Hermanus Stories III
by S J du Toit

Annette Theron
 
It is with a bouquet of appreciation in hand and a courteous bow that we bid au revoir to S.J. du Toit’s Hermanus Stories with the publication of the third and final volume in this historical trilogy.
Hermanus Stories III contains a pot-pourri of stories inhabited by interesting colourful characters from the past and present, which have made Hermanus what it is today.
This reader-friendly book, written in du Toit’s customary natural, easy-going style comprises two sections, namely people and places. The events chronicled are informative and often humorous, with the benefit of brevity.
The book features a range of historical anecdotes by the author with an added bonus: it includes stories submitted to the local newspaper, The Hermanus times, 150th Birthday issue in 2005.
Although, as mentioned, this book is the final in the series, du Toit did allude to the fact that more of her stories will be appearing in Whale Coast Chronicles II which is poised to go to press.
Well documented, extensive research spanning well over six years, have served as the backbone to all three publications of Hermanus Stories.; enhanced by du Toit’s adeptness in encouraging people she interviewed to relax and openly share their experiences.

Hermanus has grown considerably since the days when some residents kept horses, cows and sheep in cow paddocks. In 1958 the Windsor Hotel was the place to be seen and patrons could enjoy a juicy steak or a crayfish for a mere one Rand.
Hermanus Stories III contains the unpublished diary of Berdine Luyt during the wartime scenario, this makes for interesting and humorous reading. Berdine was one of the five daughters of John and Joey Luyt and she assisted her mother in the day to day running of the Marine Hotel.
My interest was piqued by the remarkable man, Bill Le Barrow who initiated the Rotary Drive Road project in 1960. The project got off the ground when the Rotary Club contributed the first £100; the municipality provided the labour and the Divisonal Council the road-making machinery. Today Rotary Drive is a landmark in Hermanus and S J rightly points out that it would be a token of honour to have Le Barrow’s name immortalised at the parking area on the mountain.
Of further interest was the village bioscope in the late 1960’s (seeing that we have no bioscope today) in the hall above Lemm’s Stores that was owned by a Mr. Oblowitz who was also the proprietor of a hair salon. Bernard and Elizabeth Lemonsky were the owners of Lemm’s Stores, and well-known artist Gregoire Boonzaaier was a regular visitor to their home in Harbour Road. The Lemonsky’s store was quite large for a village the size of Hermanus at the time, yet it flourished. This space is now occupied by The Hermanus Factory Shop.
And back in 1970 even quiet times were livened up by cycling and fish festivals that preceded the Hermanus Whale Festival.
A chapter is devoted to Estelle Spaarwater, Jim Wepener, Glynis van Rooyen, and Kari Brice who all served on the Greater Hermanus Association of Commerce and Tourism (GHACT) in one capacity or another. It is of particular interest that Jim Wepener restored one of the first fisherman’s cottages in Harbour Road, setting the tone for most of the restoration and development projects that followed?
In the late 1980’s Jim’s sister in law, Glenda Pope, used to phone “Radio Kontrei”, now KFM and inform listeners as to the whereabouts of the whales.
Paul and Cathy du Toit – owners of the Wine Village and well known for their charitable work, feature in Hermanus Stories III as does Paul Roos, the man behind the Springbok name.
Avis MacIntyre gives an insightful account of her husband Richmond’s odysseys into unchartered territory and his summit of Mt. Everest on 30 May 2005. These are just a few excerpts of the many people, places and events depicting the beautiful town of Hermanus.
S J managed to capture the essence of Hermanus in this trilogy. This very informative book will be enjoyed by all who wish to enhance their general knowledge of Hermanus and brush up on their history of people and places in and around Hermanus.
100 Numbered copies of the first edition of the book have been printed in hardcover. The cover photo is of the Windsor Hotel and the back cover illustration of the old Sanatorium (now the Windsor) is by local artist Peter Earl.
The official launch of Hermanus Stories III and Stanford Stories II will be celebrated at The Book Cottage on Thursday 10 May at 18:00.
Both these publications are available from the Book Cottage (028 31300834), bookmark (028 313-2000) and other book outlets.
Price R179,90