins. This will mean an early start from Cape Town, ± 2 hours, so that we can begin walking by 09:00. We will be able to store our cooler bags safely indoors before beginning the walk.

As with all Cape Nature bookings we are required to pay by the end of November this year to secure this booking. So in order to plan ahead it will be important to have your commitment, and payment, by 30 November. If the number of bookings is not sufficient we will unfortunately lose the booking.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

When booking it is important to include your Wild-card number. If you do not have a Wild Card you will be required to pay a Conservation fee of R40 per day.

Cost: Members – R 670; non-members – R700

2015 SUBSCRIPTIONS

Membership of the Friends is for a calendar year and therefore becomes due for renewal by 31 December. The rates for 2015 are shown below. However, if you joined after 1 September this year your membership will run through to December 2015. A renewal form is included. Please ensure that it is completed and returned along with your proof of payment. If making payment by cash or with a cheque it is important that you include R20 to cover the bank charges which will be levied to the Friends account. An EFT is the only method of payment that does not incur bank charges.

CATEGORY WITH EMAIL WITHOUT EMAIL

Seniors & stu-dents

R 165.00 R 235.00

Individuals R 235.00 R 305.00

Family(2 adults + 2 children)

R 385.00 R 460.00

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS

It is a pleasure to welcome new members to the Friends and we look forward to meeting you all at future Friends activities.

Sam GreyvensteinLucille KaspersonElaine KaspersonZachariah Khanzadeh

Maxine DaviesFriends of Iziko South African Museum

Thanks to Sam Greyvenstein for the Robben Island photos and Dr Roger Smith for the above of Table Mountain from the ferry.