WOT? NO BIRTHDAY BASH?
On the 15th May, 1854, Lieutenant-Governor B.C.C. Pine proclaimed the township of Durban to be a Borough in terms of Ordnance No.1 of 1854 ‘For establishing Municipal Corporations within the District of Natal’ Under this Proclamation the boundaries of the Borough were fixed as follows: East, by the Indian Ocean; North by the Umgeni River; North-west by the farms Springfield, Brickfields, and Cato’s Manor; and South and South-east, by Lots 1 to 11 on the Umbilo River, by the Umbilo River, and the Bay of Natal.
In 1854 the Town of Durban was a small settlement on a sandy plane surrounded by swamps (the eastern and western vlei’s) and the bay. Within fifty years the Town Council had put in place the infrastructure of what is today central Durban. A constant supply of piped potable water was available, electricity was available, the streets were electrically lighted, public transport (in the form of both trains and trams), was running, the swamps were partially drained and drainage was in place and working. Equally importantly a sound municipal system for the political, administrative and financial management of Durban was in place.
When Durban celebrated its centenary in 1954 the City had grown greatly in size by having incorporated the surrounding areas administered by Health Committees. The port had become the busiest in Africa, the ‘Golden Mile’ beachfront attracted thousands of holiday-makers and industry was growing. The City Fathers were justly proud and celebrated the City’s success by staging festivities on a grand scale. The funding for the ‘Centenary Building’ building at the University of KwaZulu-Natal was provided, there were parades, warships visited the port, buildings were illuminated, an air show thrilled crowds at the Stamford Hill Aerodrome, arches spanned the streets and searchlights lit up the night sky. It was a grand and proud show.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of our City. And what does our Metro Council intend to do about it – apparently NOTHING! This is an appalling state of affairs and shows a mindset that needs scrutiny under a large magnifying glass.
(At the present date Councilors asked have confirmed that there are no plans for events to mark the anniversary)
On the 15th May, 1854, Lieutenant-Governor B.C.C. Pine proclaimed the township of Durban to be a Borough in terms of Ordnance No.1 of 1854 ‘For establishing Municipal Corporations within the District of Natal’ Under this Proclamation the boundaries of the Borough were fixed as follows: East, by the Indian Ocean; North by the Umgeni River; North-west by the farms Springfield, Brickfields, and Cato’s Manor; and South and South-east, by Lots 1 to 11 on the Umbilo River, by the Umbilo River, and the Bay of Natal.
In 1854 the Town of Durban was a small settlement on a sandy plane surrounded by swamps (the eastern and western vlei’s) and the bay. Within fifty years the Town Council had put in place the infrastructure of what is today central Durban. A constant supply of piped potable water was available, electricity was available, the streets were electrically lighted, public transport (in the form of both trains and trams), was running, the swamps were partially drained and drainage was in place and working. Equally importantly a sound municipal system for the political, administrative and financial management of Durban was in place.
When Durban celebrated its centenary in 1954 the City had grown greatly in size by having incorporated the surrounding areas administered by Health Committees. The port had become the busiest in Africa, the ‘Golden Mile’ beachfront attracted thousands of holiday-makers and industry was growing. The City Fathers were justly proud and celebrated the City’s success by staging festivities on a grand scale. The funding for the ‘Centenary Building’ building at the University of KwaZulu-Natal was provided, there were parades, warships visited the port, buildings were illuminated, an air show thrilled crowds at the Stamford Hill Aerodrome, arches spanned the streets and searchlights lit up the night sky. It was a grand and proud show.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of our City. And what does our Metro Council intend to do about it – apparently NOTHING! This is an appalling state of affairs and shows a mindset that needs scrutiny under a large magnifying glass.
(At the present date Councilors asked have confirmed that there are no plans for events to mark the anniversary)
posted by Malcolm @ 11:06 pm
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