Page 42 - Bulletin 7 2003

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This was to stop the rapid denudation of the beach, not only by the fishermen for
ballast, but also by the builders of the many homes in Kalk Bay.

In May 1895 the V. M. B. was dissolved by Mr. George Boyes, the Resident

Magistrate of the Simon’s Town Magisterial District of which Kalk Bay was

part, and the Kalk Bay-Muizenberg Municipality replaced it. For most of its
duration the Council consisted of six elected councillors who met on alternate

Thursday afternoons in the Council Offices, close to the present Post Office on
Main Road Muizenberg. During the 18 years between 1895 - 1913 a total of 43

persons served as councillors, from whom the 10 mayors of the Municipality
were drawn.

The Mayors

Mayor A.W. Brooke-Smith 1895 - 1897 (Fig. 2.1)

At the first meeting of the Municipality on 5 June 1895 Captain Alfred William

Brooke-Smith was elected Mayor. The first councillors were: Hendrik Auret, J.
P. van Blerk, Father Duignam and Carl Kleinschmidt. There could have been no

better choice for the Municipality than that of Capt. Brooke-Smith. He was a
man of the highest integrity who had previously served on the Liesbeeck

Municipality. On 21 June 1863 he was appointed a Justice of Peace in the

District of Wynberg by Thomas Scanlan (later Sir Thomas Scanlan, and Premier
of Cape Colony 1881-1884). The following year he was commissioned as a

Justice of Peace for the entire Cape Colony. All subsequent mayors were made
Justices of Peace in the district of Simon's Town. Brooke-Smith was also

extremely active in church work and, besides helping rebuild St. John's Church,
Wynberg, was also a senator for the Cape Diocese.

His speciality in municipal work was water and, as past-Chairman of the Water
Committee of the Liesbeeck Municipality, he brought much experience to Kalk