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the Police Station. Harris Road was fully built by then and needless to say nearby property

owners were outraged. No other site could be found and there the red painted corrugated iron
building remained – used seldom but often enough to scare young children walking past on

Harris Road.

The Police Station closed in 1950 but the building remains – without its verandah which was lost
to road widening.

Properties on the Main Road

The three houses along the Main Road were all built in the 1890s by Jacob Johannes Meyer. He
had bought all of this land from John Robert Wilson in 1893 and work began on the first house

(known as Bellevue) that year. The third house along – Prospect, was also built at this time, with
the middle house – Sunnyside built soon after. In an affidavit dated 1921 Gerhardus van Blerk

said that as a 15-year old in the summer months he used to lead the family ox cart to Kalk Bay

loaded with salt from the family salt pan near Noordhoek, two or three times a week. This was
for salting down the thousands of fish being caught.

He also brought the stone used by Meyer to build these houses. From correspondence in the files

it seems that Meyer only lived in any of these houses from time to time but that the family used
Bellevue for long and happy summer holidays.

Jacob Johannes Meyer was the third Mayor of the Kalk Bay - Muizenberg Municipality serving

from 1898 – 1900. He died unmarried aged 67 in 1911 at his home in Silverlea Road Wynberg. It
was to take 20 years before his house Bellevue was transferred in sixth shares to members of his

family in 1931. (Fig. 3.11.)

The best remembered member of the family was schoolteacher Johannes Gustav Meyer who first
came to Kalk Bay on holiday in 1924. (Fig. 3.12.) He immediately started hiking on the

mountains and exploring the caves. (See KBHA Bulletin 3.) He retired to Kalk Bay as a result of
ill-health in 1935 and continued his exploration, discovering and naming many caves above and

near Kalk Bay. He formed a group of likeminded enthusiasts who became known as Meyer’s

Moles. They qualified for a Mole certificate on completing caving in a select list of the more