FEBRUARY 2000

Dear Friends of the Museum

Well, the year 2000 is going along in exactly the same old way as the last century.  Nothing came to a halt because of all the noughts!  I know of a few people who will be consuming stored provisions well into the new year!

The year 2000 is of particular significance to the museum.  On 1 September we will celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the Old Mission Church being used as a museum.  We are planning great festivities but need to tittivate the buildings for the occasion.

The other major event is that the museum is going on-line with internet and e-mail.  Slowly but surely we are entering the technological century.  A Canadian lady at present living in the village markets Active E-Commerce websites from which one can also earn a few dollars. My BimBears have also found a website.  I have had many hours of help and training so that I am able to set up a website for the museum myself which is saving us R1200.  It will be available in English, Afrikaans, German and French!  Soon you will be able to explore http://www.museums.org.za and among SA's other museums you will find the home page for Montagu Museum.  Our newsletter will also be available on site.  While we are talking languages, our brochures have been translated into German and French.   So send overseas visitors to visit the museum.  Paulette van den Bosch of Berg-en Dal Shoppe corrected the French translation and the German translation was corrected by a friend with a M in German.  Thank you for the help.

I am looking forward to this year's International Museum Day which will take place on 18 May.  The well-known Mrs Anne Haarhoff will present a day workshop  on how to compile a lovely album using old photographs, cuttings and memorabilia that will tell the story of your life in a very creative and personal way.  The day will cost R180 which includes lunch and refreshments.  If you are interested please submit your name and a deposit because we have to limit numbers.  We have planned an interesting speaker for the annual general meeting to be held the same evening, but that is a secret at present.

Now I have the pleasant duty to thank all those who have been so helpful since our last newsletter.  Mrs Janine Strauss gave us a roll of contact for covering the library books. The following each gave rose bushes for our rose garden:  Mesdames Jeanne Biesenbach, Esther Hofmeyr and Kate Westcott.  Thanks to those who supplied bottles of Muscadel during the book restoration project:  Mr Kenneth Knipe, Mrs Hughes and Uitvlucht Winery.  Two museum friends, Oom Jan Jordaan and our new Chinese friend, David Yam, each made generous donations towards the project.  Mr Orwin Bock from Cape Town has already restored 13 books for us.  The State Bible alone would have cost us R500 but he only asked for R50 to pay for a piece of Moroccan leather.  So far he has only asked for R100 to cover the cost of materials but he was VERY happy with the muscadel.  This year he will restore two valuable Bibles for us that have been badly damaged. 

We are very sad that Kenneth Knipe has passed away.  He was a true friend of the museum and a pillar of support.  Our sympathy goes to tannie Helene and the family.

In conclusion a piece of interesting news:  Our museum's oval date stamp could not accommodate 2000.  After a long struggle ( and great effort by Niël and Zelma) Mr Bock arranged for a new year 2000+ metal strip to be built into the original date stamp - at a very reasonable price and Mr David Crocker paid the bill…

I leave you with a final thought.  If you should drive through the tunnel on 28 February 2000, contemplate the fact that Cogmans Kloof has for the past 123 years to the day provided Montagu with access to the outside world.

Museum greetings