RANDALL

Weekend Post, 5 Mar 1983
Memories of an 1820 Great Gran

Mrs. May LEONARD, 91 years old and now living in Port Elizabeth, remembers her 1820 Settler great-grandmother, Sarah BRADLEY very well as she was six years old when Sarah died.

Living in Seymour, she used to cross the little Geysie River by a two-plank bridge to visit her aged relative. Sarah's garden was a delight with its fruit trees, big shady Bellomore and one Moss rose, which May particularly remembers. The house and tree were still there a few years ago.

Sarah was born in England, third child of RANDALL parents, shortly before the Weymouth sailed. This was confirmed by Dr. PRINGLE who investigated reported births during the voyage. These had not been recorded in the ship's log as the Weymouth being of Royal Navy was only required to record deaths.

So Sarah was a baby when she arrived off Port Elizabeth in 1820 and she was the baby dropped into Algoa Bay when the bundle of rags in which she was wrapped was being handed from the Weymouth to the occupants of the boat alongside. She was fished out of the water and lived to continue an adventurous life, which included loading guns for the men during an attack on their thornbush-ringed stockade.

A daughter from her first marriage became May's grandmother.

At Seymour where they later settled, she was married again to SELBY, who was killed while transporting their produce to Grahamstown. BRADLEY was her third husband.

She died in Seymour, aged 77, but her mother, Sarah RANDALL, lived to 100, according to her monument at Bathurst.

REID

EP Herald, 16 Mar 2002

Hugh Baakens' Diary

Calling back Gordon's 90 years

TURNING 90 is not always a good excuse for a party, especially if you are feeling your age. But for somebody like Gordon REID who looks 20 years younger, it's the occasion for a celebration. So it was, last week, that his family and close friends gathered around him for a dinner that was sumptuous in its deliciousness - a tour de force by the Port Elizabeth St George's Club.

Gordon, long time advertising manager of The Herald's parent company, had an important role in local newspaper history. He helped organise the essential revenue that made that hero among South African editors, John SUTHERLAND, able to launch the Saturday Post (now the East Cape Weekend) and the Evening Post. SUTHERLAND, who died last year, ever appreciated Gordon's contribution.

REID knew and worked with all the great names behind the publication of The Herald , too - Leycester WALTON of a fine local newspaper and printing dynasty, Ted SEARLE, long chairman of EP Newspapers, A M "Mac" POLLOCK, head of a famed cricketing line, and Lord ILIFFE, the British tycoon who, for a while, included Newspaper House in his domain.

An East London man, REID was schooled at Grey in Port Elizabeth and was in 1934 a member of the Border rugby team which beat Western Province to share the Currie Cup. He's proud to say that two of his brothers were in that team, too. The other two were also to win Border colours. One of five made the Springbok team, another was a reserve.

Advertising was his career from the start. Before the Second World War he worked for the Sunday Times and the Rand Daily Mail. With war, he joined the Royal Navy. In 1945 he was given command of HMS Mastiff, an anti-submarine convoy escort ship. He finished up in Sydney.

Later came marriage to a war widow whose daughter, Rosemary (now JOUBERT) became his own. There were two more children, Heather (now MILLS) and Ian. Gordon is now a widower, but gets great joy from his family. There are now six grandchildren.

A highlight of Saturday's dinner was the uproarious video of family pictures compiled by son Ian and son-in-law Tony MILLS. Gordon's post-war career took off with his meeting up with his old school friend, John SUTHERLAND who offered him the post of advertising manager on his fledgling newspaper. But there were battles to sell advertising, especially as the liberal tone of the paper alienated many advertisers. It says much for Gordon's charm and determination that he got things going and found the revenue to help that little newspaper grow.

Loyal to the last, Gordon stood by SUTHERLAND during his distressing final days last year and acted like a father to the sons who came from Australia and Scotland to attend the funeral.

RICE

Weekend Post. 18 Feb 1984
Michael RICE dies aged 60
Weekend Post Correspondent

A memorial service for Mr. Michael RICE was held in the Church of the Sacred Heart this week.
Mr. RICE, aged 60, died suddenly this week.

He served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and worked in Port Elizabeth for a while before starting his own business in Cradock.

He had many interests. He served as a town councillor for a time and was a past president of the Rotary Club.

He loved bowls and was president of the Cradock Bowling Club for many years. At the time of his death he was president of the Midlands Association and was due to skip the Cradock Team in the nationals this month. He was president-elect of the Moths.

He leaves his mother, Mrs. Giselle RICE, of Bloemfontein, his wife Lyn, a married daughter, Mrs. Gigi THOMPSON, a married son Clinton, and another son, Marc.

Classified Column
Death Notice - April 1984

RICE - Harriet passed away at Provincial Hospital on Wednesday, April 4, at the age of 92 years. Lovingly remembered by her sisters and family. Service at St. Cuthbert's Anglican Church, Westbourne Road, on Monday, April 9, at 11.30 am. Cremation private. No flowers by request. Donations in lieu of floral tributes may be sent to any institution of your choice.

JONES & Rice - Funeral Undertakers.

ROACH

Newspaper cuttings from the Eastern Cape.
Elegant Jar
Herald, 17 Jan 1980

The dunes of Forest Hill and Driftsands, stabilised years ago with all the trash Port Elizabeth could muster, have in recent years yielded quite a store of interesting objects, mainly bottles. Quite the most elegant little piece to come my way was a small pot brought in the other day by Mr. James ROACH, of Fairhaven, a survivor of Mosenthal's once thriving skins, hides and feathers, business in Port Elizabeth. I illustrate it today.

On one side it reads "The Poor Mans Friend", and "price 1/1½ ". On the other: "Prepared only by Beach and Barnicott. Successors to the late Dr. Roberts BRIDPORT". Presumably it contained some kind of salve or ointment.

GRAVE
I had gone to visit the grave of my wife, who dies 20 years ago." Mr. ROACH told me. "Afterwards I took a stroll. Years ago we used to go shooting in that area. There was a road out to Admiralty Beacon in those days, but no other roads. "Anyway, as I was strolling about I found this little jar. Perhaps one of your readers could tell us what it contained. The lettering seems to be early or mid-Victorian."

James ROACH is himself a Victorian. He was born in Port Elizabeth in 1900, "The family originated in County Cork. My grandfather emigrated to the Cape, possibly as a result of the potato famine. He became a transport rider. He was buried in the Russell Road Cemetery. "My father was also in the transport business. He had 16 horses and a wonderful way with them. He used to carry a whip, but I never saw him use it on a horse.

STABLES
We lived in Mitchell Street, South End. We stabled four of the horses on the property and the rest down Walmer Road. Then we moved to Webber Street where we had enough stabling for all. "One mare I remember particularly. She was an English horse, jet black, and named Bess. He bought her just after the Boer War. For some reason she could not foal, but she won all the prizes at the show for years."

James ROACH qualified as a skins and hides grader, and was with Mosenthals for 31 years, followed by nine with the Cape Produce Company. He retired in 1968.

His jar will be given to his grandson, Gary POOLE, aged 18, son of Mrs. Clare TAYLOR of Walmer.

RUISCH

Weekend Post, 20 March 1993

Weekend Post Correspondent

DURBAN - A Richard's Bay man drowned in a freak accident after his car slammed into a ship and plunged into the harbor. It is believed that Mr. Shaun RUISCH, 27, lost control of his Ford Sierra while attempting to do a U-turn on Pier 709. His car left the pier and hit the ship, "Silver Fjord", which was tied alongside. The car plunged into the water and Mr. RUISCH drowned. Mr. RUISCH was an employee of National Ship Chandlers. His body was recovered by divers from South African Divers Association.