Kolmanskuppe Tree and Church!

[henniek]

Leon : - Memories of kolmanskop:- Mrs Marianne Coleman . She was the daughter of the workshop foreman " Ou Kat " Coleman. So named because he walked fast and very quietly . The personnel never knew when and where he would turn up next .
Leon , Uncle Frantz Schneider , the foreman of the rubber , or was it the tyre shop at Uubvlei was very interested in the history of the regeon , and keen to write it down . I copied some of the comments re what Mrs Marianne Coleman remembered about the early days of Kolmans  .
The photostats of the early photos , I got from Martinus Schoeman
About the original topic . Look at the house of the manager 1909  ,in font and next to it is something that might have become  trees later on . I believe that residents had to go to Luderitz to attend a church service.

[Leon Sumter]

Thanks Hennie.
I thought for a moment that Mrs. Coleman may have been related to the early trader after which Kolmanskop is named.
Anymore recollections of people about Kolmanskop would be very much appreciated by most folk on this site.
I worked at Uubvley for quite a few years +/- 1974 to 1989 and I remember the name Franz Schneider. Glen Hackart also worked at the Uubvley tyre shop before he changed career to Personal Admin.
Yes looking at the old Kolmans photo's it seem that some of the more senior management may have had some sort of gardens with perhaps a few trees.
As we all know the Kolmans environment is essentially desert and water was a scarce commodity in Kolmans.
Michael should possibly consider placing these type of "historical" threads in a special "Historical" folder on the website.

[henniek]

I found another photograph of Kolmans . Can anybody name the people ? August Stauch centre , and a mr Weiss on the right , but who is the others ?

[henniek]

The name Kolmanskuppe [ Kollmanskuppe  ] is believed to have originated from the transporter John Kolman . he transported goods from Keetmanshoop to Luderitz , and it was his custom to outspan at his camp in the vicinity of the low lying gneis kopje [ kuppe ]. during 1905 he abandoned a broken down wagon there , where it remained for many years .

[Leon Sumter]

Yes it appears that Kolmanskuppe was named after Johnny Kolman the trader.
The others in the photograph are probably members of the Landesrat (Legislative Council) of which Stauch was a member and Mr Carl Weiss as well. This Council represented the needs of the Luderitzbuchters.

[henniek]

Marianne remember: Kolmans had a school with clases up to std 4 . a very active gymnastic club , a theatre which sponsored visits of shows and operettas from overseas and a 8 piece orchestra that played for all the formal dances as welll as tea dances on Saturday and Sunday afternoons . All the ladies turned up in the latest fashions . the club served tea , coffee , beer and spirits while the orchestra played sweet music . some couples did the tango or one step . the brave ones tried the charleston . At a later stage Marianne played the piano in this orchestra , after she had lessons from a mr Felix de Cola
the ladies ran a very effective club , funds being collected for various charities .

[Leon Sumter]

Hi Hennie
What era is Marianne referring to here?
Find some more info on Kolmans in the attachment. Marianne might want to read this.

[Michael Alexander]

This was mentioned before, but what the heck!

There is but only a handful of Kolmanskuppers left alive, they are all leaving, I still maintain that somebody from the history or discovery channel should interview these few before their tales are lost forever...

[henniek]

I think Marianne dates to the beginning of the last century
Quote : I remember the mules , lovely fat and strong animals that pulled the "violet wagon " and also the smart rail coach to Charlottenthal , Idastahl , hexenkessel ,and Mariannesthal . [ named after August's sweetheart & eldest daughter ] 
All the ladies as well as myself were dressed in parasols and tremendous ostrich feather hats -[ this gives you a clue to the period , and , I guess she was 18 - 19 years old then.]
That was before the rec club was built at Kolmans. in 1927
every easter , the manager arranged an easter egg hunt and the families who lived at Kilo 20 on the way to E bay , hid hundreds of easter goodies amongst the rocks . afterwards very nice tea and cookies were served- and lomonades provided as well.

[Leon Sumter]

Hennie this is really great stuff. I am still a bit confused about Marianne. You say she was the daughter of  " Ou Kat " Coleman the foreman. Was Ou Kat Coleman a foreman at the early Kolmanskop mine then? Has Marianne written a book/memoirs from which you are getting this fantastic information?

[henniek]

Leon: thankyou very much for the history that you have posted- I spent a joyfull and happy time reading it
re your question about Marianne - No book - sorry . Info from or via Frantz , who must have known her. I will add another paragraph tomorrow from my notes

[Leon Sumter]

Yes please do Hennie. I am 'pasting' this into the 'Kolmanskop file' so that we end up with a fairly comprehensive document.

[henniek]

Marianne :-  Once my father and the owner of the hotel discussed church matters  , and they agreed on how nice it was for the Kayser to donate a very nice stained glass window , and how kind it was that  the kayser's  wife donated the altar Bible.
Most probably not to be outdone , Mr Stauch imported a large Steinway grand piano , but the church did not have suffiecient room to house it , so it ended up in the gymnasium.
The owner of the hotel  then said that a upright piano similar to the one in the bar would have been much more appropriate. But unfortunataly that one has been shot at so many times that it stopped working  , otherwise he would have given it to the church.

[henniek]

Marianne: -We did not have refrigirators but cooler chests .  I remember the ice man doing his rounds , delivering ice blocks from the ice factory . He then put the ice blocks into the cooler chests at every home.
Sometimes a childs priorities were different from his mothers , and it often happened that a child would take the butter or eggs out of the cooler, to make space for their lomonade . Very nice soda water and lemonade were made at the ice factory as well . It was bottled in the old fasioned bottles with the glass marble on the top to prevent the gas escaping .
The Butcher was mr Zirkler , and the baker was mr Brechlin. Every morning on his way to work , farther would drop off his daily order at the store , bakery , or butcher . Fresh bread or rolls , meat and other groceries were delivered before noon. mr Zirkler made the best smoked viennas you can imagine . In the store one could buy home made fudge and toffees . Behind the store was a playground for the children , with a merry go round and a giant wheel , and other entertainments offered for children from todlers to teenagers.

[Leon Sumter]

Great stuff Hennie. Keep it coming.