Many firsts Happened in our friendly city

FRIENDLY city or windy city; whatever we call our city, Port Elizabeth is home. Besides beautiful beaches, friendly people and some eccentricities like calling a road intersection Fig Tree because we have a humongous tree there and calling Sardinia Bay “Sards” simply because we love it… We need to set the record straight; PE is not a town, it is a city. We have history backing us up.

Port Elizabeth was declared a city on July 28 1913. There are many reasons to celebrate our allegiance to PE. Let’s take a snapshot look at significant events.

A year after being declared a city, storm clouds rumbled overhead and World War 1 broke out.

The Provincial Hospital was opened in 1915 and a sewage removal system was introduced to the city.

In 1921 the foundation stone of the Campanile was laid.

Up the hill in Park Drive lived the Smith family. In 1929 their house was converted into a hotel with a ballroom. In 1949 it served as a nursing college now called Shirley Cribb Nursing College.

In 1923 horse drawn fire tenders were replaced by motor fire engines.

By February 1924, Ford Motor Company had produced its first Model T, the first in South Africa.

In 1924 legal recognition was given to trade unions.

• In March 1926, General Motors established a PE factory, producing Oakland Chevrolet, GMC trucks, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Vauxhall.

In September 1926, a drought led to the Kromme River Scheme.

Port Elizabeth tramways, opened in 1881, operated for nearly 70 years. The trams were operated initially by horsecars.

In 1933 the long awaited enclosed harbour of Port Elizabeth opened, facilitating industrial development.

By the late 1940s, several factories were established including the Volkswagen plant.

In September 1936, the new Firestone factory came on line.

The Cadbury brothers Richard and George, appointed a South African agent to sell their products.

Experiencing bumper sales, the South African company was formed in 1926.

In September 1939 South Africa joined the war effort against Germany. Signaling busier roads, PE’s first automated traffic signal was erected.

The second-largest Coca-Cola bottling and distribution company in South Africa, Coca-Cola Fortune opened in Port Elizabeth in June 1940.

In 1955, Livingstone Hospital was opened.

In 1965, the University of Port Elizabeth was founded and in 1966, the Kempston Road Free Trade Area was established.

In 1983, Motherwell was established, and in 1986 the Central Business District was opened to all races.

When the Mercantile Centre was opened in April 1972.