Isandlwana cultural centre

Frank
Reading your suggestions for the Isandlwana Cultural Centre brought to mind a similar development a lot closer to your Cape Town home. It is the West Coast Fossil Park near Langebaan, where a Lotto-funded Visitor's Centre was recently opened. It is not a battlefield that is the attraction being preserved, but the remains of fossiliferous deposits exposed in an abandoned phosphate mine. It could be a 'outing with a difference' for you, and it might provide you with some ammunition to press your earlier suggestions.
Regards
Brett

rusteze
Well, possibly I might have let my Angst show too much, but the site means a lot to me and the thought of its alteration for the worse is very distressing.

Julian
I understand completely.
Steve

I suppose that one of the questions raised is how many jobs would be created for the people who live in the area...

The abiding memory of Newfoundland Park is the great Caribou atop a rock looking out across the Somme battlefield. I once addressed a large gathering of Canadian security people in Ottawa about the various threats we then faced in the UK. They were plainly closely engaged with whatever it was I was saying and then broke out into rapturous applause at the end - not something I was particularly used too I have to say! Afterwards a colleague in the audience told me that all the time I was speaking a large screen behind me carried pictures of Canada Geese sweeping over the lakes and forests. Emotional lot the Canadians.

Steve

Bonjour Frank,
Just for information:
"In March 1880 Lieutenant M. O’Connell of the 60th Rifles was sent to iSandlwana accompanied by a detachment of the Natal mounted Police. O’Connell found that on the slopes which drained into the dongas many graves had become disturbed. His methods in redress were nothing if not practical;

Each man was provided with a sack to carry any bones he might find, and every third or fourth man had a spade or pick to dig up the bones in those places where they had not been properly buried, and where the ground did not seem to be such as to make the recovering of old graves desirable. I extended my men in a line across the place where Lord Chelmsford’s camp had been, and moved them slowly backwards and forwards. They put all the uncovered bones they could find into the sacks, and renewed the stones and earth over the graves that required it. As soon as three or four sacks of bones had been collected in this way, I caused them to be carried to [a specified spot] and there buried them in two large deep graves…"
Source: Ian Knight. "Companion to the AZW", Burying the dead

According to IK's hypothesis, it's possible  in the months and years after June 1879, that deep graves were dug on the battlefield.
Amitié
Fred

Hi Fred,

…… and indeed they were. Their location however had no nexis with any other event.

regards

barry

Bonsoir Barry,
I am sorry, I would have written "according to Lieutenant O'Connell"....
Regards.
Fred

Latest Google Earth image shows the Cultural Centre excavations - image quality is improving.

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Steve

A report back from iSandlwana.
I was on the battlefield over the weekend and am happy to report that the proposed building site is effectivly abandoned. Most of the fencing surrounding the site has been 'recycled' as has the blue screen. the two office containers have been stripped of anything useful and the whole area is one of 'given up and gone home. The much touted rememberance area is now completely overgrown and a lot of the brick paving has been more gainfully employed elsewhere, in fact a house below the rocky ridge seems to have a rather nice patio.
In general the battlefield itself is dissapointingly shabby. The cairns need a fresh coat of whitewash and the invasive bush is impacting on some cairns on the saddle. Housing is growing at a brisk pace and an area to the south of the Malabamkosi ridge is being developed pretty fast, with the track/road extended its now possible to drive to a point where Mpethi hill is very visible as is the gorge below fugitives drift.
We held a moonlight vigil on the saddle after walking up through a gap in the fence from Durnfords Donga. A full moon and cloudless sky threw a really scary blue glow over the saddle and standing in the colonial cemetary was to say the least very unnerving. So with hair doing a tad more than stand on end we beat a retreat back to the bar of the RD HOTEL.
I have some interesting new photos I will post over the next few days.

Hi Frank,

Good news from one aspect but is there a plan for restoration and repair of the battlefield, though I don't suppose you are privy to the SA Government plans.

More importantly will they be back when a few more quid is raised/found/redirected?

Ta

Sime

Lap of the Gods stuff Simon. There is so much happening in the area, politically and socially at present. I would say that its very much on the back burner, the initial enthusiasm/panic was for the 140th. possibly it may surface again for the 150th

Frank,

Is the excavated soil still in place, or have the holes been filled?

JY

Still piled up John.

Cheers Frank,

Best get the boys in and reclaim the battlefield!

Let The Mountain Be Their Monument...

JY

The piles are slowly collapsing John a few good rains and status quo will be established. Did you know that Foy Vermark had died? Another of the old timers gone. And I believe Rob Caskie isnt doing to well after his Motorbike spill.
Some more gossip, Andrew Rattray has moved down to Plettenburg Bay, little brother Doug is now in charge.

cheers

Frank,

I knew about the reshuffle at FDL.

But I wasn’t aware about the news regarding Foy or Rob.

Thanks for the update.

JY

Sorry John forgot to mention, Pam Mcfadden is set to leave Talana fairly soon. The replacement has been chosen.

Frank,

Such pity, I saw Pam back in January, and we realised it was near thirty years since we had first met.

JY

The incumbent is a totally different kettle of fish John, it seems very little interest in the actual battle sites at all. Potentially the future is going to be an uphill battle. As we know quite often the only thing that stood in between developers and the battlefields was Pam.

I would not right the project off as Umzinyathi District Municipality has included it in their 19/20 draft budget

The project includes construction of the following:
• Zulu Cultural village
• War memorial wall
• Inkosi Cetshwayo statue

Paul,

Is the draft budget available online?

JY

Strange they have included for a Cetswayo statue when the the plans call for Shaka ?

Frank,

As far as I was aware it has always going to be King Cetshwayo, the King Shaka statue in the concept art was just a reference.

JY

Morning John
Ive never seen Cetshwayo mentioned but always willing to learn.

Good morning Frank,

I was asked to source appropriate photographs and engravings of King Cetshwayo from the period to assist in the design.

The “committee” were leaning towards a cloaked figure not too dissimilar to the one at The Castle, Cape Town.

Any chance you could send me your recent photographs of site? I am attempting to show an interested party the current state of play.

Gary took some yesterday, but he has posted them on Facebook and I am not a member..

Thanks in anticipation.

JY

Hi John
As long as its a better statue than that abortion at the Ulundi centre. Sorry didnt bother taking any photos this time around.

John are we now going for a fully local funded scheme as opposed to the Arts and Cultural model?

Frank,

There was a meeting yesterday at Ulundi, as yet I haven’t received details of the outcome.

I have a meeting on Wednesday at the High Commission to discuss matters, that’s why I’m looking for photographic evidence.

The Royal Welsh are also interested to see the current state of the Memorial Garden.

JY

follow link as requested

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Paul,

Thanks for that.

Personally, I believe that £600,000 could be better spent elsewhere in the municipality.

JY

Thanks Paul
John it looks like an R11 000 000.00 allocation. The good thing on it being a municipal driven issue is:
a) Could never go ahead
b) Out of the reach of Arts and Culture.
Its good to see there is strong motivation to upgrade Tourism.

Frank,

We met with the Municipality’s Mayor in Dundee back in January.

I actually know his family and their antecedence. They were at iSandlwana - in the N.N.C., recruited from the Msinga Magistracy.

JY

Looked for you at the Presidents inauguration on the weekend? Couldnt believe it 21guns fired of and not one of the sods could hit Cyril ! Most dissapointed.

Frank,

You’ve got the wrong political allegiance there!

A certain female we both know grimaces at the very mention of Cyril’s name, try it the next time you see her!  

JY

Bonjour à tous,

Jus for information:
Fortunately, the departure of Madame Pam McFadden from the Talana Museum is a false rumour. When she eventually retires she will let everyone know.

Cordialement
Frédéric Bomy

Hi All
I was talking to Pam Mac last week when I called into have some files copied , there's no mention of her leaving or retiring , she knows how important it is that she stays , she's known Paul Naish for ever , if there was any inkling she was leaving... I'm positive it would've been mentioned amidst all the doom and gloom we discussed .
90th

Curious!

Fake News... Fake News.

A deliberate ploy to spread false intelligence.