Twenty-one years ago, the Parys Gazette was printed locally at Chrisset Drukkery in Kort Street. Each page was folded and inserted by hand. Many local schoolchildren earned their pocket money on Fridays, helping to get the newspaper from the press and on the street in time. Today, Parys is one of only a few towns that still have the privilege of a community newspaper. In earlier days, newspapers were synonymous with photographic darkrooms, waxing tables, enlargers and timers. Enquiries across the world revealed that there are museums for media printers but not for the community press.

In 1982, Dr Anton Rupert suggested that the historic Frewin building in Middelburg should be used as a museum. Oscar Henry Frewin, who is seen as the father of the community press, worked there. However, his grandson, John, sold it to PicknPay and it was demolished. The dream of a museum then landed among the shattered brickwork.However, O.H. Frewin Printers still exists in Middelburg to this day.An area, which was used as a paper store, has now been converted to house a museum. The museum will house exam-ples and machines from the printing industry, with various old printing machines, or presses used in earlier years. The museum will be known as the O.H. Frewin Museum for the Printing and Community Press. Although the museum was planned to open in April 2020, Covid-19 stalled the launch. The plan is to open at the end of June this year. So, the next time you visit Middelburg, be sure to visit the museum to see the history of the community press.