Looking Back

From the Sunday Times 50 years ago

BLONDE 19-year-old Veronica Steffen, of Durban, sails for England this week to parade in a mini-skirt she has made from South African flag material. “I’m going to wear it in the heart of London” she said.

“I got the idea when I saw a picture of an English girl wearing a Union Jack. If the British flag is good enough to wear, then so is our flag, I thought.

“It will show the world that South Africans are not all squares — and it will certainly improve our image in London’s much-talked-of ‘swinging set’,” she said. Miss Steffen aims to stay abroad for perhaps a few years. — May 28 1967

From the Sunday Times 25 years ago

A PRETORIA housewife took top honours at the Chelsea Flower Show this week. Not only did Mrs Marie Pretorius (wife of JCI director Dr JH Pretorius) become the first South African ever to enter as an individual, she also won a gold medal for her floral arrangement of proteas and anthurium. It set her husband back a staggering R40 000 to fly her, their daughter, himself and four large boxes of fresh cut flowers to London for the show. At a cocktail party the South African ambassador threw to celebrate, Mrs Pretorius — who is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society — said her greatest joy was being able to enter as a South African. — May 24 1992