Margate Moves: Meet Margate’s newest nonagenarian
Denis was an accomplished musician who played drums, mouth organ and piano accordion.
Margaret May Burd, best known as Peggy, recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Peggy and her older brother Jack Partridge attended junior school in Margate before going back to Johannesburg to finish schooling but returned to the coastal village after completing high school.
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She went back to Johannesburg to work where she met her husband, Dennis Burd, an adding machine technician and also a WW2 veteran. After their marriage the couple returned to the South Coast. They combined their talents and opened ‘Burds Services’ – which was a magnificent stationery store, that sold all the latest office equipment.
Denis was an accomplished musician who played drums, mouth organ and piano accordion. He was a very keen audiophile and always carried his tape recorder with him.
He used to correspond by tape with people all over the world (Tapespondents!) and also recorded the Margate Variety Show broadcast with David Davies as the host, as well as recorded shows for LM Radio. He was also a world casting record holder and a great fisherman.
He had his own personal fishing spot in front of the Margate tidal pool. Locals still call this Burd Rock. Peggy was always (sometimes reluctantly) gutting, scaling and cooking the fish which he caught especially during the sardine run! She did line fresh fried shad in season!
The Burds were active members of the Rotary Club.
Their son Michael was born in 1954 and two years later they had a daughter Helen. Sadly she died of leukaemia at the age of four years.
In 1962 Peggy and Denis bought a house in Oswald Road, Ramsgate, which they named ‘Sunrise’. A year later their daughter Lorna was born.
Peggy worked for the Red Cross and Child Welfare and has donated 100 pints of blood.
Dennis died while hangliding.
Peggy went to work at the Gaze Gallery and stayed on in the Oswald Road house for many years before moving into a cottage at Margate Retirement Village and she is currently a resident at Hibiscus House.
Support the Shavathon
One of the biggest fund-raisers for the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) – the annual Shavathon takes place at shopping centres across the country this weekend, February 24 and 25.
Go and get your crowning glory shaved or sprayed at the Hibiscus Mall this Saturday between 9am and 3pm. A team of volunteers will be there to turn heads for a donation. For more details contact Sesethu Senene at 084 7320080.
Free rabies shots
Pet owners take note – there are free rabies vaccination clinics taking place this week. In Southbroom – the venue is the Impenjati Town Board Offices today (21st) from 1.30pm to 2pm. The clinic will be in Ramsgate at the beach parking area on the 22nd from 8.30am to midday and at the Mzimela Centre in Extension Three from 1pm to 2pm.
This Friday (23rd) the clinic moves to the Hibiscus Mall car park from 8.30am to 12pm and to New Life Ministries Church (near Margate Country Club) from 1pm to 3pm.
Sing along
Friends Mari Webster and Mo McColl who nursed together at Hibiscus House 20 years ago discovered they both enjoyed singing. Together they devised many variety concerts and entertained the residents at the village.
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Mo moved to the UK to take up a matron’s position at a retirement home, but she visits the South Coast at the beginning of each year to spend time with her sister Dilys Cooksey, visit friends and to reunite with Mari to `put on’ a show.
She had hardly landed here when she and Mari began rehearsing for their latest production. They have performed at the Umdoni, Mbango Valley and Ramsgate retirement centres.
The talented duo invite everyone to their final show which takes place at the Ronnie Baker Hall, Margate Retirement Village next Thursday, March 1 at 2pm.
For more information phone 039 312 5000.
Talking business
Both the Margate Business Association (MBA) and the Margate Community Policing Forum will jointly hold annual general meetings next week.
The venue is the Margate Sands Conference Room in Marine Drive on Tuesday, February 27 at 5pm.
For more information and to RSVP contact Corrie at 039 3172202 or 072 5614854.
Newly elected
Brian Thompson was re-elected chairman of the Southbroom Ratepayers’ Association at the recent annual general meeting. His deputy is Brian Dick, Richard Derman is the treasurer and Jackie Pratt is the secretary. They are wished a successful term in office.
The Southbroom Conservancy held its AGM last month and best wishes are extended to the new chairman, Anne Skelton and her committee comprising David Halle (vice chairman), Bob Kempthorne (treasurer), Mike Lyall (local finances), Dawne Murray (secretary) and members John Pole, Richard Savage, Les Savage, Malcom Sutton, Dave Cox and Deric Mohr who were elected at the first committee meeting.
Get quizzical
Everyone is invited to the Ramsgate Lions Club’s monthly braai and quiz evening this Friday (23rd).
The venue is the community centre in Glenmarkie Road from 6pm. Salads are on sale at R30 per person and a cash bar is available. Take along some meat for the braai and enjoy an evening of good food and socialising.
Once everyone has finished their supper it’s time for the popular quiz. For more information contact Lion Janice Selkon at 083 7775131.
Good wishes
Celebrating birthdays this week are Yvonne Muirhead, John Mowat, Lana Martin, Sharleen Naidoo, Gael Didloff, Edgar Lee, Roland Perold and Sue Keal (22nd), Pamela Avern-Taplin, Rocky Pretorius, Karen Small and Theresa Kaati (23rd), Tarn Galloway, Roger Casper and Gareth Bishop (24th), Keegan Boucher, Louise Jordaan and Ockie Pretorius (25th), Chandre Bester and Leslie Mckenzie (26th), Shan Govender and Colin Botha (27th), Amy van Niekerk and Richard Thompson (28th) and the Leap Day twins Guy and Rob Mortimer.
Happy wedding anniversary wishes go to John and Phyllis Ralph (22nd) and Gloria and Johann Bester (28th).
Please fax news snippets to 039 6823028 before 12pm on a Monday.
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