Anna Wierda, the wife of Simon Norten, a wealthy business man who owned tracts of land throughout Sandown. When he divided his land, he called one half Athol and the other Wierda Valley. Wierda Valley is named after his wife (Photo courtesy: Museum Afrika)

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Sandton memories: Driefontein, the only remaining original farmhouse in Parkmore

Sandton searches for its history People who lived or worked in the Sandton of old have been urged to share their memories and pictures with the Sandton Central Heritage Project. August 6, 2007 By Millicent Kgowedi THE search is on for Sandton's history, and the public has been asked to participate by submitting photographs or anecdote and stories that reflect the Sandton Central of days gone by. As part of the Sandton Central Heritage Project, people who grew up in or near Sandton and those who remember how the business, shopping and hotel district developed, have been asked by the Sandton Central Management District (SCMD) to get involved in the project. The organisation manages the public space in Sandton Central. The SCMD initiative will unearth the area's past, expose interesting aspects of its heritage and ensure that proper records are kept. The search is on for anecdotes and stories about Sandton's past "The objective here is to look at, capture and express the history of Sandton," said Cara Reilly, the association's marketing manager, adding that there was a need to record this heritage. Historical records from present and past residents, employees and visitors would be collected. "We ask the public to share their family albums and tell of their lives that reflect the history of Sandton Central. It would be very nice to have someone donating their old cups and stoves but we are not there yet and we are focusing on images." Farm workers The SCMD is also interested in finding people who used to work at the farms and riding stables that made up the area. "Very few records exist of the residents and labourers who lived in the area during the late 1950s and early 1960s. "Very often I receive calls from people wanting to know more about the history of the area, because the information is scattered everywhere," Reilly explained. Developers and property owners are also being encouraged to allow the SCMD to look at their records and images of development and construction. Public participation is needed to get the project off the ground. "We have on board the Sandton Chronicle, where we will have stories related to this project. We are anticipating having an article [published] every two weeks, giving the public an update on the project." People can get involved by submitting captioned photographs of life, work and play in Sandton Central. The organisers are urging people to hand in their original prints, or high-resolution digital images of their pictures. "We want to be able to scan the images and keep them in an archive where the public will have access to the collected images," Reilly added. The images can be dropped off at the SCMD offices or an arrangement can be made for them to be collected. "The images will be returned to the owners after we have scanned them; it is important to give us a correct residential address." PictureNet Africa is a partner in the project. It will digitally archive all the images that are collected. All the images donated to the project will be added to the PictureNet Africa database and will be marketed for commercial use. People would be able to log on and browse through the images in the archive, but if they wanted to use a picture commercially, or just to keep it, they would have to pay, Reilly explained. A percentage of the money raised from these sales would be donated to the Sandton Central Art Programme to fund other projects aimed at improving public space in Sandton Central. The Sandton Central Management District offices are at 3 Gwen Lane, Sandton, next to Primedia House. Cara Reilly can be contacted on 011 784 8400 to arrange for memorabilia to be collected. 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