Kingsburgh Child and Family Welfare celebrates 75th anniversary
Not only did they see to the needs of children, they seemed to have been an employment agency and estate agency all rolled into one.
With this year’s threat of closing its doors the most realistic of all over the years, it was a double celebration when Kingsburgh Child and Family Welfare (KCFW) turned 75 years old on Sunday, 29 November. With 42 years of serving KCFW, Jenny Smith, who is still on the committee as vice-chairperson, is the longest running member.
“As the wife of the then chairman of Rotary Club, I was invited to attend an annual general meeting (AGM) to join and I’ve been here ever since.” She has been chairperson for a total of 32 years. Iris Canham has taken over the reins from Rev Andrew Manning this year. Lyn Bignell was with KCFW for 40 years and Sandra Govender, a fully qualified social worker, has been there 24 years. “All our members and volunteers are between the ages of 50 and 84-years-old.”
The area it services is from the old Doonside Bowling Club, inland to the Umbumbulu road and down to the Karridene River. “We now include Lower Illovo, where we are running education programmes.” KCFW moved into its premises next to Kingsburgh library in Warner Beach 30 years ago. Jenny gave the SUN a run-down of its 75-year history, taken from the original minute books, which have been stored in its offices.
It was on Thursday, 29 November, 1945 that a meeting was held at the home of Dr Plowman in Warner Beach, with a view to forming a child welfare branch under the auspices of the Warner Beach Women’s Institute. There was a lengthy discussion regarding a constitution and after two hours a workable one was unanimously accepted. The Southern Umlazi Child and Family Welfare was born.
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In March, 1946 an appeal was made to the public for donations. Any donation over five shillings allowed the donor a vote at the AGM. The society then approached the National Council of Child Welfare to be affiliated to this body. The affiliation fee was one pound and 10 shillings per year.
In March, 1947 the first AGM was held at the Warner Beach Government School (WBGS), which is now Warner Beach Prep, with 15 people attending. The balance sheet showed a healthy balance of 39 pounds and 10 shillings, that came from subs and donations.
During the ensuing years, this small band of dedicated women made their mark. They worked from home, but always met once a month at the WBGS. As no qualified social worker was employed, they liaised closely with Durban Child Welfare, but all home and school visits were done by the volunteers.
“Not only did they see to the needs of children, they seemed to have been an employment agency and estate agency all rolled into one. The needs have changed over the years, but back then if someone needed a job, they called the Railways and they would always find them employment.”
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During this time the women had come across many people who needed medical attention and so they set about petitioning the South Umlazi Council to open a clinic in the area. This was established in a room under the stairs in Strelitzia Hall, which was situated in the open space next to Kingsburgh library.
The 1950s and 60s saw volunteers continuously fundraising through mannequin parades, pantomimes, candle-light carols, cake sales, baby and flower shows and so on. By this time meetings were held in the children’s dining room at the Seaward Hotel, now known as the Bella Vista Hotel, which is once again being remodelled.
“All casework was discussed and recorded in detail in longhand. A lot of the problems, such as drunkenness, domestic abuse, people sleeping by the railway, child neglect, young girls ‘in trouble’, are all problems we see today. Noticeably, during those years no cases of sexual abuse were recorded – was this because they did not happen or simply not discussed?”
In the 1970s the clinic had moved across the way to the premises of the present-day library. It was now the turn of KCFW to use the room under the stairs at Strelitzia Hall. “Our caseload had increased to the extent that we now needed the services of a qualified social worker. Durban Child Welfare was not always available, so we approached Amanzimtoti Child Welfare and an agreement was made that their social worker would work from the KCFW office one morning a week.
She was given R10 from petty cash and R10 for travelling expenses per week. Kingsburgh Council was then approached for a grant-in-aid to enable us to pay the social worker and R1 000 per annum was granted.” Over the years there has been plenty of talk and discussions to amalgamate the two welfare organisations. This grew to a head in the late 80s and early 90s, but Kingsburgh prefer to remain independent and raise its own funds to keep the doors open.
“It was in 1979 that I joined KCFW. Isobelle Adams was the chairperson. Kay Chapman and Jean Watkins were the women who pushed the society to a very needed service in Warner Beach. We have had many ups and downs financially, but due to the commitment of all past and present volunteers and our social worker, we have survived. At present no funding is available from Lotto or eThekwini Municipality, so once again we are dependent on our community for support.”
To this day, staff members, who number 12 at present, are all volunteers. Its charity shop remains its main source of income. Unemployed women purchase clothing items at a cheap price, then put a mark-up on and re-sell them in the rural areas to make an income, which has worked brilliantly over the recent years. It is affiliated to Child Welfare South Africa and grateful to eThekwini Municipality for the building it occupies. “Our committee for 2020/21 is full of hope and enthusiasm and is dedicated to serving families through counselling and education. We WILL survive another 75 years,” vowed Jenny.
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