Relive history with the Roodepoort Museum
With society moving into the digital era, the roles of museums are changing.
In years gone by, museums were there to conserve history and tell a story to the next generation.
But with the expansion of the internet, that concept has evolved.
“The concept of what a museum entails has changed. As a society we are moving away from conservation of the past because society is moving away from material things and the mentality around collecting things has changed. The migration to cities is also having an impact because it’s smaller living spaces. So our world view is changing so we have less shared identities which make it harder to tell stories,” said Roodepoort Museum Curator Carolina Geldenhuys.
The Roodepoort Museum focuses on the geology of the Witwatersrand.
It tracks the gold rush and the resultant development of Roodepoort from a mining camp into the municipality of Maraisburg in 1904, and then into a city in 1977.
Other displays include international decorative glass and porcelain from producers such as Royal Doulton, Meissen, Rosenthal, Royal Worcester, Wedgewood and Lalique.
Carolina has been involved with the museum since 1992.
She first started out as a museum artist, taking care of displays after studying interior design at Wits Technickon.
“Being involved with the displays, you have to be factually correct,” said Carolina.
From there she furthered her studies and gained degrees in Museology and Sociology.
“Being a curator chose me, maybe it’s because I love history and I’ve always loved stories and people so for me it just clicked when I started working here, it just made sense to me, “she said.
Although she loves the career path she has chosen, it is not a choice she would recommend for everyone.
“Being a curator is not something I would recommend to everyone because it’s a lot of physical and mental work. It is not a glamorous career path but it’s very satisfying. Being a curator you can only work in certain places so in that sense it’s not very entrepreneurial career,” she said.
The museum offers a guided tour about the changes the discovery of gold brought in the Roodepoort area and Johannesburg.
Children learning about local history will be well served in visiting the museum to compliment their class room teaching and enhance their education.
In the 1960’s the West Rand Historical Society started to collect and preserve the cultural heritage of Roodepoort. With funds provided by the City Council and numerous community donations and support from Friends of Roodepoort Museum, the museum continued to develop.
