Sport and Recreation in Milnerton

 

Besides horse racing, which I've covered in a previous blog, Milnerton is also home to many other sports and forms of recreation.

Milnerton Golf Club

 

One of the finest Links courses in South Africa

In the early 1900s, a proposal was submitted to Milnerton Estates, namely the establishment of a Golf Club “on a piece of ground adjoining the Estate and in the vicinity of the Hotel”. This scheme was sponsored by Mr ACF Gore, who asked furthermore that the amenities of the existing Pavilion and Pagoda should be made available to future players. Though received favourably, the scheme languished for several years.

At last, in January 1910, Mr Vos, a senior official of the Surveyor-General’s Department, went over the ground in person to help with the proposed lay-out. His advice was that the Company should assist in every possible way, particularly by providing a clubhouse free of charge. However, as no Golf Club yet existed, the Company frowned upon Vos’s suggestion.  

On 2 February 1911, a group of prominent Cape Town men gathered in the old Opera House facing the Parade. Among them was Mr Gore, the father of the entire project. Confronted with Vos’s scheme, they considered it impracticable. On the other hand, they considered it “quite feasible” for a Golf Club to be laid out, provided the Milnerton Estates gave a 21-year lease at a rental of £50 a year, for an area, equivalent to about “1,000 lots, situated opposite the bridge between the Diep River and the Sea”. And so it came to pass.

Another year had gone by before, on 6 May 1912, a report arrived that operations had been commenced on the course. By 1913, the Milnerton Golf Club was in full operation. However, the course was closed at the start of the First World War and re-opened only in 1925.

Despite originally having only nine holes, it soon gained acceptance and, having attained its full statute of 18, became the venue for important tournaments. The “9 out, 9 in” Links course, bordered by Table Bay to the west and the lagoon to the east, provides a golfing experience unique to South Africa.

In 1942, the Golf Club complained about “unprecedented difficulties due to war conditions”, one of them being the fact that the proposed widening of the Marine Drive would radically interfere with its operations. As a result, Milnerton Estates made a further grant of £250 in aid to the Club in 1943. Soon after the end of the war, Milnerton Estates approved a new 25-year lease with the Golf Club, involving the expenditure of £11,000 on improvements, of which £7,000 was lent by the Company.

In February 1965, the Club played host to the Western Province Coloured Championships, a brave decision for the time. Not as fortunate was the decision to invite the Prime Minister (and keen golfer), Mr BJ Vorster, to open the new clubhouse on 26 February 1977.

In 1995, the course underwent a major facelift due to the development of the Milnerton Links housing estate on part of the course. Some of the original holes were retained, while others were completely rebuilt. The new layout, with all its features, has proved to be a huge success.

Milnerton Tennis Club

On 11 November 1922, Mrs F. Botha applied to Milnerton Estates “on behalf of the residents for a piece of ground to construct two tennis courts, with a view to forming a Tennis Club”. There were very few residents at the time, so this is an indication of the popularity of the game at the time. Her request was acceded to and a piece of land in the Park was set aside and two clay courts were laid. These needed to be lightly sprinkled and rolled, so a black migrant worker was employed to maintain them. It so happened that he boarded in the “maid’s room” at the back of our house. I remember his leaving a saucer of milk out on the steps to curdle. In the mid-1960s, the clay courts made way for hard courts and our boarder lost his job.

As membership grew, more courts were laid, as well as a practice wall. It was here that I learned to play the game.

Today, Milnerton Tennis Club is still thriving. There are now 8 hard courts, of which 2 are floodlit. The club has Senior and Junior League teams that participate in Western Province and Northern Junior league competitions, as well as Wednesday morning Ladies League teams. The club offers social practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings, as well as league practices on those evenings. There is organised social tennis on Saturdays. For those in need of coaching, the club offers both a Junior and Adult Tennis Program, including Cardio Tennis.

Milnerton Surf Lifesaving Club

In 1966, six lifesavers established the Milnerton Surf Life-Saving Club. Former Rugby resident Granville Wilkinson is regarded as the founder. Besides supplying recreation for a number of energetic people, the members do much self-sacrificing work and have forestalled a number of fatalities on the Milnerton Beach.

In 1974, Milnerton set an example to the whole country when it provided the venue for the first Multi-National [read Multi-Racial] South African Surf Lifesaving Championships, in the presence of the World President of the Association of Lifesaving Clubs, Mr Osborn of Durban. Teams from every part of the Republic participated – and from each official racial group. All the participants were entertained at a cocktail party by the Mayor, Councillor A Sher, with the permission of the Government Sports Department.

It was after hosting these successful championships that the Milnerton Municipality allocated some council land on Milnerton beach for the erection of a lifesavers’ clubhouse, which was financed by the Surf Life-saving Association of South Africa.

On Friday 9 December 2016, members of the club – old and new – celebrated with a 50^th birthday bash at the clubhouse. Club captain Mark Mausenbaum told how a few years after the club had been established, its badge and motto, Quis separabit? (Who shall separate us?), had followed.

The badge, a blue illustration of a man on a horse, symbolises Wolraad Woltemade and his horse, Vonk, who rescued 14 men from drowning near the mouth of the Salt River in Table Bay in 1773. The valiant pair died performing this heroic act. The club, said Mr Mausenbaum, had felt it appropriate to incorporate that bit of history.

Milnerton Canoe Club

The earliest record of boating on the lagoon dates back to 1903, when Milnerton Estates acquired from a Mr B. Gunn, for the reasonable sum of £15, a pont measuring 10 feet by four feet by two feet, “complete with oars, chain and padlock”. Dredging operations meant that by 1905, two miles of navigable waterway were available. The Alfred Rowing Club agreed to hold its Regatta on the Milnerton lagoon in November 1906, with the Company guaranteeing the organisers against loss. Soon afterwards, the Table Bay Rowers Union made Milnerton its headquarters.

The Milnerton Canoe Club has its roots in the Bellville Canoe Club, founded by the famous canoeist Willem van Riet in 1961. Due to the lack of suitable facilities in the Northern Suburbs, the first paddlers trained on the Milnerton lagoon. Eventually, in 1975, the club approached the Milnerton Municipality for land on which to build a clubhouse, even offering to change the club’s name to the Belville-Milnerton Canoe Club.

The authorities were opposed to the idea as dredging had just been completed at Rietvlei and plans were in place for the establishment of the Milnerton Aquatic Centre, of which they felt the Canoe Club should form part. Unwilling to share water with motorised watersports, the canoeists continued to lobby for their own clubhouse in Milnerton.

The Golf Club heard of their plea and offered to give up a small triangle of unoccupied land on the lagoon bank next to the wooden bridge. This land was not suitable for building as it was, and was too small to accommodate proper facilities. However, with the invaluable assistance of a sympathetic town engineer, Sid Wood, the area was filled in and the banks were reinforced, to create the premises on which Milnerton Canoe Club still stands today.

The club changed its name to the Milnerton Canoe Club and hosted numerous fund-raising events to fund a clubhouse. By the end of the 1970s, the good relations built with the Municipality and the emergence of a number of Springbok paddlers from the ranks of the MCC meant that the authorities were willing to provide the club with a substantial loan. 1982 saw the building of Phase 1 – ablutions and a boathouse, followed some 4 or 5 years later by Phase 2 – a lounge and kitchenette.

The club now faces a new challenge – severe pollution of the lagoon, due to urban sprawl and industrial effluents entering the watercourse.

Milnerton Aquatic Club

The history of yachting in Milnerton can be traced back to 1905 when Milnerton Estates came to an arrangement with the Table Bay Boating Association, which gave assurances that regattas would shortly take place on the Diep River. No time was lost in erecting a boathouse and the Company gave its blessing to the Model Yacht Club, which also chose Milnerton as its future home.

It was to be more than 70 years, however, before the Milnerton Aquatic Club was founded. Beginning in May 1973, the entire north-west section of Rietvlei was dredged to a depth of 9 m (30 ft). Seawater was pumped into the pans to facilitate this operation, and a sizeable portion of the shallow ephemeral pans was converted into a permanent deep-water lake.

Milnerton Aquatic Club, known as MAC, was founded in August 1976, with the blessing of the Milnerton Sports Foundation, operating on the Rietvlei Lagoon. An ambitious programme, including construction of ablution and toilet facilities, a boatshed, a launching ramp and a clubhouse, was completed during 1978. Because of its location, ideal wind and water conditions, MAC has become a very popular destination for water sports enthusiasts.

MAC has a membership of around 600 with three divisions: power; sailing; and board sailing. A recent addition to the sailing section has been the Cape Radio Yacht Club.

Members can enjoy the facilities of the club’s galley and the Wet Start Bar, which offers exquisite views of the water and Table Mountain. MAC also has a large swimming pool, a toddlers’ pool, and a small play park for its members.

 

The Killarney Motor Racing Complex

Long before a race track existed at Killarney, the Cape Town Motor Cycle Club asked leave, on 8 February 1907, to use the “road from the Main Road to the Bridge and thence parallel to the Railway to the Central Station for sports to be held on March 2 next”. One condition was made that the Motor Cycle Club be responsible for the attendance of the necessary police to regulate the traffic and to do any repairs to the road.

The first mention of racing involving the new “Horseless Carriages” was a proposition from the Automobile Club (later renamed the Royal Automobile Club of South Africa) to hold a Motor Carnival. On 21 June 1907, the Club asked permission to hold speed trials on the road between the bridge at the Diep River and Paarden Island Road. These necessitated closing the thoroughfare to public traffic for about an hour. Milnerton Estates gave their blessing as long as the Company’s engineer did not see any practical objections. The Motor Carnival proved a great success, for a special letter arrived from the organisers “expressing their appreciation of the Company for the facilities and assistance rendered”. Better still, it added that there was every prospect of the Club holding another Carnival at Milnerton during the Gala Season, provided they were allowed to make an admission charge. This too was willingly accepted.

Vintage cars racing along Marine Drive (Source: University of Cape Town Libraries)

The first motor races were held at the Killarney Motor Racing Complex in 1947. In 1959/60, the track was upgraded and rebuilt to conform to the required FIA standard for the 1500 cc Formula One cars of the time. The design was entrusted to Edgar Hoal, a leading racing driver and roads engineer, who also supervised its construction.

The Western Cape then had its first taste of international Formula One racing when the non-championship Cape Grand Prix was held at Killarney on 1 January 1960, and was won by Stirling Moss in a Porsche. Since then, the complex has grown to include every facet of circuit motorsport, so much so that Killarney currently hosts all forms of main circuit racing, as well as motocross, karting, super motards, stock cars and drag racing.

The circuit hosted the first FIA World Championship race in South Africa since the 1990s with the inaugural World RX of South Africa in 2017 as part of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

Killarney in its heyday, 1962

Theo Marais Park and the Milnerton Sports Foundation

In 1972, a group of women decided to start a hockey club in Milnerton and approached the Municipality to request a field to play on. Unfortunately, there was none available, but they were granted permission to play on the lawn in front of the municipal offices in Pienaar Road until a field could be sourced. Their commitment was unwavering, demarcating fields with white tape and setting up and taking down collapsible goal posts for every game and practice. In 1973, the Milnerton Ladies Hockey Club was registered with the Western Province Hockey Union and allocated the colours turquoise and brown, not as attractive as the current red and navy.

Then, in 1974, the club was informed that a large tract of land on Koeberg Road was to be developed as a Central Sports Field Complex, and that this would become the home ground for Milnerton Ladies Hockey Club and various sports codes under the umbrella organisation known as the Milnerton Sports Foundation.

In 1975, the Central Sports Field Complex was inaugurated and was named in honour of the moving force behind its creation – Theo Marais Park. It has facilities for a variety of sports, including cricket, baseball, rugby, hockey, karate, table tennis, volley ball, gym, squash and badminton.

The Milnerton Cricket Club was founded in 1965, when it was admitted to the Western Province Cricket Union. Two teams were entered in the 3E and 3F leagues. The club now competes in the Western Province Cricket Association League. Playing facilities include 2 turf wickets, 8 artificial nets and 4 change rooms. The clubhouse has a shaded balcony with braai area overlooking the main field, a fully licensed bar and fully equipped catering facilities. In the 2016/17 season, the 1^st XI were crowned champions of the First Division ‘A’ League and gained promotion to the elite Premier League.

The Milnerton Squash Club is another of the 12 clubs that form part of the Milnerton Sports Foundation. Founded in the early 1970s, the club has participated in the Western Province Winter League since its inception. There are three squash courts, one of which is glass-backed, and membership options include Club, League, Family, and Scholar.

Cricket and Squash

Theo Marais Park is also the home ground of the Union Milnerton Rugby Club, which was established in 1973 with the amalgamation of Union and Milnerton Rugby Football Clubs. It was this amalgamation that ensured the continuity of Union Rugby Club and at the same time afforded Milnerton Rugby Club the opportunity to play in the Grand Challenge League, as it was known in those years. In 1975, a clubhouse and changing rooms were built for the newly amalgamated Uni-Mil rugby club, who graciously allowed the hockey players to use their facilities until the main building was built in 1976, which now houses Milnerton Hockey and Cricket Clubs. In 2016, the First XV won the Super B League and gained promotion to the Super A League.

The hockey club continued to grow, but it was not until 1978 that the men and women amalgamated to form one Milnerton Hockey Club, who were now to play in blue and white. Over the next year, the municipality allocated a second field to MHC and erected floodlights so as to allow for more practice time as interest in the sport continued to boom in the area.

Milnerton Playhouse and the Milnerton Players

 

In 1967, my dad, the Revd Tom Winter, of St Oswald’s Church, Milnerton, wrote and directed the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk in the new church hall in Jansen Road. The following year, he wrote and directed another pantomime, Aladdin. Then, in 1969, he directed the musical Oliver, before the film had hit the local circuit. At that point, he was transferred to St James the Great, Sea Point, where he continued to direct musicals and farces.

Jack and the Beanstalk, the first pantomime in St Oswald's Church Hall in 1967. I'm the front end of Daisy the cow!

One of the stars of those pantomimes at St Oswald’s, and the choreographer of the dances, was the vibrant Heather Brenner. After Tom’s departure, she founded the St Oswald’s Players and continued to keep theatre alive in the suburb.

Heather Brenner

After 10 long years of lobbying, the Milnerton Municipality built the theatre that is still home to the company, which changed its name to the Milnerton Players when they took occupation. They named the theatre the Milnerton Playhouse. It was initially a bare shell with the most basic of necessities and every item of equipment, from stage flooring, seats, flats for sets, stage curtains, and sound and lighting, has been installed, and over the years upgraded, thanks to countless hours of hard work by many dedicated members.

The society has also been the starting block for several young actors and singers, who made their first appearance on the Milnerton Playhouse amateur stage and have since gone on to become well-known professional performers.

Since the extension to the foyer was built, that area has been in constant use for rehearsals, social evenings, dinner theatre, children’s shows and parties of all sorts, including birthdays, wedding receptions and christenings.

The smoking room, a further addition to the building, which is furnished with much of the props furniture, is also a well utilised area for music rehearsals (when no smoking is allowed), read-throughs for plays, committee meetings, a green room when performances are taking place on the foyer stage and occasionally as an extra dressing room for large dance shows.

During St Oswald’s/Milnerton Players’ 53 years of existence, they have endeavoured to live up to the motto “Theatre is alive and living in Milnerton” by producing shows encompassing a wide variety of theatrical genres to suit all tastes.