History books about Benoni on the cards

Farrarmere resident Glynis Cox Millett-Clay loves Benoni and would like to one day buy an old house with pressed ceilings and wooden floors that she can turn into a tourist museum.

Tell us about the dream of having a tourist museum.

I would like to use this to display my private historic collection and call it ‘The Clay Collection’.

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When I toured England, I went to view The Burrell Collection, which inspired me to do something similar, but on a small scale.

What do you collect?

I collect a variety of vintage postcards from South Africa and England only, as well as books about the British royal family and memorabilia.

Tell us about your personal life.

Born in Johannesburg, I am the eldest of three children. I have two brothers, Norman and Howard.

I moved to Welkom in 1957 with my parents, attended Dagbreek Primary Dual Medium, Aurora Primary and Welkom High School, as well as commercial high schools.

When I left Welkom I moved to Bloemfontein and then settled in Benoni in 1978.

Growing up I did ballet, tap and modern dancing with Rita Rion, a well-known Czechoslovakian Ballerina who lived in South Africa.

I married Charles, my childhood sweetheart, and we recently celebrated 47 years together.

We know you as Glynis Cox Millett-Clay. Where is the name derived from?

I am known as Glynis, but my full name is Denise Glynis Millett-Clay and I sign my name for historical purposes as “Glynis Cox Millett-Clay”, the Cox being my maiden name.

Tell us about your Facebook group.

In about 2005, I was instrumental in initiating a third book on Benoni history to be published in 2007 for the town’s centenary.

A team was put together and we, a group of about eight Benonians, started collecting as much information as possible from old newspaper cuttings, the library and books.

As I had all the information on hand, I decided, in July 2013, to create a Facebook page called ‘Benoni History – Now and Then’ to share this most valuable information with the community.

Why are you so interested in the history of Benoni?

I love to research and go back into the past. I am also a genealogist, so the two go hand in hand.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy studying the Bible, gardening, knitting and reading about and researching history.

Tell us about your future plans.

My dream is to produce a CD or DVD on the history of Benoni. I have already started with it, but it does need some attention and will take a lot of time.

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