LOOKING BACK

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 50 YEARS AGO

Johannesburg’s 5-star Carlton Hotel is out of the red, with turnover running at above R700,000 for each of the past three months. Hotel men regard Carlton’s move into the black with respect as it comes within a year of the October 1972 opening. The 30-storey complex cost R23-million to build and furnish. Anglo American is landlord of the hotel, which with 602 bedrooms and a staff of 850 is the biggest in Africa. Carlton’s general manager, Chris Marker, 30, declined to comment on the turnover figures. All he would say was the hotel had been doing well since August. Carlton’s catering division was virtually a profit-spinner from the word go, with its Koffiehuis, El Gaucho and Three Ships restaurants going great guns. — December 9 1973

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES 25 YEARS AGO

A triple heart bypass operation has given Democratic Party leader Tony Leon “huge confidence” in the future of South Africa. Leon was admitted for routine bypass surgery, but doctors discovered his coronary arteries were in worse condition than first thought, making a triple bypass necessary during a five-hour operation at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg. Leon said he had been encouraged by the dedication of his doctors and nurses and their commitment to pursuing their careers in South Africa. He was speaking from his Orange Grove home, where he is making a quick recovery. “I feel as if a bulldozer has been excavating in my chest, but otherwise I’m feeling great,” he said. — December 13 1998