Another week, another chance to learn more about our hood. Who's keen for a bit of history? Fun fact alert: did you know that Melpark has one of the only few turrets in Melville architecture? There could be less than 5!

In today’s newsletter,

• Why have Melvillians abandoned their local school? 🏫

• A New Art Gallery Opens Up On 7th Street 🖼️

• Mandela Day Melville Clean-up 🇿🇦

   

— Aubrey Moloto, Kele Jackson

The Digest

Why Have Melvillians Abandoned Their Local School?

A great Melville historian told us that to really understand the history of an area, the best points to start are its schools and churches.

We learned a lot about Melville's history by doing the story on the Kruisgemeente church. Now, we're putting our local primary school under the microscope - the school Danny and I went to: Melpark Primary. Let's teleport back in time!

From Tents to Permanent Buildings

Melville was declared a suburb in 1896. A massive rush of working-class people moved in and for the growing need of education in the newly created suburb a school was built in 1905 - Melville Primary School.

In stark contrast to its modern facilities today, the school's first classes were held in tents. Classes were taught in Dutch and English. Following this humble beginning, the school transferred to a house where it operated until the first permanent school building was constructed in 1909.

This 1909 building is significant, as its cornerstone is still visible in front of the main entrance on Second Avenue. The building itself has been declared a Local Heritage Site.

Rapid Growth and Historical Challenges

The school quickly grew and had to lay a foundation stone for new additional classrooms in 1914. The early years also saw the school adapting to significant historical events. During the First World War, the school building was the headquarters for the civic guard.

By 1915, the principal found empty shops to use as classrooms as the school was growing rapidly. A couple of years later, they were rocked by the 1918 Flu Epidemic, forcing the school to close for six weeks.

Growth spurts continued, and Melville was becoming a metropolitan hot spot! They needed more space and partnered with the Dutch Reformed Church, using their hall and an iron building on the parish hall grounds for classes.

A Time of Upheaval

There was an extremely dynamic political and social landscape. In 1922 on the Witwatersrand goldfields, white miners held a massive strike.

They were worried about being replaced by black miners who were paid lower wages. The strike escalated into an armed revolt that led to violent clashes with authorities, resulting in hundreds of casualties. It's known as the Rand Rebellion or Red Revolt.

This strike disrupted school for three months as teachers from town couldn't get to work.

The Great Linguistic Shift of 1923

1923 was a pivotal moment for Melville Primary which altered the school's linguistic identity and educational structure. Dutch medium classes were removed and relocated to a newly built school called Aucklandparkse Laerskool.

It was designated as an Afrikaans medium school. This profound shift solidified the school's English-only instruction and was maintained until 1992, highlighting a trend of linguistic specialisation within the education system in Joburg during that era.

Schools were moving away from the earlier dual-medium approach towards separate institutions catering to specific language groups.

Bringing Two Schools Together

1992 was another moment of evolution for the school's identity. The country was going through significant changes, and Melville was one of the areas at the forefront of that change.

Both schools' numbers started dwindling, which led to a strategic decision: to combine both schools and create a parallel medium school.

The amalgamation happened on the 2nd of August on a momentous occasion. The children and staff from Aucklandparkse officially moved across to Melville Primary, bringing the two linguistic streams under one roof.

This changed the demographic and linguistic composition of the student body in Melville, birthing a new, multicultural and multi-racial school.

The Birth of "Melpark"

To celebrate this new beginning, a competition was held among the children to choose a new name for the school. The winner by a landslide was "Melpark" - a direct reflection of the amalgamation, taking the "Mel" from Melville Primary and "Park" from Aucklandparkse Laerskool. The new institution was officially named Laerskool Melpark Primary.

This change reflects a period of adaptation in South African education, responding to changing demographics and linguistic needs. It set the stage for further evolution during Melville's "golden age" and leading into the year 2000.

Return to English-Only Education

The parallel medium arrangement didn't last. In 2000, another important decision was made: the Afrikaans side of the school was to be shut down. Afrikaans parents sadly had to find spaces for their children in neighbouring suburbs.

Melpark was no longer a dual language institution and became a predominantly English school. The "Laerskool" was dropped, and it became Melpark Primary School as we know it today.

The school currently caters to learners from Grade 1 to Grade 7, with the language of instruction being English, while Afrikaans is taught as a first additional language.

The changes in 2000, following the 1992 amalgamation, show that the school is constantly trying to adapt to the evolving cultural demographics and educational policies in post-apartheid South Africa.

Academic Excellence and Structure

From the year 2000 until now, Melpark Primary School has gone through many significant changes while working hard to maintain a strong focus on educational excellence and community integration.

The school currently enrols approximately 700 learners and places a strong emphasis on academic development, particularly in literacy and computer skills.

Each classroom is equipped with mini-libraries, and dedicated reading periods are incorporated into the timetable to foster a love for reading. They have a Principal's book club, where children take turns reading to the principal and discussing their books.

Computer classes are offered to all learners from Grades 1 to 7, ensuring digital literacy from an early age. They've consistently demonstrated academic excellence, with Grade 6 students frequently ranking in the top 5 in Gauteng in their subjects.

Extracurricular Activities and Student Support

The school offers a broad academic programme complemented by a full calendar of cultural and sporting activities.

Cultural activities include poetry recital, public speaking, Heritage Day concerts, art, and traditional games.

Sports programmes include netball, soccer, athletics and chess. Learners compete in league matches and have opportunities to advance to provincial levels in athletics, netball, and soccer.

Student Support Systems

The school keeps working to improve its many student support systems. They provide counselling services through collaborations with Sophiatown Community Psychological Services and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Psychology Department. They also offer a Life Skills and Counselling Programme amongst many other unique programmes and initiatives.

Modern Innovations and Community Engagement

In recent years, they've introduced the Vuma Schools Project where the school benefits from a 1Gbps Vuma Fibre internet connection.

This represents their commitment to advanced technological integration in education as we move into a more tech-savvy world. The previous principal, Mrs. Nalini Padayachee, was instrumental in implementing this initiative.

In light of all this progress, we really feel that they could be much more intentional in fostering relations with the Melville community in this modern era. However, they do have some current community engagement efforts worth noting.

The school encourages the art of giving by organising collection drives for less privileged communities. Beyond its internal reading programmes, Melpark has also participated in initiatives like National Library Week, where "Help 2 Read" volunteers engaged with students and authors."

A Living Legacy

Melpark Primary School has shown a history of adapting to changing social and educational landscapes, from its early days in tents to becoming a great English-medium institution in Johannesburg. It continually strives to provide a holistic and quality education under the leadership of current principal Ms Maria Serrao. It's been a cornerstone in our neighbourhood for over a century!

A Local Hero's Story

There have been some amazing moments as part of Mzansi's history in my time there. When their student - a local hero and my dear childhood and family friend Nkosi Johnson made history as the person to live with AIDS the longest.

His life was such an inspiration to the world during a troubling time at the height of HIV/AIDS. He, as well as his global humanitarian escapades, were deeply supported by the school and everyone who was part of it. He had a tight bond with our principal at the time, Mr. Badenhorst.

I remember moments when we'd celebrate his major achievements at assembly and how deeply we all mourned his death. It was such an incredible moment of school spirit and solidarity.

Other memorable moments were celebrating Mark Shuttleworth's achievements in space, the 2010 World Cup draw, and coming together, praying to support students and families affected by 9/11, we were in class as it happened.

A Changing Community Dynamic

Since then, the school's learnership has drastically shifted away from a representation of Melville. For some reason, Melvillians have opted to send their children to schools outside our hood. This has left the school to cater to kids travelling from outside, especially townships with a line of minibuses parked down 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

This phenomenon kind of resembles what's happened with the Melville Pool. It's an interesting discussion we'd like to open up to the community. Do you know why or how this could have happened?

Reply to this email, and let us know your thoughts. If we get enough answers, we'll do a follow-up in the extra sprinkles section and share the most insightful ideas.

If you enjoyed this week’s Melville history digest piece, consider giving us a tip. Buy us a coffee?

What’s Happenin’ 🤔

Looks like a healthy serving of Melville to-do's. Wild Jasmine is building momentum with their wholesome Afro-vegetarian and folk music dinners.

Check out the events calendar for the full list - The Melville Pulse Events Calendar 

Melville Weather For The Week ❄️

Wednesday 

18° 🌡️ 2°  | 🌤️ |  🌧️ 1% | SSW 7 km/h 💨

Thursday  

19° 🌡️ 1° | 🌤️ | 🌧️ 0% | ENE 7 km/h 💨

Friday 

19° 🌡️ 2° | 🌤️ | 🌧️ 0% | ESE 9 km/h 💨

Saturday 

21° 🌡️ 5° | 🌤 |  🌧️ 0% | NE 9 km/h 💨

Sunday

17° 🌡️ 3° | ☀️ | 🌧️ 1% | N 13 km/h 💨

Monday 

17° 🌡️ 3° | ☀️ |  🌧️ 0% | N 9 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

18°🌡️ 4° | ☀️ |  🌧️ 0% | SWS 7 km/h 💨

Live & Music Events Lowdown 🎸

Groove is back this week! Coca and chiesa are holding down the fort while we patiently await Smoking Kills’ return.

Here are your music grooves for the week.

10/07 | Thursday | 7 pm | chiesa di PAZZO LUPI | Live Concert: Allegories Album Launch ft. Théo Duboule, Vuma Levin, Matthias Spillmann, Marco Zenini, Martin Perret, and Gontse Makhene | Free 

10/07 | Thursday | 7 - 9 pm | Boho Buds | An Ingoma Session ft. Malcolm Jiyane | Prebook R100

12/07 | Saturday | 12 pm | Coca Restaurant & Lounge | Secure The Vibe: Tumisho, DRG, Miss Mesmeriz.e, TayTannerr, Kay Sparkles, King Zayne, Big Lez, Hoodbvby, Caliban, and Lil Capo | Free

12/07 | Saturday | 7 pm | chiesa di PAZZO LUPI | Selected for New York Voices Vocal Jazz Camp ft. Olebogeng Mlangeni and Phoebe Mgxaji | R180

15/07 | Tuesday | 4 pm | Coca Restaurant and Lounge | The Underground | Free

For more updates as the week goes on, visit our instagram page @snapson7th or our new Melville Pulse event calendar

If our weather or comprehensive gig guide came in clutch, consider buying us a coffee. 

Civil Matters 👷‍♀️

The Mandela Day Clean-Up

The poll above is based on what the community should address for Mandela Day this year. Creass Community Services presented residents on WhatsApp with options for streets where there are the most issues.

92 people voted that Main Road should be attended to.

Danny then did a site audit and realised the need for many improvements for Mandela Day:

1. Scattered refuse and garden waste need to be rounded up - requiring 2 skip bins

2. Shrubs to be removed to make the pavement more pedestrian-friendly

3. Paving that needs to be replaced

4. A deep clean of litter and rubble that needs to be cleared

5. Missing signage to be replaced

6. Faded stop and speed bump markings leading up to Main Road that need to be recoated

Rustenberg Road’s Refresh

CREASS Community Services also undertook the replacement and refurbishment of warning signs at Rustenburg Road and 8th Avenue to warn drivers about the slippery road surface around that bend.

Their Flash team will be doing some more work along that section in the coming months.

The Tail End 🐾

We're so happy that the community are really loving the Pet Winter Wear competition! We've had such nice comments and reactions on social media.

If you have a cute pet looking snug in its winter outfit, snap a pic and enter while it's still early! Welcome and best of luck to our latest entry, Layla! 😍 

Vote vote vote by replying to this email!

Melville Koppies Check-In

"A big tree has fallen in the forest." On Friday the 4th of July, word came out from the Carstens family that David Carstens, a long-term member of the Friends of the Melville Koppies and a massive contributor to the Melville village, had sadly passed on. The Koppies family would like to invite the community and all who've been touched by his life to "raise a toast to celebrate" him. Farewell Dave. 🕊🤍

Date: 13 July

Time: 11:30 am

Place: Melville Koppies Central (At the lecture hut)

Art In Melville 🎨

A New Art Gallery Opens Up On 7th Street

On Sunday the 6th of July, a new art gallery was opened with a warm and well-attended luncheon - Resource Gallery. Resource is the latest piece of the vibrant Melville Mansions puzzle. They join up with Melville Mansions, Bhontshisi Designs, The Sourcery and Gourmet Gimba.

Melville Mansion is bringing a little colour back to the strip with its bright pink look. The new gallery has been operating for a few weeks now but finally has a name.

It's a joint venture between Natasha Carstens of Bhontshisi Designs and Nkuleko Mabe who runs the gallery's day-to-day operations.

Speaking to Nkuleko, he told us that the plan is to build "a safe and homely space for artists, creatives and families." They're inviting the community to come out and enjoy the space. Resource will have art openings but also focus on kids, hosting children's workshops and art programmes.

They want parents to be comfortable in the space knowing that their kids are well catered for and are being mentally stimulated, while they can socialise and enjoy the gallery's adult offerings.

Natasha works with recycled material, so they'll be bringing that environmental element to art within the establishment. Ultimately, they aren't looking to change anything in the hood but revive arts and culture by "being the change we'd like to see."

We're sad to have missed the grand opening on Sunday but heard and saw some awesome reviews from people who were there. We are ecstatic to have art in Melville become a force again. Up and up from here!

Good luck to Resource Gallery and the team! Thank you for choosing Melville.

Market Watch 🎪

The Annual Kruis Bazaar

 The Melville Kruisgemeente's annual bazaar is back! They'll be collaborating with the Melville Market for the second year running after last year's great success. And this year they are aiming to outdo themselves and go even bigger.

The event will be happening on the 26th of July at their Saturday Market's normal operating hours: 9am to 2pm.

Entrance is free.

Contact the market to join up as a vendor: Ernest - 084 477 7137

Icing On The Cake 🍰 

In July's monthly MRA meeting, representatives from Smoking Kills came by to engage with the MRA community amidst a lot of confusion and misconceptions online that the MRA played a part in shutting SK down.

Tony, who holds the liquor portfolio, clarified that the MRA had nothing to do with the Gauteng Liquor Board closing them down. We've seen people antagonise the MRA online, claiming that they shut SK down because of excessive noise, but it apparently actually had nothing to do with noise, but a liquor licence issue.

Smoking Kills are currently awaiting their hearing from the GLB, working hard to get their house in order so they can continue trading as soon as possible. They have made a lot of effort with soundproofing, and are going through all the right channels to better coexist with the residents and be in good standing with the GLB.

Good luck to SK. Petitions, protests and support from the community, city, country and patrons from across the globe showed what a renowned establishment they are, and how much love people have for them and their staff. All the best to them and their staff through these hard times.

Thank you! 🙏

As we head toward a half-century of Melville Untold issues, we thank you for the amazing support. 9 more newsletters till the big 50!

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Til next Tuesday Melville,

Stay loving Melville's heritage, stay hopeful and stay harmonious.

Gāise gū re. ✌️