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that the policy of open beaches worked very well, they suggested that other beaches
should open too to disperse the crowds, and gradually the rest of the seaside resorts

began to embrace the attitudes of tolerance and sharing pioneered by Camps Bay.

With the barricades down, and the pressure relieved, Camps Bay went forward into the

new South Africa, with their new beachfront and their new central business district, and
with the constant beauty of the changing sea and the shifting sand, of the old beach and

the old bay, which was there before us and would be there after us, and would be there
for all of us.

Conclusion

And that is the story of Camps Bay. I have found it fascinating tracing the development
of Camps Bay from underwater rocks to flats around the water, from a grazing ground

to herds of buck and tortoise, to a lazing around to hordes of sun seekers and visitors

entranced by its natural beauty. History is not just dates, it is people, and I have tried
where possible to use the words of the people who were there and wrote about what

they saw. The story of Camps Bay includes the development of its sports clubs,
churches, schools, roads, even sewage. They all form facets of the story of the suburb

and they all have a history worth recording. As Kalk Bay historians you are aware that
before there was a today, there was a yesterday. Camps Bay and Kalk Bay both

developed around a beach, one for functional and economic reasons, one for reasons of

aesthetics and convenience, and both are lucky to have people who care for its past.

References

1
Green, L. G. (1948) Tavern of the Seas, Cape Town, 133.

2 . Tait, B. Campbell. (1948) Cape Cameos: The Story of Cape Town in a New Way,
Cape Town, 180.