Recalling the Benoni of 55 years ago

The couple has returned to their town of origin after half a century in Welkom and had many a story to share about the City of Lakes they remember.

Kosie (74) and Bessie (73) met at the Pinkster Protestante Kerk (now Koinonia Church) in Northmead, a church they helped to build in around 1958.

“Now we’re back at the same church en we sit in exactly the same spot as when we were young,” said Bessie.

They moved to Welkom in late 1960 and were married in January 1962.

The couple remained in the Free State town and had four children there, all of whom have moved away in the meantime.

“We were alone there until recently, because all the kids had moved out and many of our friends live here in Benoni, although we don’t know where,” they said.

The Bothas, who have been back in Benoni since March, have seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The geographic distribution of their blood line has encouraged the Bothas to travel across the globe, seeing glaciers on a boat ride in Alaska, visiting their daughter in Canada, seeing the enormity of the Boeing aircraft factory in the US and visiting Germany, Israel and the Netherlands.

But, for all their travels, most of the stories the couple has to tell, come from the days of their youth in Benoni.

Kosie recounts how he worked at the merry-go-round when the carnival was in town.

“I earned five ‘bop’ for the evening, that’s 50 cents, which was quite a bit of money back then,” he said.

“We were there when Queen Elizabeth II travelled through Benoni, in 1947,” remembered Bessie.

“Prince’s Avenue was a two-way street back then and had another name… I can’t think of it now, but it was changed to Prince’s after her visit.

“It was fantastic to be there and see her, the streets were packed.”

They said most of modern Benoni was farmland before they left.

“It was very open compared to now, even Rynfield was mostly open and agricultural land,” Bessie said.

One of the few things that has decreased is the number of movie-houses, the mention of which brought back a flurry of fond memories for the two.

“There was the Lido, the Rex, Savoy, Bughouse and the Century, we always went to watch cowboy pictures at the Century; films with John Wayne and Roy Rogers,” recalled Kosie.

“At the Bughouse you would get a cup of cold drink with your ticket, then you went in to watch the picture.”

“I remember our father giving us a shilling (10 cents) every Friday, then you got a ticket at the bioscope with five, with three cent you bought a packet of chips, and the other two you saved for later,” Kosie said.

“When Elvis became popular, in 1957, he brought rock ‘n roll and jeans along, but we weren’t allowed to wear jeans, they were often seen as evil.”

The couple agreed that the mall and many of today’s stores weren’t present in Benoni back then, but they recalled a Woolworths and a particular grocery store.

“On the corner of Swan and Prince’s was a grocery store, which specialised in tea,” said Kosie.

“They delivered groceries and tea with a horse-drawn carriage.”

“At the grocery stores they didn’t have cashier machines, so, to get change, they sent a little bag with the payment up a rope to the offices upstairs, where the correct amount of change was put in, then the bag was sent back down again,” Bessie relayed with a rekindled joy.

Kosie told of wood and coal being delivered to homes by horse carriage, as many people had coal stoves.

“The mine dump was already there and one of the mines pumped out hot water into the lake; then my friends and I always took a swim there, which infuriated my mother,” he said.

“In those days we could still go wash our cars at the lake and hold a picnic there, while the kids played on the swings.”

They said there are several recognisable features in 2015 Benoni, such as the mine dump and the old stone bank in the CBD.

“Korsman’s Ice Cream is still in the same spot it was 50 years ago, on Woburn,” said Kosie with sudden enthusiasm.

The couple mentioned the differences between Welkom and modern Benoni, including the tempo.

“The tempo in Benoni is much higher than in Welkom, it’s much less busy there and more spread out, not so densely populated.”

These days they keep busy with work in and around the house.

Bessie enjoys needlework, while Kosie keeps busy with steelwork, particularly a bird cage he’s currently building.