Hat that caused stir at ‘62 race fondly remembered

FIFTY-ONE years ago school teacher Lesley-Ann Ewan featured in newspaper photographs all over South Africa, sporting her home-made hat at the 1962 Durban July.

It was made of silver paper with ostrich feathers.

“My aunt phoned my mother, saying, ‘your daughter is making a spectacle of our whole family.

‘She is wearing a ridiculous hat at the races’.

“My mother asked her, ‘well who does she take after?’ My aunt slammed down the phone.”

The two sisters did not get along well, jokes Ewan, who today returns to Greyville in style, dressed in a hat with spots.

“I think spots are very happy,” Ewan says, browsing through a photo album she has kept of her 1962 experience, which was part of a visit to Durban with three fellow students from the old Grahamstown Teachers’ Training College.

“We came by ship from East London, up on the Sterling and back on the Windsor.”

Later in her life, Ewan studied fashion design part-time, and has been an active maker of clothes.

She has also often dressed up children for functions at several schools she has taught at, most recently Addington Primary where she works once a week.

Since her first Durban July, Ewan has been to three events, once as a waitress in a tent.

One of the old 1962 newspaper articles in her album reflects the year beforehand: “Last year the women mourned South Africa leaving the Commonwealth.

“The year before that Sharpeville killed the great fashion hit parade stone dead.”

Justin has a serious amount of “Beliebers” who hang on his every word. A lot of his tweets are about his day-to-day activities as he tours the world.

But there are several plugs for sponsor adidas, such as “Shooting with @adidasNEOLabel today. Making them make longer shirts”.

Another was for his range of telephone cases made by Cellairis: “* got one?” he asks. He doesn’t forget his tour sponsor: “Shoutout to @essence_US cosmetics. They’ll give away tix for my shows in the US & Canada PLUS meet & greets!” Be still, beating hearts.

Shameless plugging: 8/10 AMANDA HOLDEN

The outspoken 42-year-old actress and Britain’s Got Talent judge has 1.4 million followers.

It isn’t easy looking good on screen, so she tweets thanks for the help she gets.

All her clothes for BGT come from Australian clothes designer J’Aton at a hugely discounted price and were regularly plugged on her Twitter feed: “OMG!!! Just taken delivery of my first batch of dresses from J’Aton Couture!!! For BGT live!!! Beyond excited.”

Shameless plugging: 6/10 – Daily Mail