Alberton 115 years.

A first for everything
There is no way you can get around it – there has to be a first of everything. Some historic firsts in Alberton are:
  • A certain Mr Overbury apparently owned the first motor vehicle in Alberton round about 1918 and a reverend Stander followed suit about a year or two later.
  • The first residence doctor was Dr Hope Trant. She acted as midwife and introduced the first first aid classes to women in Alberton.
  • The first child christened in the old sink church was Eugene, daughter of Mr and Mrs Vermoten from First Avenue.
  • Let van der Merwe was the first resident who transported building material in her ox wagon. She also transported the building material for the church hall in Charl Cilliers Avenue.
  • For one of the first Christmas celebrations at the old sink church, the Syndicate of then (something like a council) donated R20 for the festivities where Mr Will Patric acted as Father Christmas.
  • Mr Wim Vunderink started Blou Meul as a delicatessen in 1954.
  • In 1939 Mr Walker got the first and only liquor licence for a liquor outlet in Van Riebeeck Avenue.
  • The owner of Florentia Pharmacy, Mr George Immelmal, was the first pharmacy which hosted a show where the latest in medicine was introduced to the public.
Mr Webb was the first police sergeant in Alberton.
Alberton, meer as net ’n woongebied
Waar mense hul intrek neem en hulself vestig is die volgende stap dat hulle sal begin handel dryf.
Ons kyk na van die eerste besighede wat hul deure in Alberton geopen het.
  • Alberton Supply Store het in 1845 deure oopgemaak op die hoek van Pieter Uyslaan en Hendrik Potgieterstraat. Die eienaars, Mnr en Mev Joselowitz, beter bekend as Jossy. Benewens duursame man- en kinderklere teen billike pryse het hulle ook skooldrag verskaf vir Hoërskool Alberton, Laerskool Paul Kruger, Marais Viljoen Tegniese en Handelskool, asook laerskole President Steyn, Generaal Alberts en Alberton Engels-Medium.
  • Alberton Builders Supply spesialiseer in swaar vervoer, uniewyd.
  • Proto Bakkery en Teekamer staan vandag nog bekend as Proto Bakkery.
  • Natalspruit Kole-agentskap was leweransiers van huishoudelike kole en vuurmaakhout, antrasiet, herd, stuk-, smids- en stoomketelkool.
  • Alberton Apteek in Van Riebeecklaan se deur is vandag steeds oop.
  • Newmarket Furnishers het nuwe en tweedehandse meubels, asook fietsie, speelgoed en breekware verkoop.
  • Die Blou Meul het destyds ietwat anders daarna uitgesien en het geadverteer dat hulle die oudste en betroubaarste adres in Alberton is vir kouevleis (55 soorte) asook lokaal en ingevoerde kruideniersware teen billike pryse.
  • Modern Drapers was bekend as spesialiste in gehalte materiale en dames- en kinderuitrustings.
  • WM Cuthbert & Kie Bpk het skoenreperasies gedoen.
  • Alberton Garage in Van Riebeeck het ook slotte, sleutels, vuurwapens en ammunisie aangehou.
Postal services in Alberton
Back in the old days things sure worked and looked a little, if not much more, differently.
Some of these strange, but yet so true, things are:
  • Post use to be fetched from Germiston on horseback by Klein Charlie who took it to Mr Riordan’s home shop in Ooslaan (now know as Pieter Uys Avenue).
  • The first post office was run from the shop of GL Overbury on the corner of Second Avenue and Hendrik Potgieter Street. This shops were demolished round about 1965.
  • The first postmaster, Miss Lill Bester, was appointed in 1917 and worked as postmaster until 1938.
  • The first official state post office was built on the corner of Gerrit Maritz and Van Riebeeck avenues in about 1926.
  • Stories from the heydays of Alberton has it that a one Goldberg, alias Isaak Lindener, received a life sentence for breaking into this post office just before World War II.
  • Halfway through World War II this post office was blown up and Alberton got it’s third post office on the same premises.

Vooruitgang bring altyd verandering

Selfs in die vroeë jare van Alberton se geskiedenis was verandering onafwendbaar en het ’n aantal strate naamsveranderinge ondergaan.

In 1938 het die Raad besluit om ter gedagtenis aan die eeufeesvieringe en met die aankoms van die ossewaens die name van die volgende strate te verander:

Noordstraat word Andries Pretorius

Eerstestraat word Piet Retiefstraat

Tweedestraat word Gerrit Maritzstraat

Derdestraat word Hendrik Potgieterstraat

Vierdestraat word Louis Trichardstraat

Maystraat word Eeufeesstraat

Suidstraat word Hans van Rensburgstraat

Ooslaan word Pieter Uyslaan

Derdelaan word Van Riebeecklaan

Hooflaan word Charl Cilliersstraat

Weslaan word Mathinus Oosthuizen.

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