Hermanus society and the founding of NGOs: 1920 – 2020

In this comprehensive new series on the history of Hermanus, DR ROBIN LEE turns his attention to the proliferation of non-government organisations over the past 100 years. Focusing on the issue of conservation of fynbos and other indigenous vegetation, he takes a look at the rather complicated history of early efforts to preserve our floral kingdom. This will be followed next week by an article on the Hermanus Botanical Society as an example of the benefits to the community of healthy private voluntary organisations.

Through my research, I have documented well over a hundred NGOs in Hermanus, which are active in many areas: welfare, social development, education and training, environmental conservation, sports clubs, community support, early childhood education, marine studies and others. In fact, Hermanus probably has more voluntary organisations at work than most towns of comparable size in South Africa. But they did not always come easily into existence.

WH (Meester) Paterson (third from left) was a local teacher and principal of St Peter’s School, who later became the Town Clerk and then Mayor. A keen hiker, he took a special interest in the natural environment and had extensive knowledge of the area’s wildflowers.

PHOTO: Old Harbour Museum

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 4)