Natalia 31 (2001) complete

THE NATAL SOCIETY OFFICE BEARERS 2001- 2002 President Vice-Presidents Trustees Treasurers Auditors Director Secretary S.N. Roberts T.B. Frost Professor A. Kaniki MJ.C. Daly Professor A. Kaniki S.N. Roberts KPMG - A.L. Norman Messrs Thomton-Dibb, Van der Leeuw and Partners lC. Morrison Mrs M. Maxfield COUNCIL Elected Members S.N. Roberts (Chairman) Professor A. Kaniki (Vice Chairman) Professor A.M. Barrett M.H. Comrie P. Croeser MJ.C. Daly lM. Deane M. Francis MrsM.Msomi Miss N. Naidoo A.L. Singh Ms P.A. Stabbins EDITORIAL COMMITTEE OF NATALIA Editor M.H. Comrie Dr w.H. Bizley J.M. Deane T.B. Frost Professor W.R. Guest Dr D. Herbert F.E. Prins J. Sithole Mrs S.P.M. Spencer Dr S. Vietzen G.D.A. Whitelaw Secretary DJ. Buckley (Retired November 2001 ) Natalia 31 (2001) Copyright Natal Society Foundation 2010Natalia Journal ofthe Natal Society No. 31 (December 2001) Published by Natal Society I.ibrary P.O. Box 415. Piclcnnarilzburg .;200, South Africa SA ISSN Om;S-3674 Cover Picture A youthful reader in the Natal Society Library. The child is Elizabeth Gordon (now Mrs Hilton), daughter of the late Dr Ruth Gordon, well-known teacher and historian. Mrs Hilton now lives in England. Dl!(!set hy M.J. Marwick Printed by Natal Witness Commercial Prillt"rs (Ptr) Ltd Contents ?({Ucc.., EDITORIAL ................................................................................. iv NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATAL SOCIETY....... v REPRINTS The Natal Society 1851-1951 Alan Hattersley............................................. ......................... 2 The Natal Literary Society Bazaar 1876 Lady Barker ........................................................................... 8 ARTICLES Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid Jewel K(}OPI1lIlIl ..................................................................... 11 The Natal Society Library: Looking Forward John Morrison ....................................................................... 25 Post Carts in Southem Natal and East Griqualand Ken Strachan and Milner Snell ............................................ 30 Maqhamusela Khanyile's life and testimony Alan Paton and Neville Nuttall: A Literary Friendship 'Maritzburg's most f ~ l l 1 l O U S accident Margarete Niirnberger............................................. ............. 34 Jolyon iVl/fl(/1l .. ......... ... .... ..... ............................................... 53 The J.H. Hofmeyr Memorial Tmst in Natal 1949-2000 John Dcul1c.. ........ .. ............. . ..... ........................................... 58 Bill Bizlel .............................................................................. 64 Review Essay: At the Altar of Ethnography Bencdict Carton .................................................................... 68 OBITUARIES Clement Abbott ...................................................................... 73 George Bishop ................................ ..... ..... ...... ... ..... ........ ....... 74 Phillip AlexanderClancey ...................................................... 75 Loma Davies ............. ..... ............. ......... ..... ..... ..... ................... 77 Renee Haygarth (nee Schuurman) ......................................... 78 Ruth Edgecombe .................................................................... 70 NOTES AND QUERIES ............................................................... 81 SELECT LIST OF RECENT KWAZULU-NATAL PUBLICATIONS ........................................ 80 INDEX TONATALIA VOLS 1-30.................................. ............... IX) Editorial The compilation of Natalia 31 has coincided with the I 50th anniversary of the Natal Society. It is appropriate that this issue should open with a note from the current President, Mr Simon Roberts. In marking this occasion, Natalia reprints the paper on the centenary ofihe Society written by Alan Hattersley for the Quarterly Bulletin ofthe South AMcan Librmy of March 1951. Hattersley notes that the objects of the Society, as defined in 1865, laid stress on the 'acquisition and preservation ofinformation oflocal value and interest, and the genera I encouragement of habits of study, investigation and research within the Colony' - a purpose which this journal still serves. Together with Hattersley's paper, wc also reprint Lady Barker's account of the grand bazaar of 1876, with an introduction by Dr Sylvia Vietzen. Through an account of the contributions of Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid, the affairs of the Society arc brought up to date in an article by Jewel Koopman, while the Director of the Library, John Morrison, looks ahead at the challenges facing the library in the future. As libraries are (amongst other things) repositories ofliterature, the article by Jolyon Nuttall on the long friendship between his father and Alan Paton a reworking for Natalia of some of the material researched for his recently published book - throws interesting light on the author of one of South Africa's most celebrated novels. Paton was also the biographer ofJan Hofmeyr, so that John Deane's paper on the J.H. Hofineyr Memorial Trust provides a second link to him in this number ofNatalia. Our most substantial article is a study by Margarete Niirnberger of the events surrounding the death of Maqhamusela Khanyile, the Zulu Christian whose martyrdom is today acknowledged by both the Lutheran and Anglican churches. Milner SneII and the late Ken Strachan haw provided an account of the post carts which carried the mails through southern Natal in the late 19th and early 20th century. Bill Bizley contributes a short article on the 1932 collision between a train and a tram at the Mayor's Walk level crossing in Pietermaritzburg. Rather than a book review, Benedict Carton offers a review essay on the newest instalment of the James Stuart Archive. We offer also the usual assortment of Notes and Queries, book notices, and, sadly, obituaries. During the year, Dr Dai Herbert tendered his resignation from the Editorial Committee. Wc regret that the pressure of work at the Natal Museum has drawn him away from us, but wc weleome to the committee labulani Sithole ofthe School ofHuman and Social Studies at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg. Another significant change was the retirement of David Buckley from the Natal Society Library staff and hence th1l11 his post as secretary to Nafalia. More than a minutes secretary whose meticulous records were a great boon to a succession ofeditors, David was a valued member ofthe Editorial Committee who provided a number of notes and short articles. His final great contribution is the updated Index which is appended to this edition ofNatalia. We wish him well in his retirement. v Finally, we note with sadness the passing ofEstelle Gericke. A long-serving teacher of history, Miss Gericke was a prime mover in initiating and gaining acceptance for field trips and excursions, and so must be given credit for having put many school pupils in direct touch with the rich historical heritage of the province. Through her influence, many youngsters found the study of history to be truly fascinating and rewarding. MORAYCOMRIE NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATAL SOCIETY The Natal Society now has some 50 000 members. The main thrust of its activity is of course the library which, in addition to the main branch in the substantial building on Freedom Square and the Lambert Wilson Centre, administers branches in Northdale, Eastwood, Woodlands, Sobantu, i\shdown and Georgetown. together with a mobile library and a housebound service. The library is also linked to the electronic referencing systems of Sa bin et and the University of Natal. On avcrage, there are about 106 463 issues each month, and, in collaboration with the provincial library service, the Society is exploring the possibility of establishing two more branch libraries, one in the Vulindlela area and the other in Scottsville. Overseeing the activities of the Society and its library is an elected Council of fourteen members, which includes representatives of substantial donors such as the municipality. Indeed, city council is thc major channel of funding to the library. For the Natal Society, as for many other institutions whose primary function is to serve the community. the flow of money is seldom adequate. Despite the fact that the salaries and allowances of library employees are genera Ily less than those received by library staff elsewhere in the Republic. out ofthe annual budget ofsome R7.5 million only R3XO 000 is available for the purchase of books. With book prices rising steadily. it is increasingly difficult for the lihrary to maintain an appropriate holding. The Council is endeavouring to ohtain grants from charitable trusts overseas. Not only has the library grown immensely over the years, but it has been greatly transformed, and is by no means an elitist or neo-colonial organization. Colonialism may have been behind the foundation ofthe Society, in that its founders wanted to provide accurate infon11ation ahout the colony to prospective settlers in Britain and Europe, but the thrust to make it a free resource open to the whole community came from within. Not only do most of the branch lihraries now sene formerly disadvantaged communities, hut informal checks at thc main hranch indicate that some 93% ofthe people using the facility are not white, with the O\'erwhelming majority (more than HO";;)) being African. Stafling of the library shows a similar trend. The motto of the Society, Lux in TCllchris (which loosely translates as 'a light in the darkness') is as apt today as it has always heen. The Natal Society 1851-1951 The record ofthe Natal Society, this month celebrating its centenary, shows what can be accomplished by unremitting patience and sturdy enterprise. The Society began its career in the year of the Great Exhibition with singularly few advantages. Pietermaritzburg, not yet a colonial capital, since Natal was to remain for another five years a mere district ofthe Cape Colony, had begun to grow but at no sensational rate, and its white population only just topped the 1,000 mark. Much of it was still green; and the general aspect was that ofa north-country English village, rather than a town. It had possessed a library and reading room, and even the nucleus of a museum, since 1846; but the volumes that weighted its shelves had been loaned, or, in some cases, donated, by members. In this The Natal Society Library. 201 Longmarket Street, 1878-1975. Natalia 31 (2001), Alan Hattersley pp. 2- 7 3 The Natal Society 1851-1951 enterprise, the youthful David Dale Buchanan, protege and partner of the great George Greig, must be credited with the initial steps. He transformed 'The Book Society of Pietermaritzburg', formcd in Fcbruary lR46 with a committee of four (the Amcrican missionary, Danicl Lindlcy, ex-Ianddrost Zietsman, 1.D. Marquard, soon to become teacher at the government school, and J.M. Howell, whom Cloete had struck off the roll of advocates for contumacy) into a 'Public Library' (1849), serving a term as secretary and using the infant Witness to urgc thc youth ofPietermaritzburg to 'prcfcr attending a series of useful lectures or historical readings to monotonous solitude or the injurious sociality ofthc canteen'.l In those days there could be little ofthe ceaseless experimenting to please the public, for subscriptions were exhausted in the hire ofa room; and during the second year of the library's existence only one book was actually purchased. This was Caroline Fry's The Listener, two volumes of dreary essays and moralising tales extracted from her monthly pcriodical Assistant of Education. Until Edward London's arrival in 1850, there was nothing resembling a bookshop in the small town; and, had it not been for the generosity of Henry Cloctc, who loaned over 100 volumes from his own library, there could not, even in so small a community, have been enough literature to go round. Interest seems to have died away in 1850, no doubt because of the insufficiency of books to which the ordinary uncultured reader could turn for pleasure or solace. When, in May 1851, the Natal Society was launched, books were not the major concern. During the preceding two years nearly 5,000 new settlers had reached Natal from the United Kingdom. They had been induced to emigrate by the highly coloured descriptions ofthe new colony written by le. Byrne and other promoters of oversea settlement. On their arrival, they had found only too good reason for distrusting information afforded by persons interested in the disposal of colonial land or the freighting of ships. The object which brought new settler and old colonist together, on a bitterly cold night when snow lay thick on the hills above Fort Napier was the collection and publication of 'full and accurate information as to its (Natal's) physical resources, its social condition and the practical advantages it offers to the European settler. .. under the auspices of an organisation which, by its freedom from political objects on the one hand and from all connection with emigration schemcs and mercantile enterprise on the other, shall command and secure universal rcspect and confidence.' The 'Natal and East African Society' thus auspiciously launched (9 May I R51) was intended to be a representative colonial institution, the local counterpart of such association in the United Kingdom as the Royal Colonial Institute, established in 1864 to make actual conditions in British territories oversea widely known. The Society regarded itsclf as a publishing agency, relying on the public lecture and the newspaper article rather that on the published volume. It concerned itself with the opening up of facilities for production and trade; and when, in I R54, reports appeared in the colonial press alleging the discovery of gold in the vicinity ofTable Mountain, its Council published a warning that 'although willing to believe in the possibility of such discoverics, (they) have not yet been able to obtain any tangible evidence ofthe truth of these auriferous rumours.' A new set of rules adopted in 1865 reaffirmed the objects of the Society, laying stress on thc 'acquisition and preservation of information oflocal value and interest, and the gcneral encouragemcnt of habits of study, investigation and research within the Colony'. 4 The Natal Society 1851-1951 Little is known of the first librarian, George Challoner. He may perhaps be identitIed with a fellow-passenger of Charles Barter on the barque Globe. He was soon replaced by John Meek. who had been born within a year of the Declaration of American Independence. A Londoner. Meek listened spellbound to debates in the Commons. recalling the eloquence or Charles .lames Fox and the younger Piu. He died in Pietermaritzburg at the age or 91. Alexander Beale was appointed to succeed Meek in August 1865, and his reign was to last for a period of nearly 36 years. He was a short, sturdily built man with a wooden Icg and a most genial manner. Much as he loved the books over which he presided, he was not a learned man, and he once defined 'autobiography' to a perplexed subscriber as 'a book by an author unknown'. The Society petitioned again and again for a grant ofland on which to erect suitable premises; but, prompted by the Secretary of Sate, the colonial authorities invariably refused thcse requests. Benjamin Pine, however, agreed to a grant of 50, raised subsequently to I 00. on condition that the public should be !i'eely admitted to the rooms. Meantime its books and museum specimens were accommodated in a wing of the government schoolroom. not yet converted into a colonial legislative chamber. Premises were soon found at the lower cnd or erf 29 Church Street, adjoining Otto Street. and here Meek performed his not very arduous duties. In January 1861 the Society moved to 'a new and commodious room,' The room was over the Commercial and Agricultural Bank in Central Church Street (erf 22), The building adjoined Henry Pepworth's 'Manchester House', and outside staircase giving access to the library on the first floor. A lecture room at the back was occasionally used for 'mechanies' classes', the most popular subject being elementary science. By good fortune, the first superintendent of education, Dr. RJ, Mann, 'a talkative gentleman with a slight I isp, a soft manner and an enormous range of knowledge' ,2 was at this time (1864-67) President. Under his superintendence, progress was made with classification of the museum specimens. Mann realised that development or the Colony's resources would be tileilitated by collection of every sort of scientific data, The middle sixties witnessed the first serious enquiry into the possibility of opening up the coal beds of Natal. To the bewildering assortment that already fcstooned the walls and crowded the meager shelves or the tiny museum, Mann added mineralogical specimens. But a salaried curator was beyond the means of the Society. Occasional requests for specimens of the flora and fauna of the district reached the government. In 1855, Dr. Sutherland. himselfa scientist ofno mean rcputc, forwarded to the British Museum, as a contribution from the Natal Society, 'some shells and prcserved fish'. Eight years later. the colonial secretary, David Erskine, was at a loss to comply with an invitation from the Acclimatization Society of Melbourne to send' characteristic animals and game birds'. After consultation with John Bird, then prcsiding over the Society's Council, he collected and dispatched 'a stuffed bastardeland and onc large python', The museum was never strong on the zoological side. and in 1876 Robert Russellli'ankly admitted that 'a small glass case contains a very meager collection of objects, the beginnings of a museum'.3 The emphasis on research was not altogether to the taste of those who regarded the institution as primarily a circulating library. There were recurrent complaints of neglect and even parsimony in the purchase of books and periodicals. Though formal school ing was uncertain and capricious and there was no legal compulsion to send children to 5 The Natal Society 1 8 5 1 ~ 1 9 5 1 school, the standard of literacy in Natal in mid-Victorian times was probably higher than in many parts of the Unitcd Kingdom. The demand for books was growing, and popular literature was never sufficiently plenti ful to satisfy subscribers. Newspapers were too dear to be bought by all readers, though the Witness was sometimes distributed gratuitously, whilst the COllrier, in the early sixties, made no charge for the second (Friday) issue. Tardy and infrequent communications kept newspapers and periodicals from the Cape and oversea on the Society's tables long after their covers had become dusty and hopelessly outdated. As regards books, a report. published in July 1856, admitted that means were 'so wholly inadequate that there is no probability of any addition of standard works to those already in the library'. Straitened circumstances forced the Council to continue to depcnd largely on donations of books. In 1861, a fev. months after his briefvisit to Pietermaritzburg. the youthful Prince Alfred prescnted to the Society The Pic/orial History of England, in six volumes. The Principal Speeches and Addresses ofH.R. H the Prince Consort, with Queen Victoria's autograph, was a muehvalued gift from his Illother. Ilard times were experienced in the late sixties when, owing to the severe slump, the gove1l11llent grant had to be withdrawn. Since, however, acccss to the reading-room seemed to the Council to be 'the only regular means of recreation and instruction in the city', nonsubscribers eontinucd to be admitted gratuitously to the library, which was now situated in what Beale later described as 'a dingy little building' at the corner of Chapel and Church Streets. TIIumination was by candle. Gas was never available, but improvemcnt camc \vith the installation of oil lamps with circular wicks and glass chimneys. A period of prosperity set in in 1875 when the Rev . .I.E. Carlyle was elected President. The Society had moved from Church Street to Timber Street (no. 18), paying three pounds a month rent for a single ro0111. In the lean years, land and building had been offered to the Society for 300, but subscriptions were in arrear and the SUIll could not be raised. Now, in 1876, the Society could appeal to the public with better prospects of Sllccess. Sir Garnet Wolseley's visit had been followed by the decision to build a colonial railroad, and a brighter future for the Colony seemed assured. Like the Dutch Reformed Church in recent years, the Council made application to the Town Council for a site on the market square on which to erect a worthy building. Less successful, since it could plead no official promises dating back to the original layout of the town, the Society resolved to raise sufficient money to acquire a suitable site.4 Its 'grand bazaar and colonial exhibition', with 'contributions from London and Paris, from Italy and Vienna, from India and Australia; to say nothing of Kaffir weapons and wooden utensils. livestock, vegetables and flowers" brought in the splendid alllount of2,000 guineas. It was a social event, perhaps the most brilliant in the history of the small colonial capital. The bazaar itsclfwas opcned on May 23 by the Governor, Sir Henry Bulwer, and the celebrations closed with a promenade conccrt in the evening. The Natal Society had been incorporated two years earlier; and, with the proceeds of the ba7.aar, it secured land on erf20 Longmarket Street and erected a building which was opened to the public in February 1 xn. There were to be no further removals and when, in the 20th century, the rooms became quite inadequate to house the overflowing books, a handsome double-storeyed addition brought the front right up to the street. Meanwhile, in 1902, the new Government Museum had acquired the Society's scientitic specimens. Seldom \isited and a little forlorn, the collection had been augmented 6 The Natal Society 1851-1951 by gifts from other parts ofSouthern Africa. In 1884, according to Henry Bale,6 it numbered over 3,000 specimens. Among the undoubted treasures transferred to the new museum was the Treasury Chest ofthe Batavian Government at the Cape, sent to Natal in 1846 and used by Theophilus Shepstone for the first collection of hut tax.7 Its stock of books in 1878 was, by modem standards, inconsiderable; nevertheless, it was 'by far the best public library in the Colony'.8 References to the contents of the library in earlier years and to the relative popularity of books are disappointingly casual. With no surviving catalogue ofthe Victorian period, it is difficult to discover how much was accessible to subscribers, and consequently to know on what the thought of the reading public was based. In the days before the opening of bookshops, colonial newspaper offices might hold in stock some volumes of general interest and utility. Buchanan's Witness Office advertised in 1846, Alicia and her Aunt, or Think Before You Speak, The Juvenile Naturalist, and Peter Wilkins s Travels. In later years, Beale occasionally referred to the taste ofthe Society's subscribers. In the early 'nineties, the most popular authors were Marie Corelli and Mrs Henry Wood; and the books in greatest demand Marcella, Silver Domino, and An American Girl in London. From its foundation, the Society sought to widen popular knowledge by means of the public lecture. During his initial year as President, Henry Cloete delivered a series of addresses 'on the emigration of the Dutch farmers from the Cape Colony', which were first published in 1852 by James Archbell from the Natal Independent Office, the original manuscript remaining in the Society's possession. Most of the early public lectures had reference to the local circumstances ofNatal, the opening year's speakers including Dr. Charles Johnston, a former editor ofthePictorial Times, who was to write the first scientific treatise on the pathology of the Natal region. In fact the Society functioned as a publishing agency, though it was never able to accumulate the capital to undertake publishing risks on its own account. It was the Society's Council that requested Sir Henry Bulwer on 8 June 1883 to 'make such arrangements as will enable Mr. Bird to enter upon the work' of compiling the annals of Natal, suggesting that he should be allowed access to the public records. The Annals ofNatal were mainly compiled from official sources; but Bird had access, in the rooms ofthe Natal Society, to rare printed and manuscript material, some of which has, alas, disappeared with the passing ofthe years. Enough remains to justify a description of the library as the most valuable collection ofNataliana in the Union. Of the great treasures, the W.J. Irons letterbook and the detailed narratives ofearly settlers assembled in 1896 by Christopher Bird were originally deposited in the strongroom of T. Carlyle Mitchell, for many years treasurer of the Society, but ultimately transferred for greater safety on loan to the Natal archives. Custody was retained of a precious annotated copy ofW.M. Dick's Prophet Ignoramus (1876), various letters, pamphlets and schoolbooks of Bishop Colenso, printed at Ekukanyeni, an early copy ofD6hne's Zulu-Kafrr dictionary, Donald Moodie's published work, including rare pamphlets printed in Pietermaritzburg in the 'fifties, and files ofearly Natal newspapers, including the first three years ofthe Natal Witness. The more important public lectures delivered under the auspices of the Society were usually printed, one which broke new ground being an address on The Curiosities ofSouth African Literature read by W.R. Morrison on 25 October 1907. 7 The Natal Society 1851-1951 The coming ofUnion brought recognition ofthe special standing ofthe Society as a colonial institution and not merely a local circulating library, and it became onc orthe four great collections to which, under copyright law, a copy ofevery work published in the Union must be sent for deposit. At the same time, the Society endeavoured to maintain those cultural activities that have always been associated with its name. The period of presidential office ofIan Fraser (1937-46), thc longest in the history ofthe Society, was noteworthy for the activity of the drama group; and, when the time came in May 1949 to celebrate the centenary of the early Natal settlers, in was appropriate that the Society's contribution should have been the revival of dramatic pieces played before colonial audiences in mid-Victorian times. On the eve of its own centenary, the Society, financially reinforced by the generous recognition ofthe Natal provincial authorities, seems well situated to combine the functions of a central circulating library with continued patronage of the arts and guardianship of what has survived of the precious scraps of early printed literature, without which knowledge ofthe pioneering days of Natal must fast vanish into the limbo oflost memones. ALAN F. HATTERSLEY 1. The Natal Witness, 22 Jan. 1847. 2. "Life in Natal", Cape MOI//hIF Magadn(', iv. (1872). 3. ReporT, 3 Aug. 1 R76, on ljterary Institutions receiving grants, N.P.P. vol. 115 (Natal archives). 4. A private bill was promoted in the Legislative Council to authorise the City Council to make a grant of land on the market square to the Natal Society. It was thrown out, Sept. 1876. 5. Lady Barker, A l,'ar:S HOllsekeeping in S. Aj'rica (1879), p. 225. 6. Letter to the Nalal Witness, 27 Nov. 1 7. Alricana Notes & News, iii (1945-6), pp. 4S-7. 8. Report, 3 Aug. 1876, N.P.P. voJ. liS (Natal archives). The Natal Literary Society Bazaar 1876 as described by Lady Barker Introduction Of the various cOll1mentaries on nineteenth century Natal, Lady Barker's /1 Year \' HOllsekeeping in SOllth Aji"ica (London. Macmillan 1877) must be one of the most lively. This is evident in her letter dated 3 June 1876 in which she described the bazaar held in Pietennaritzburg to raise funds for the Natal Literary Society in its effort to establish a Public Library and Reading Room. Lady Barker was born Mary Anne Stewart in Jamaica in 1831, the eldest child ofthe Island Secretary, Waiter Stewart. She joined her first husband, Sir George Barker, in India after the Mutiny and camped across the country with the army. When he died in 1861, she returned to England and later sailed to New Zealand with her second husband, Frederick Napier Broome. Her letters from their sheep station, 'Broomielaw', some forty five miles from Christchmch, wcre published asStalivll Lile in New Zealand (London, Macmillan 1870). In 1868 they returned to London where Lady Barker published eight books and served as Lady Superintendent of the new National School of Cookery. In 1875 Frederick Broollle was appointed colonial secretary or Natal and Lady Barker followed with their two young sons, Guy and Louis. Her letters 'home' during her year in [\atal form the basis ofA Year 5' Housekeeping in SOlllh AMeli. Weakened by dysentery, she returned to England in November 1876. After a later spell in Mauritius. she accompanied Broome to Western Australia in 1883 when he became governor of that colony. The Broomes left Perth in December 1889 and returned to England. After a short spell as acting governor of Barbados and governor of Trinidad, Broome died in 1896. Lady Barker died in London on 7 March 1911 after a widowhood of considerably reduced circumstances. Altogethcr, Lady Barker published 22 books. Thcsc included, among other things, travel experiences, children's stories, and cooking and housekeeping guides. Only her last one, Colonial Memo,.ies (London. Smith, Elder & Co. 19(4) was published under the name of Lady Broome. Tradition has it that she used the name Lady Barker until Broome received Cl knighthood in 1884. Perhaps a fairer explanation would be that it was customary to retain Cl title on which receipt of a posthumous pension depended. Lady Barker was a prominent Victorian personality who fulfilled various roles: author, editor, traveller, soldier's wife, fanner's wife and a woman well-versed in the ways Nawlia 31 (2001), Lady Barker pp. 8-10 9 The Natal Literary Society Bazaar 1876 of the colonial service. She had moved in London society and literary circles and did not hesitate to assess her surroundings in the light of how British 'civilised' standards were in evidence and to what extent she could further thcm. She found 'poor sleepy Maritzburg ... the shabbiest assemblage or dwellings I have ever seen in a colony.' [n November 1875, soon after her arrival in Natal, she joined the committee planning the Natal Literary Society Bazaar for May 1876 and worked with vigour and humour towards transplanting this aspect or British culture into the infant colony. Any serious historical assessment of Lady Barker would have to take account or present trends in the study of white colonial women, which go far beyond their role as transmitters of the British way oflife to 'heathen lands afar'. [n the immediate context of commemorating the founding of The Natal Society, it is of interest, indeed of appreciation if not a little amusement, that one reads Lady Barker's superior and not altogether politically correct account of early Maritzburg society - with its multi cultural character not escaping her observant eye - setting out on its literary and educational pilgrimage. SYLV[A V[ETZEN Lady Barker's account A bazaar in Africa MARITZBURG, June 3, 1876 Dust and the Bazaar: those are the only topics [ have for you. Perhaps I ought to put the Bazaar first, for it is past and over, to the intense thankfulness of everybody, buyers and sellers included; whereas the dust abides with us forever, and increases in volume and density and restlessness more and more. It is very wrong to pass over our great Bazaar with so little notice. [ daresay in England you think that you know something about bazaars, but I assure you you do not: not about such a bazaar as this. at all events. We have been preparing for it. working for it, worrying for it. advertising it, building it -- of zinc and calico - decorating it. and generally slaving at it, for a year and more. When I arrived the first words [ heard were about the Bazaar. When [ tried to get someone to help me with my stall I was laughed at. All the young ladies in the place had been secured months before, as saleswomen. I don't know what I should have done if a very charming lady had not arrived soon after I did. No sooner had she set foot on shore than I rushed at her and snapped her up before anyone else knew she had come, for I was quite desperate, and felt it was my only chance. However, luck was on my side, and my fair A.D.e. made up in energy and devotion to the cause for half-a-dozen less enthusiastic assistants. All this time [ have ne\'Cf told you what the Bazaar was for, or why we all threw ollrselves into it with so much ardour. It was for the Natal Literary Society, which has been in existence for some little time, struggling to form the nucleus of a Public Library and Reading-room, giving lectures, and so forth, to provide some sort of elevating and refining influence for the more thoughtful townspeople. It has been very uphill work, and there is no doubt that the promoters and supporters deserve a good deal of credit. They had met with the usual fate of sllch pioneers of progress; they had been over10 The Natal Litermy Society Bazaar 1876 whelmed with discouraging prophecies of all kinds of disaster, but they can turn the table now on their tormentors. The building did llOt take tire, nor was it robbed: there were no riots; all the boxes arrived in time; everybody was in the sweetest temper; none of the stallholders died for want of fresh air (these were among the most encouraging prognostics); and last, not least. after paying all expenses, 2,000 guineas stand at the Bank to the credit of the Society. I must say Twas astonished at the financial result, and very delighted, too. for it is an excellent undertaking, and one in which I feel the warmest interest, but this sum. large as it is for our slender resources, will only barely build a place suitable for a library and reading-room, and go to forn1 the nucleus ofa museum. We want gifts of books, and maps, and prints, and nice things of all kinds; and I hope some day it may occur to some one to help us in this way. Everybody trom far and near came to the bazaar and bought liberally. The things provided were selected with a view to the wants of a community which has not a large margin for luxuries, and although they were very pretty, there was a strong element of practical usefulness in everything. Tt must have been a perfect carnival for the little ones: such blowing of whistles and trumpets, such beating of drums and tossing of gay balls in the air as was to be seen all around. Little girls walked about hugging newlyacquired dolls with an air of bewildered maternal happiness, whilst on every side you heard boys comparing notes as to the prices of cricket bats; for your true colonial boy has always a keen sense of the value of money or the merits of carpenter's tools. There were contributions from London and Paris, from Italy and Vienna. from India and Australia; to say nothing ofKafir weapons and wooden utensils, live stock, vegetables, and flowers. Everybody responded to our entreaties, and helped us most liberally and kindly, and wc arc all immensely delighted with the financial result. Some of our best customers were funny old Dutchmen from far up-country, who had come down to the races and the agricultural show which were all going on at the same time. They recklessly bought the most astounding things. hut wisely made it a condition of purchase that they should not be required to take away the goods. In fact they hit upon the expedient of presenting to one stall what they bought at another; and one worthy, who looked for all the world as ifhe had sat for his portrait in dear old Geoffrey Crayon's Sketch-book, brought a large wax doll, dressed as a bride. and implored us to accept it at our stall, and so rid him of its companionship. An immense glass vase was bestowed on us in a similar fashion later on in the evening, and at last wc quite came to hail the sight ofthose huge beaver hats with their broad brims and peaked crowns, as an omen of good fortune. Dedicated Lives: The roles played by Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid in the growth and development ofthe Natal Society Library Two of the strongest and most intluential and most dedicated personalities to affect the growth and development of the Natal Society Library were Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid. In the years of their involvement with the Natal Society Library, it grew from a small subscription library for whites only, to a large new modem multiracial free library. SueJudd In September 1950, Miss Ursula Judd was appointed Chief Librarian of the Natal Society Library. She preferred to be known by her nickname, Sue, rather than by her Christian name. Sue Judd was born in England in 1917 and arrived in Pietermaritzburg on her thirty-third birthday. Her mother was South African and her family had lived in South Africa from 1919 to 1925, and she had wanted to come back to her childhood home. She finished her schooling at Ackworth School in England and went on to obtain her Diploma in Librarianship at London University in 19411. She worked for the Westminster Public Libraries in London, and was put in charge of the Sue Judd Buckingham Palace Road Library after the premises had been damaged in an air raid, as she was such a capable and efficient person. In 1948 she joined the British Council for international service and was sent to Helsinki, Finland, Jamaica, and Lagos, Nigeria. In 1950 she joined the Natal Society Library, where she was to stay for the next 24 year5!. When Miss Judd arrived she found a small subscription library which had been functioning for almost a hundred years as the only library in Pietermaritzburg, the capital city at that time of Natal, South Africa. Up until 1949 the Natal Society Library had been battling with insufficient funding - their income having come from a combination of members' subscriptions, a Corporation grant, and a very small Provincial Council grant. Fortunately, in 1949, a delegation from the Natal Society Council, under the President, Mr lW. Hudson, had approached the City Council and the Provincial Executive Nalalia 31 (2001). Jewel Koopman pp. 11-24 12 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid Committee. Additional funds were not forthcoming in 1949, but the contributions for 1950 were increased. Staff salaries were increased and for the first time they were able to participate in a pension scheme. The Natal Society library building was at that time on the corner of Theatre Lane and Longmarket Street, consisting of the old block in Theatre Lane, originally built in 1876, and the 'new block' which had been added on in 1929, in Longmarket Street. It was a pleasant building, but it was overcrowded with books and periodicals, the library was understaffed, there was insufficient storage space for the Copyright Collection, and insufficient staff to classify it. The Lending Department in October 1954, just before the new entrance was made. Miss Judd was the first qualified librarian to be appointed to the Natal Society Library. Her first major task was to completely re-catalogue, reclassify and overhaul the Lending stock of 60,000 books, which she undertook with characteristic energy. In or- " der to cope with the neglected Copyright Collection, she turned the Members' Room into a Reference Department, and appointed the first Reference Librarian, Miss Margaret Brownlee, and staff. An effective classified Reference catalogue was begun at this stage. Under her direction, the staff attempted to replace copyright material which had previously been discarded due to lack of spacel. Additional storage rooms scattered around town were rented to store the copyright material4 . Miss Judd's efforts over the 24 years of her employment were to change the Natal Society Library from a small, cramped, struggling institution, to a major library, on a par with the best libraries in the rest of the country. She was the prime mover of the proposal for a free library. She was known for her dedication to her work, and she expected the same high standard ofcommitment from her staff. She was able to step into the shoes of any absent staff member and perform tasks at all levels. One fonner staff member said of her: ... for myself, she taught me an attitude to work that will never change, an integrity and responsibility that I am glad she was there to teach.' 13 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid Shortly after Miss Judd's arrival, the Natal Society celebrated its centenary. On 7 May 1951, Dr William J. O'Brien unveiled a centennial plaque in the Library. On 9 May 1951, the actual foundation date, Prof.G.H. Durrant was the guest speaker at a civic reception held at the City Hall. ProfHattersley gave a radio broadcast on the history of the Society, and wrote a brochure on the subject". This brochure was reprinted in various publications, and is still in use in the Reference Library today. There were four perfonnances by the Natal Society Drama Group ofThe Linden Tree by Priestley at the Rowe Hall, the proceeds being donated to the Society. From 7 to 12 May, an exhibition of books, photographs and items concerning the history of the Society was on view at the Library. To honour the Natal Society's centenary, the South African Library Association (SALA) Conference was held in Pietern1aritzburg in September 195 F. Two years later, a milestone was reached by the Drama Group, which had developed out of the Play Reading Group, when they built their own theatre, through the efforts of Mr Donald Spencer, the group's chairn1an, and the members. The Cygnet Theatre was opened on 20 October 1953 with the production Man and Superman, produced by Mrs lan Fraser, wife of the Natal Society Council president from 1938-1946. Pamela Reid It was through the drama group that Miss Pamela Reid initially came to be involved with the Natal Society. She had returned from a trip to England, feeling heartsore from a broken engagement, and was encouraged by her mother to take part in the Drama Group' s Nativity Play' . This led to other roles in Drama Group productions in the newly built theatre. Pamela Reid was born in Pietermaritzhurg in 1925, and attendcd first Girls' Collegiate and thcn Girls' High School. She then studied agriculture at the Bosehetto Agricultural College, and then at the Statens Pal1lc/a RcidForsgaard in Denmark. Her career was not in agriculturc, however, and she returned to Maritzburg to join the family furniture transportation business, and then opened her own record shop. She became the youngest city councillor ever elccted in October 1953. She first attended Natal Society Counci I meetings, not as a memher of the society but as the City Council representative, from 1953 to 1959. Other cultural activities which took place in 1953 were the monthly meetings ofthe Natal Society Rccorded Music Group, who possessed 'a very tine record-player impOl'ted from England"'. Miss Judd attached a typed note to a Programme of Free Gramophone Concerts' notes. to say that it had bcen a delightful evening, although cold. with a cosy fire and dimmed lightslO 'rhe Natal Society Library became headquarters for the Natal Branch of the South A ti'iean Library Association. Their most important meeting in 1953 was Dr E.H. Srookes' address on 'The political philosophy of Or Johnson '1 1. 14 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid In 1955, the Natal Society Writer's Group began. The group's aim was to assist writers by criticism oftheir work, and to help them find the best market for publication of their work. They met monthly in the Natal Society Committee Room. Their members did well in submitting stories to short story competitions and having articles published in magazinesl2. In 1953 structural alterations were made to convert the Members' Room into a Reference Department and to construct a smaller room elsewhere for members. It was decided to amalgamate the reference books with the copyright material as neither were available for home reading and both groups were closely related. A scheme for cataloguing the entire Copyright Collection was started, the periodicals were methodically displayed, listed and filed; the Government Gazettes were bound; and the maps were placed in a new fittingl3. A major fund-raising event was held in 1954. Miss Sue Judd and her great friend Miss Ruth Lundie were in charge ofthe 'Petticoat Lane' fete, which was held in Theatre Lane on Saturday, 4 September 1954. Many hundreds of members gave their services and contributions. Many stalls were set up, including books, stamps, white elephant, sweets, flowers, cakes, toys and music. There were sideshows, including a pavement artist, a balloon woman, an Italian ice-cream seller, a shoe-shine man and a puppet show. A profit of 511 was made, which provided half the funds needed for the alterationsl4. In 1954 an attractive new entrance was built facing onto Longmarket Street, much improving access to the library. This was made possible by a donation of 500 by the City Council to mark the occasion of the Borough Centenary, and the 511 raised at the September fete. A new up-to-date issue desk was also provided, the shelving in the Children's Section was improved, and a much needed staff workroom was providecfS. Mr lW. Hudson, President of the Natal Society Council, wrote a letter on 27 November 1954, in praise of Miss Judd's efforts: I would like you to know how much I congratulate you personally on the culmination of your fine efforts for the library. It was a fortunate day for the Council when it engaged you as Librarian. I hope that you will feel that the work has been worth while and that you will want to stay with the Society for many more years. 'By their deeds shall we know them. ' These improvements at the Library might well be known as the 'Judd developments' 10. Miss Reid was becoming increasingly involved with developments at the Natal Society Library, and was to be very much involved with the next development project, which was the opening ofthe Market Square Branch. As library services in South Africa were still segregated in the 1950s, and the Natal Society Library was for whites only, the 'non-whites' living in Pietermaritzburg were without library facilities. For this reason, the Natal Society Council gave consideration to a scheme for the provision oflibrary services for 'non-Europeans', as they were then known. A Committee was set up, consisting ofMrs D. Goodwin, Miss P. Reid, Mr C. Halle, Mr W. Martin and Miss U. Judd. Miss Ruth Lundie was later co-opted as Hon. TreasurerJ7. The initial functions of the committee were to raise money for a non-European library building and to negotiate with the City Council for a site and for an annual main15 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid tenance grant so that once the building was erected a rcgular income would be cnsured. The City Council proved sympathetic and the Committcc thereupon thrcw itself into fund-raising for the bui Iding. As time went on it became clear that the City Council was having difficulty in securing a suitable site, and in 1957 a local businessman, Mr L.G. Wilson, offcred his premises at 26R Longmarket Strect (facing the Market Square) as a gift to the Natal Society. This magnificent gesture rcquired long and careful consideration, not only bccause the building, valued at about 14,000 carricd a bond of7,OOO which would become the responsibility ofthe Society, but because this offer opened up possibilities ofan impressive service on a scale not previously envisaged. Morcover therc werc intricacies oflaw and of1leial policy regarding services for non-Europeans which rcquired careful probinglK. Lambert Wilson was the son of a wealthy sugar farmer in Zululand. However, he rebelled against his family as he hatcd inherited wcalth. Hc was politically frustrated in South Africa, and he was pleased to be offering black pcople a chance to upgradc thcir cducation. He had been running a branch of the International Club in thc Longmarket Strect building, but had lost interest in that. Lambert Wilson movcd to Pretoria, where he was imprisoned for destroying 'Whites Only' signs in his frustration with apartheid. After this, he emigrated to Australial,). He gave Miss Sue ludd a fright on Christmas Day of 1957 when he phoned her to tcl1 her that he had changcd his mind about giving the building to the Natal Society. Howevcr, a few days later, he changed his mind again, and the offer helcPo. The upstairs officcs had to be rented out in order to pay for the bond. They were rcnted to the Liberal Party, which had the offices facing the strcet whcrc the Canadian Room is now. Selby Msimang, a black lawycr, also had his offices upstairs, and there were other tenants21 Miss ludd was a member ofthe multi-racial Liberal Party, which ~ ' a s forced to disband in 19()8 by the apmiheid government. Miss ludd and Miss Reid both felt strongly that blacks deserved a better deal than they were cUlTently receiving in South Africa. Sue Judd was a foundation member of the liberal women's group, the Black Sash, which made silent protests against racial injustice and unfair legislation in South Africa". The Market Square Branch, which later came to be known as the Lambert Wilson Lihrary, came complete with chairs and tables. Mr H. von Klemperer gencrously donated timbcr for the shclvcs and counter, and Mr Martindale at Odcll Timbers undertook to do the joinery at a very reduced rate. Volunteer helpers stained the shelves and painted the walls2J Books were supplied by public donation. Suitable books were put into stock, while others were sold at monthly booksales, bringing in funds. Donations of cash and books were received from Messrs. Eddels and Shuter & Shooter. Many other donations of books and money were received from varioLls organisations and individuals. from as far aficld as the United States24 . The completed library was open for general inspection on 2X and 29 March 195X; it was blessed by the Revd Ross Cuthbertson on Sunday 30th, and formally opened to new members on Monday 31 March 195R. The registration fee was two shillings per adult and onc shilling per child per annum. The library was staffed by one part-time paid library assistant and one full-time cleaner/ messenger only. Miss Mary Lee was the first library assistant in 1958; Mrs PJ. Hawes 16 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid took over the post of Branch Librarian in 1959. A rota of volunteers helped to keep the library going. To start with, the library was open to the public for only three hours each weekday afternoon, and three hours on Saturday mornings25 . At the end of 1958, membership had reached 1 573, of whom 1 385 were Asiatics, 102 Coloureds and 86 Africans. By age, 415 were adults and 1 158 were children. During 1958,26459 books were issued. Bookstock for the year was 6 271, all in new condition. Many subscriptions to newspapers and periodicals were donated. The Council thanked the devoted band of workers on the Sub-Committee who had given so much time, effort and energy to the cause they had so much at heart. Particularly, the Council wished to record its appreciation of Miss Judd's work and interest in the matter; undoubtedly she it was who launched the idea and by constant devotion to the promotion of its development inspired all who he\ped26 The Reference and Copyright Department in Januarv 1962. During the 1950s and 1960s, storage space for the copyright collection became an increasing problem. At the end of 1959, the municipality asked that the library's storeroom at 328 Longmarket Street, (the 'old Pastorie'), bc vacated as soon as possible. They offered the City Hall basemcnt as altcrnativc accommodation. Seven rooms containing thousands offiles of un bound periodicals and newspapers were therefore shifted in one day, and straightening the resulting chaos in rather grim surroundings called for all the ability and cheertulness that an overworked staff could muster during the trying December month27 These publications were put into order during the first few months of 1960. An unforeseen problem arose in 1961. This was the attitude of some influential members ofSALA towards the copyright privilege of Natal and the Orange Free State. 17 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid They felt that when the Act was revised, the privilege should be either withdrawn from the smaller provinces, or modified. Surprise was felt that SALA, whose duty it was to advance libraries, should be attempting to deprive them28 At the June conference of SALA, the profession fortunately decided to drop the idea ofpressing for the exclusion ofNatal and the O.F.S. from the copyright privilege29 The Copyright Act was revised, and the Natal Society continued to receive copyright publications. In February 1963, a deputation from the Society met with the Administrator and Executive Committee. The result was that the copyright grant was increased from R 7000 to R12 000 for 1963. This enabled the Natal Society to employ an additional staffmember and to lease the Weinronk extension for Copyright storage, and to install there new steel shelving to the value ofR2 00030 This was a warehouse which was owned by Mrs Weinronk, hence the name. The move to the Weinronk extension at 111 Commercial Road took four long days in March 1963. The City Hall basement and the YMCA rooms were cleared first, and it was then possible to get all periodicals and newspapers housed together in four sequences. The extension was not open to the public, but a constant shuttle service was in action, taking current periodicals each day to the storeroom and bringing back readers' requirements and files for binding. A large tricycle carrier was used, and a telephone installed. Mrs P.l Adams was in charge ofthe Weinronk building31 The National Conference of Library Authorities, held in November 1962, was to have an important effect on South African libraries in general and on the Natal Society Library in particular. Representatives who attended from the Natal Society Council were Mr A.e. Mitchell and Mr R.A. Brown. Mr Michael le. Daly attended as a City Council representative, with the Town Clerk. Provincial officials also attended. The topic of the Conference was a 'Programme for future library development in the Republic of South Africa'. The programme provided for wide library co-operation on it regional and national basis, instead of individual libraries working ineffectively in isolation. Some ofthe ideas to come out ofthis Conference which had a positive impact on South African libraries, were co-operative book buying to avoid expensive duplication; a speedier Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service; the preparation ofa central catalogue; and a national approach to the chronic shortage of trained librarians. The two most important points for the future development of the Natal Society Library were: 1) that it be recognised and accepted that public libraries ... are the joint responsibility of the State, the Provincial Administration and the local authorities; and that provincial authorities be required to accept the principle that all public libraries, irrespective ofsize, should be assisted .... 2) that such aid should be subject to conditions; the services ofthe local library should befree, and the responsibility for the maintenance of these public library services, to all races, should rest primarily with the local authority (with the assistance of provincial administrations ).32 The next important project to involve both Miss Reid and Miss Judd, was the 'free library' principle. By 1963, the Reference and Copyright Departments of the Natal Society Library were free to the public, as they always had been; the Children's Library had become free; and the Market Square Branch was free. The Adult Members of the Lending Library still had to pay a subscription, and a discussion took place at the AGM 18 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid of 1963 on the 'free library' principle. Most mcmbcrs were happy with the principle, but some were anxious about possible loss of the Natal Society's identity and controp3. In 1964 negotiations were held between Miss Pamela Reid, Miss Sue .ludd and otlicials of the City Council on the onc hand, and the Provincial Administration on the other'I On II March 1965, the City Council approved the following resolutions: I) That the City Council declares its willingness to take over the assets of the Natal Society Library to establish a fi'ee library in Pietenl1aritzburg and to assume authority as a library authority. 2) That the planning ofa suitable library building be commenced as soon as possible in consultation with the civic centre development committee and the Natal Society Library Council. 3) That the administration of such free library service in relation to the corporation's municipal service bc invcstigated .... 4) That arrangements be madc for a deputation consisting of His Worship the Mayor (Cr. H.C. Franklin). the Chainmm ofthe finance and general purposes committee (Cr. C.W. Wood) and Cr. Miss P.A. Reid to make representations to the provincial administration for financial assistance.35 With regard to the free library service, nothing further could be done unti I the Provincial Administration had made a decision. With regard to the new library bui Iding. the City Council decided to give priority to the removal and rc-erection of the Market before making provision for a new library.36 I low ever, on 8 September 1966, the Finance and General Purposes Committee met with Miss P.A. Reid, with Mr A.c. Mitchell and Miss U . .ludd in attendance. Within a week of the meeting the City Council resolved: I) That items (1) and (3) ofthe Council's resolution dated I1 March 1965, be reviewed and rescinded. 2) That it be agreed to support financially by means of an annual grant-in-aid. on conditions to be formulated. the conversion of the Natal Society Public Library into a tree library to be conducted in all other respects on the present basis. such increased financial assistance to commence as from I st August 1967. 3) That when the new library building is available for occupation, the immovable assets owned by the Trustees of the Natal Society Library be transferred to the City Council in consideration of the Library's occupation of the new library building.3? The Natal Society Council gladly accepted these resolutions but did not inelude the Market Square Branch Library building in the offer to hand over assets, unless library facilities for non-Europeans became available elsewhere. The issue of a library for all races was not dealt with at this stage, but when a new library was built it was to be multiracial. Planning for the new building \vent on in the special planning committee, 'vvith the powerful int1uence of the two forceful personalities, Miss Reid and Miss .ludd. In July 1969 Mr B.R.H. Knuppe was oHieially appointed as architect.3R In 1964, Miss Pamela Ann Reid was elected to the position ofPrcsident of the Natal Society Council. She was the first woman, and only woman so far, to hold this position. 19 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid She was a well-known figure in municipal political circles, and a member of the Pietennaritzburg City Council for many years, first as the youngest City Councillor ever elected and then as Mayor19. She first attended Council meetings, not as a Natal Society Council member, but as the City Council representative, from 1953 to 1959. In 1959, she resigned from the City Council and her record shop to travel40. In 1960 she was elected to the Natal Society Council. She stayed on the Natal Society Council until 1986, which meant that she had been involved for a total of thirty-three years4l She also rejoined the City Council from 1960 to 1965, and again from 1970, where she became Mayor of Pietennaritzburg from 1980 to 1984. After her Mayoral office ended, she became Director of the Pietennaritzburg Chamber of Industries42. Enquiring minds at the Market Square Branch. October 1972. She was made a Freeman of the City ofPietem1aritzburg, and a Fellow ofthe Natal Society]. She was also given the highest recognition in the library world when she was awarded an Honorary Membership of the South African Institute of Librarianship and Infonnation Science (SAILlS)44. She was involved in politics, first as a member of the Liberal Paliy before it was banned, and then ofthe Progressive Party, which became the Democratic Party5 Miss Reid was very involved in the planning and building ofthe new Library Building. She influenced the City Council to pay for and go ahead with the building when others thought it was an unnecessary luxury. In 1964, when she became President, the membership ofthe Society was 10767; the bookstock stood at 109434; and the annual book issue was 341 841. By her resignation at the end of J986, the membership had grown to 35 538, the bookstock to 398945, and the book issue to almost 1, 1 million. Miss Reid put an enonnous amount ofeffort into promoting the growth ofthe organisation, not least of which were her efforts to enable the Library to move from an old cramped building to a new spacious one46 . 20 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid In 1967 the plans for a free Lending Library came to fruition. Subscriptions were abolished in the Lending Library at the end of July, and, on I August the doors opened to a free service. The Natal Society Library had been run as a subscription library for 116 years. For most of these years the subscriptions had been the main form of income, and the library had often battled to keep going. It was only due to the greatly increased municipal and provincial grants that this transformation could take place, as a direct result of national policy changes made in 1962 at the National Conference of Library Authorities, and with a co-operative City Council, greatly influenced in their decision to support free libraries by Miss Pamela Reid, backed up by Miss Sue Judd and Mr Alan C. Mitchell. The subscription membership had stood at 3583 on 31 July 1967. By the end ofthe following financial year (changed from January-December 1966 to August 1967-July 1968) there were 8 438 registered free members. The step of becoming a free library had thus more than doubled the membership in one year, although 'non-whites' were still not allowed to join47. To meet the expected rush additional staff were taken on gradually, the Lending counter was extended, and new books were bought. The former paying members had been asked to register in advance so that the old tickets could be easily substituted for the news. Two thousand applications for membership had been completed and ten thousand tickets prepared in advance to make the changeover easief9. A 'Readers' Adviser' was appointed for the first time - Miss Bond. This service was usually provided in bigger libraries, but had not been offered at Natal Society Library up to this time'. Vol.l No.1 of the Society's new journal, Natalia: Journal olthe Natal Society, appeared in September 1971. The first editor was Prof. Colin de B. Webb. The first editorial board members were Miss Pamela Reid, Or John Clark, Mr R.A. Brown, Miss June FalTer and Miss Sue Judd. Miss Judd's 'History of the Natal Society, 1845-1865' appeared in serial fOnTI in volumes 2-5 ofNalalia under the title 'The Origin of the Natal Society'S!. Nata!ia has become a well-known and respected journal, with a high st,\tldard of articles, and a valuable reference tool for students of Natal history. After the establishment of the ti'ee library principle, the next important step in the development of the Natal Society Library was the new library building. By 1971 the plans for the new library building had been passed and funds were made available for building to go ahead". The proj ect was to cost RI 485 00053 . On 16 November 1971, the City Council held a meeting at which the new library building was discussed. A motion was put to the meeting that the building should be started sooner than originally planned. Councillor B.E Hughes opposed the building of the library until the financial position of the Corporation had improved, but .. : Clr. Miss Pam Reid said that Pietermaritzburg would never be able to afford a library, or a civic centre or theatre, if every time culture was mentioned it was linked with roads, water and sewage works.54 The motion to move forward the start of building operations from June 1973 to September 1972 was carried by ten votes to five in favour. Various ratepayers wrote in to the Natal Witness at this time, some supporting Miss Pam Reid and the need to go ahead with the new library building, and some baulking at the cost to the ratepayers'S ,r,. Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid 21 Miss Sue Judd replied to these concspondcnts in a letter to thc editor entitled 'In Dcfence of Pmb Library Go-Ahcad' 57. Shc cxplained to the public that the crampcd Lending Library in Longmarket Street was not the only problem. Thc Children 's Library was being housed in an old church hall with uncertain tcnure. Thcrc was no Above and right: The Reference Lihrary in 1985 spacc for reading ncwspapers or pcriodicals, or for researchers to work. The Legal Deposit collection was in the Weinronk building, which was full. There was no space for the valuable Africana or Nataliana collections. Shc finished by quoting one of her favourite sayings: 'If you have two _ _ .3...______ pence, spend one that you may live, and the other that you may have something to live for. The building project wcnt ahead, and in August 1972 tcnders for the crection ofthc new building were invitcd59 . The City Council Financc Committee rccommended that a tcndcr from LTA Construction for RI 265 140 bc acccpted - the lowcst of seven tendcrs rcceived. The contract called for thc completion of the building in two years. The second lowest of five air-conditioning tenders was recommended for acceptance - for R 128700, from Air Conditioning and Engineering Co. Ltd .. Messrs E. Geiser (Pty) Ltd. were recommended as sub-contractors for R70 725. A provisional amount ofR30 640 was recommended for the purchase offurniture60 . On 8 November 1972, the building site was handed over to the contractor. The Mayor of Pietennaritzburg, Clr. Cecil Wood, and Clr. Pamela Reid, as Prcsident of the Natal Society, turned the first sod at a ceremony on that day!>!. A ceremony was held to lay the Foundation Stone on 27 August 1973. This was again donc by the Mayor, Clr. Cecil Wood, and Clr. Pamela Reid, and was followed by a cclebration in the Supper Room of the City Hall!>2 (,3. Library fittings were considered by Miss Judd, the architect and municipal officials - they would cost about R30 00064 Library signs were colour coded by floor. By 27 March 1974, roof level had been reached. There was a 'pouring of the last load of ccment' ceremony on that day. It was cast by Miss Judd, who had a fear of heights and had to be coaxed for half an hour to reach thc top of the building. She was helped by Mr B. Parker, the project architect, and Mr B.R.H. Knuppe, the senior architect. Also present were Clr. Pamela Reid and Miss Jenny White law (who became 22 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Mi5,'s Pamela Reid Lancastert'. Miss Judd and members of the construction team drank a toast to the occasion and to the fact that construction was eight days ahead of Miss Judd and Miss Reid had worked together for the bettennent of the Natal Society Library for the last twenty years. UnfOliunately, pressure had been building hetween the two forceful personalities. and Miss Judd had a disagreement with Miss Reid and the Natal Society Council in June 1974. The chiefdisagreement was about the poor pay received by the Lihrary staff Miss Judd had asked Miss Reid for improved salaries for staff, to which Miss Reid replied: . Your staff arc in clover. '67 According to the Annual Report for 1974, Miss Reid and the City Treasurer had prepared new salary grades for submission to the City Council. It was hoped to reach parity with Municipal scales, Unfortunately the City Council Finance Committee rejected the scales and no increases were allowed. This was a bitter disappointment to Miss ludd, who sent in a letter of resignation on 12 June 1974. A special meeting of the Council was called, where ... It was agreed that the resignation be accepted with immediate effect in view ofthe urgency attendant upon a rc-appointment to ensure the removal of the Library to the ne\v huilding in December 1974. The Council regrets that Miss ludd saw fit to resign and places on record the capahle manner in which she carried out her The Council asked her to leave within 24 hours, instead of giving her the 3-111onth notice period she was due69 She resigned, and Sadly she was never to see over the new completed library building on Churchill Square, but it may well stand as a memorial, incorporating as it does so many features specifically planned by her. In recognition of her services to the Natal Society, the third tloor ofthe new building was named the Judd Floor.70 After this, Miss Judd worked for Shuter & Shooter until her death fj'olll cancer on 4 January 1976 at the age of :'iX. She had felt both angry and sad about having left so suddenly and so unnecessarily. Her great sadness was that instead ofheing on hand for the day of the great move into the building for which she had fought and planned so hard for so many years. she found herself in hospital having a masteetomy1l. The irony of the situation was that in fact new salary scales 1I'ere approved after all, and they came into effect in February 1975, just before the move into the new building72 Many years later, after being Mayor for four years, and being Director of the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Commerce, Miss Reid returned to the services of the Natal Society Library in a humbler capacity. For several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, she worked as Curator of the Music Library on the second floor of the new library building, where she presided over the records and tapes of her beloved Italian opera and other classical music. In her leisure time she went on hirdwatching expeditions, and enjoyed visiting ltala Game Reserve. She also enjoyed sailing in her little boat Nutshell on Lake Merthley near Grey town, and enjoyed trout fishing. Pamela Reid died on 13 June 1996. after a short and unexpected illness, at the age of 71 73 . 23 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pame/a Reid Natal Society Library has much to be grateful for, to Miss Sue Judd for her 24 years of dedicated service as Chief Librarian, and to Miss Pamela Rcid for her 33 years of involvement through the Natal Society Council. It was through their dedication and inspiration, and that of other staff and Council members, that the Natal Society Library was propelled from the past into the present. JEWEL KOOPMAN (Reference Librarian 1992 -1999) BIBLIOGRAPHY Daly, MichacL 'Palllcla Ann Reid 1925-1996', Natalia 26:89, 1997. FatTer, June, Personal communication, 8-11 1998. Frost, T.B., Editorial. Natalia 17:5,1987, Hattersley, Alan F., 'The Natal Society, 1851-1951', Quarter/\' iJlllletill olth" South Aliimn Lihrary, 5(3 ):7378, Mar. 1951 . .Iudd, U.E.M . 'In defence of Pmb library go-ahead', Nalal Willless, 22 12 1971 . .Iudd, U.E.M. A Hislorv o(lhe Natal Societv. Unpublished manuscript, 1972.(a) .Iudd, U.E.M., 'The origins or the Natal Soeiety', Chapter I, Early Pietermaritzburg. ,V"'alia, 2:JO :n, I 972.(b) Judd, U.E.M., 'The origins ol'the Natal Society', Chapter 2, 1845-1846,Natalia, 3:45--49. . .Iudd, U .E. M .. 'The origins nl' the Natal Society'. Chapter 3, 1847-1849, Natalia, 4:55 60. 197--1 (b) ludd, U.E. M .. 'The origi '" of" thc ,atal Socicty' Chapter 4, 1850-1851, Chapter 5. The foundation of the Natal Society, May IS51 . .varulia. S:42-52. 1975. The Nalal Wil11ess, 1- 9 1950, . Librarian \\ill begin today'. The NatallVillless, 17-11 71, 'Move on new library'. The .Valal Wilness. 22-9-1972, 'Start next month on 1 ibrary')' The Nalal Willless, 9-11-1972, 'First step for library'. The Natal vViIIlCSI .. 28-8-1973, 'Pmb councillors lay plaque o1"nc\\ library'. The Nalal Willless, 7-2-1974, 'Library fittings may cost R30 000'. Tire 'valal Willless, 22-3-1974, 'Library is topped off". Lundie, Ruth. Personal communication, 13-11-199X. Rcid, Pamela, 'Pamela Reid', [n Gordon, Ruth: Petticoat Pioneers: Ihllrrcn ojDislinction, Pietermaritzburg: Federation ofWolllcn\ Institutes ol"'\atal and 7zululand and Sshuter& Shooter. 2')S p. ISBN ll7%O 0135 9, 19X8. The Natal Society, 'Free gramophonc concerts'. Pictcrmaritzburg: The Natal The Natal Society, Annual reports. I XSI I')l)X. Pictermaritzburg: The Natal Society. White-Cooper, D., 'Lihrarv plan a question 01" priorities'. The Natal Witness, 26-11- 1971. p.2 I . Whitclaw, lennifcr & FalTer. June, 'lNrla Evclyn \1abcl ludd (1917 1976) - a tribute, Nalalia, 6:9 I I, 1976 Winters, D., 'Natal Society library: the Illm e, I en)", Unpublished file, Pictennaritzburg: The Natal Society, 1975. REFERENCES l. Librarian Will ... Natal Witness 1-9-50 2. Whitelaw & FalTer 1976:10 J. Whitelaw & Farrer 1976:9 4. Winters 1975:2 5. Whitelaw and Farrer 1976 6. Hatters1cy 1951 7. Natal Society Annual Report 1')51 8. Lundic 1998 9. Natal Society Annual Rcport 1953 10. Natal Society 19S:? 11. Natal Society Annual Repurt 195J 12. Natal Society Anllual RC'jlorL 19)) 13. Natal Society Anllual Rejlort I 14. Natal Society Annual Report 195.. 24 Dedicated Lives: Miss Sue Judd and Miss Pamela Reid 15. Natal Socicty Annual Report 1954 16. Whitelaw & FalTer 1976: 11 17. Natal Socicty Annual Report 1955 18. Natal Socicty Annual Rcport ILJ5X 19. Lundie 1998 20. Lundie 1998; Farrer 199X 21. Lundie 1998 22. Whitclaw and Farrer 1976 23. Natal Society Annual Rcport 1958 24. Natal Society Annual Rc'port I ')5S 25. Natal Socicty Annual Report 19:"K 26. Natal Society Annual Report 1958 27. Natal Socicty Annual Report 1959 2X. Natal Society Annual Report 1961 29. Natal Society Annual Report 1962 30. Natal Society Annual Report 1963 31. Natal Society Annual Rcport 1963 32. N ata I Society Annual Report 1963 33. :\atal Society Annual Report 1964 34. Natal Society Annual Repon 1964 35. Natal Society Annual RC'P011 1%5 36. Natal Society Annual Report 1965 37. Natal Society Annual Report 19M 38. Winters 1975:4 39, Reid 1988 40. Rcid 1988 41. Frost 1987 42. Rcid 1988 43. Daly 1997 44. I'rost 19S7 45. Daly 1997 46. Frost 1987 47. Natal Society Annual Report 1967/68 48. Natal Socicty Annual Report 1967/68 49. Natal Society Annual Report 1967 50. :-iatal Society Annual Report 1967!r,8 51. Natal Society Annual Rcpon 1972 52. Winters 1975:4 53. Nalal Witness 10 I1 1971 54. Move on new library... Va!alllilll!,\\ 17-11-1971 55. Nalal Witness 22- 11-1971 and l) 12 1