A look back over 50 years
As the Northcliff Melville Times has its golden jubilee, we look back on the role it has played in the communities it covers.
The Northcliff Melville Times community newspaper has had the privilege of writing about our communities for 50 years.
It is through the pages we print that stories are told about individuals, organisations and events that colour the lives of our readers.
Through the decades the layout and visuals of the paper have gone through many changes as current trends and styles evolve. Today is no different.
Delivered free every Tuesday, to over 31 100 homes and businesses, stories from across the board in the categories of hard news, community, schools, entertainment, sport, and youth are published.
The launch edition in October 1973, led with the headline Hello there and had the following quip, “The demand was persistent, the response overwhelming. That’s the story of the birth of the Times.”
The photos were all in black and white and a notice for Mr and Mrs Antoine’s 31st wedding anniversary made it to the front page.
Known then as the Northern Times, the monthly newspaper has been documenting the happenings of the areas we cover as a quiet record of history.
A three-bedroom house in Roosevelt Park cost R25 000 and the same in Northcliff on a 2 000m² property for just R28 500.
The first colour photos were printed in February 1974, and in May the paper was rebranded as the Northcliff and Blackheath Times.
The Northcliff Rotary was the lead story for that edition; the club held an event at the Northcliff Country Club in aid of blind community members.
The historical record of happenings in our footprint is a thread that links the past and present. Only two months ago, the Northcliff Rotary featured prominently for donating dignity packs to impoverished pregnant women across the county.
Not only do we think this record of happenings is important, but our readers do too.
Carol Penny lives in Greymont and has a framed article from the paper that her mother Joan was in. “Mom sent some photos to the paper of fond memories of Roosevelt Park from the 50s and 60s. I will never forget her sheer delight at a whole half page devoted to her story. Her phone rang off the hook with her old neighbours from Scully Street, excitedly calling her to talk about it.”
Harry Tambourlas is an accomplished jazz musician who performs as Harry Talas. His creative abilities have earned him recognition over the years in the Northcliff and Melville Times. “I was always so grateful that someone would come and talk to me and recognise me for what I do,” said Tambourlas, whose walls at his home and practice have showcased his appearances in print.
In 1983, the paper again changed its name to what it is now – the Northcliff Melville Times and was sold for 10c. It quickly reverted, however, to being a free publication.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, says the expression. Twenty years ago, a story was written about a car that destroyed part of the Melville Koppies fence. In July this year, history repeated itself, and who knows how many times in between the two dates.
The relationship between the newspaper and the community has always been paramount.
This is illustrated through the Melville Koppies, for example. In 1983, it was the front page lead, inviting residents to explore the nature reserve. (11)
Current chair of Friends of the Melville Koppies Wendy Carstens writes on hearing about the papers 50th. “I came to Melville Koppies this morning because of the article about the Heritage Award I read in the NMT.
“This comment by a recent visitor is a reflection of the very helpful role that the Northcliff Melville Times plays in publicising community organisations’ activities. The weekly roundup of local news and events is an easy way of learning more about our community’s events and projects. It reports a positive slant on what the community has achieved. To counterbalance this, it doesn’t ignore the problems we all face.
“The Friends of Melville Koppies really appreciate the long, beneficial relationship of 50 years we have had with the NMT. Congratulations, NMT on your 50th anniversary of keeping us all informed.”
The Fairland CPF is another organisation of many we do our best to report on. Mahmood Cassim, secretary for the CPF says, “Having reached a remarkable milestone in its history since its establishment, we congratulate the Northcliff Melville Times on your Golden Anniversary as we look forward to your greater success for the future. While the CPF acts as the eyes and ears of law-enforcement agencies, the paper has been our voice. We are grateful for this partnership, the benefits of which cannot be measured. It needs not be bad news to make headlines. We hold hands as we journey along, bringing hope and shutting out fear, inspiring and not criticising, and reporting factually on community issues and news that is the lifeblood of society. You reflect the heartbeat of our community like no other. For this we thank you.”
Indeed, it is not only good and positive news that is covered. The Westdene bus crash in 1985, rocked the community and our reporters were there to document the tragedy. Over the years the story has been retold but earlier this year, with fears of survivors and affected families ageing, we dedicated a special edition to the young lives lost on that fateful afternoon. The response was overwhelming with many saying how grateful they were that the children who died will indeed, ‘never be forgotten’.
Today, our offices are on Jan Smuts Avenue in Craighall and the newsroom, a large open-plan space, prints six free weekly newspapers, which are printed in Industria. The Northcliff Melville Times, Fourways Review and Randburg Sun fall under editor Aimee McGill, while the Sandton Chronicle, Rosebank Killarney Gazette and Midrand Reporter are under editor Ashtyn McKenzie. Alex News is distributed twice a month under editor Sipho Siso.
The Northcliff Melville Times won best free newspaper in the category of 24 pages or less earlier this year out of 57 entries to the Forum of Community Journalists. This is the second time in recent history – after winning the award in 2018 as well.
McGill and both journalists, Neo Phashe and Emily Wellman Bain, look forward to continuing to bring you relevant, current and community-led news and we all wish to thank our readers for making this possible. “For without you, we have nothing,”
Click here to read our 50th birthday celebration articles:
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