The South African Airways Museum (SAAM) will celebrate its 89th anniversary and invites the public to join in the celebrations with a walk down memory lane.
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The museum is proud to invite aviation enthusiasts from near and far to visit and learn about some of the accolades and historical moments associated with their national airline.
“As we celebrate the 89th anniversary of the founding of South African Airways on February 1 1934, a visit to the SAAM allows one a peek into a by-gone era as you take a stroll around the largest collection of historical commercial aircraft on the continent,” said the vice chairperson of the SAAM Society, Peter Boshoff.
“The collection includes a 1939 Lockheed Lodestar, the oldest surviving aircraft of South African Airways’ original fleet, along with the majestic Boeing 747 ‘Lebombo’, fondly remembered for its low fly-past over Ellis Park in 1995 carrying a ‘Good Luck Bokke’ message for President Nelson Mandela and the Springbok team before their match against New Zealand.
”There is even an opportunity to view the restoration progress on a Vickers Viking aircraft, developed to fill the void in commercial aircraft availability immediately after the cessation of the hostilities of WW II, which is indeed a rare specimen.”
During their ‘count down’ to South African Airways’ 90th anniversary next year, the museum invites collectors of aviation memorabilia and former SAA passengers who might have tickets, boarding passes, baggage tags, timetables, magazines and press cuttings, or any other items hidden in boxes in their garage or homes, to consider donating or loaning them to the museum for display during this period.
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“It is not always the tangible items that help to preserve history, but also the interesting stories associated with a piece of memorabilia that brings it to life, creating a more complete and meaningful historical exhibit,” said Boshoff.
Contact Boshoff on info@saamuseum.co.za for more information or to discuss your donation or participation in South African Airways’ 90th anniversary.
