Residents are urged to donate any information, pictures, narratives or artefacts that reflect the history of Sandton

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Documenting the history of Sandton Local residents are being urged to donate any information, pictures, narratives or artefacts that reflect the history of Sandton, one of Africa's wealthiest areas, for a project recording its history. September 21, 2006 By Thabang Mokoka SANDTON residents are asked to donate information or artefacts for a database being set up on the area's history. Spearheaded by the Sandton Central Management District, the project forms part of the Sandton Central arts programme, and community members are invited to provide any historical details – artefacts, pieces of paper, photographs or any memories close to their hearts. "We are looking for assistance in this project by identifying privately owned resources that come from the people who grew up here, or had family or friends that grew up here," said Cara Reilly, the marketing manager for Sandton Central. According to Reilly, the programme is a long-term initiative to work with the arts as part of a unique approach to understanding Sandton's place within the broader Johannesburg. Reilly stressed that the success of the project is dependent on everyone, not just on those involved in heritage causes. Sandton Central is a management district set up by local businesses to improve the region and encourage investment. The CBD of Sandton has grown rapidly over the last nine years, from a time when Maude Street was a purely residential area. Currently, Sandton is undergoing an intense phase of reconstruction and new development, catalysed by the building of the Sandton Central train station needed for the Gautrain. The area is also a focal point for tourism, especially luxury and business tourism, and accommodates much of the continent's wealth within 2 589 988.11 m² of office space. "We want to be mindful of this past and future, track it and celebrate it," says Reilly. Research will focus on the contemporary history of the Sandton CBD, though the broader time frame, which goes back to the Stone Age, will also be included. The first phase of the history project, to gather information, will see a specialist researcher being briefed to identify existing archives, resources and knowledge and to ferret out particularly interesting information and visual references that may be used for a public exhibition. People interested in the project can contact Cara Reilly on 011 784 8400 or via email on cara@kumsandton.co.za. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za