Fish Hoek's centenary celebrations
IN 1918, Fish Hoek farm was broken up into plots and sold from £10 to £150. Now, 100 years later, the area has grown exponentially and is home ro many who gathered yesterday to celebrate the milestone.
Cheers and music filled the air in the Fish Hoek Civic Centre where 100 primary school children and school bands from Masiphumelele and Fish Hoek high schools gathered to rejoice and honour the town.
The “Happy Birthday” song ushered in the centenary celebration, and a plaque was unveiled to mark the auction and sale of the first residential plots in Fish Hoek.
Richard Valentine, who chairs the Fish Hoek 100 and beyond NPO, said the celebration was a great way to bring the community together and speak about future improvements for the area.
“The centenary is around how to create something to work for the broader community that will have longevity. We will focus on issues in the Main Road to encourage tourism in the area as well.
“We will have a spring bash and splash in September, and in October we’re hoping to have a music and culture fest at the high schools.” Historian and retired founding curator of Fish Hoek Valley Museum Joy Cobern explained the history of Fish Hoek and said the settlement first started as a farm with a few stables converted into accommodation for visitors.
“Fish Hoek was a farm and the last owners always received requests from visitors to stay overnight.
“They knew that people wanted to stay there, and in the last owner’s will she said the land must be sold in plots.
“It wasn’t a case of millionaires buying and building mansions; it was modest people who built shacks in the area to stay in on the weekend. It then became wooden bungalows on stilts and they had a very good train service. Not many people had cars then,” said Cobern.
Cobern said the community’s roots were important and should be recognised and celebrated.