Rob Dempster 'Allo 'Allo Gardens! (AAG) Howick (uMngeni) Working 4 my Dad 16 October 2026

---

During my Primary School years in Allanridge, I built stuff: pigeon coops, bows and arrows, push carts, canoes, and a fairly lofty tree house. If my Dad could supply the building material, he did so.

During the time my Dad worked in Allanridge, he also did some private after-hours work. It mostly involved constructing Water Tank Stands. In the flat terrain of the Northern Free State water sources needed to be elevated in order to produce pressure at the outlet. If I was available, I would be enlisted to help. As most of the work involved construction involving metal sush as sheeting, flat and rectangular bar, and pipes, it also involved welding. I generally stood around in the background waiting to be asked to: hold this, or fetch that. Occasionally that was a Dingus. If my usefulness had a job title it would probably have been, "The Fetcher". (in Afrikaans that would have been, "Die Gaanhaaler".

I also did other work. During the December breaks after I finished school, and after finishing 11 months in the Naval Gymnasium, I worked in the Allanridge Bottle Store. A interesting and enlightening experience on both occasions.

Subsequently during my mid-year and year-end University breaks I worked for my Dad. Two of those jobs involved recording the water and electricity consumption readings far ALL the houses in Allanridge. The rest of the jobs involved the defunct Lynette Gold Mine that was XXX kilometers outside of Allanridge.

The first job saw me manage a team of labourers who dug a trench from the water pipe that ran alongside the regional road running from Allanridge to Bothaville. The trench was for a water pipe that we would lay to improve the water supply to the TB Hospital that had been establish in the disused hostels of the defunct Jeanette Gold Mine. (The Jeanette Gold Mine is a historical and prospective gold mining project located near Allanridge and Welkom in the Free State Province of South Africa - Google)

The second job involved: a) the installation of water tanks on the flat concrete roofs of the two Jeanette Gold Mine hostels that previously housed the mine labourers, and b) the connection of the newly laid water supply pipe to the water tanks.

The third job also involved the two Jeanette Gold Mine hostels, and it was priceless within the context of the problem it solved, and the solution to the problem. The one hostel had been converted to a TB Hospital wing for female patients. The other hostel accommodated make patients. Male patients would exit their wards via the windows, walk to the Allanridge Bottle Store and consume the alcohol as they walked back to the Hospital.

When they arrived back the hospital they would not climb back into the Male Wing, the climbed through the windows of the Female Wing.

So, I spent a week manufacturing Burglar Guards at my Dad's workshop, and another week installing them in the windows of the Female Wing of the TB Hospital.

I did not work for my Mom, I helped her where and whenever I could. Then I married Edith and we soon had a family of our own to care for. When my farther passed away, Edith and I again started helping my Mom, and that continued until she passed away. So did my sister, Trish and her husband. Bruce also did his bit.

PS

My last paycheck was the Borgward Isabella (replaced family car), and it had a subtle catch. At the time I was halfway through the second year of my B Sc at Natal University (Durban Campus). My sister Shirley was going to join me in Durban the following year, where she would attand the Teachers Traing College. The Borgward Isabella was her Taxi. It did the job and was eventually sold for R80.00.

---

Allanridge.jpg

WaterTankStand.jpg

BorgwardIsabella.jpg

---

If you have any comments, corrections, suggestions or plain criticism,
I would appreciate it if you would communicate the same to me.

---

      The TB Hospital

While I was writing this blog I thought I should use Google Earth to see what the TB Hospital now looked like. Well it is no longer there!!! X marks the spot (approximately).

• Hospitalisation for TB in the Free State : opinions of health workers and managers
• The Aandenk Monument in Allanridge - Video
• The Aandenk Monument in Allanridge - Photograph
• Borgward Isabella