Page 173 - Bulletin 7 2003

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her, together with early photos. I have a much treasured copy of her manuscript and
would like to quote briefly from some of her memories:

“From 1905 onwards, we as a family spent every June and December school holiday

here, except for one Christmas when our mother was too ill to be moved from Cape

Town. There was also one stretch of 18 months, 1909 / 1910, when we lived here
altogether, with my mother. It was then that we really got to know Kommetjie at its best

and at all seasons. When we first started coming to Kommetjie, Fish Hoek was still a
farm.” (That, by the way, was the opening sentence of a talk presented by Ann

Seeliger, then aged 90, on 5 March 1994 at the Kommetjie Library. The talk was
sponsored by the Friends of the Library and recordings are still available on CDs and

audio tapes, the proceeds of which are used for library needs.)

To continue with Ann’s story: “Instead of using the train from Cape Town to Kalk Bay,

we traveled by wagon, rented from a cartage contractor in Woodstock and drawn by a

team of mules. The journey took most of a day and the preparations a good deal
longer. I can see my mother sitting up night after night, drawing up lists for the grocer

who had to pack provisions for a large family, plus guests, for at least 6 weeks. Then
there were all the other requirements for the household such as linen, clothing, 200 lb

bags of coarse meal which had to be ordered from Elim months in advance.

“Some of the old photos will tell you what Kommetjie looked like in those days. (Figs.

5.3 & 5.4). No lighthouse, streets, electricity, no water laid on, no sewerage, and the
one little shop that stocked a few dry goods and sweets but not even bread. For the rest

we were surrounded by fynbos of the most exquisite variety and in pristine condition. It
must have been my early familiarity with this wealth of flora that influenced me in my

decision to study botany at UCT.

“Nevertheless we had plenty to eat. Crayfish were so numerous that we picked them

out from under and between the rocks by hand. Mussels, limpets, periwinkles and
perlemoen even more so. Fish were equally plentiful, and Dad and his friends often

came in towards evening with their boats laden to the hilt with Hottentot, Silverfish,