How The Uniforms Of The South African Airway Hostesses Evolved Through The Years

A group of 12 South African Airway hostesses in 1970 pictured on the steps of the Boeing 727 Jetliner. Mini skirts, short blazers and white gloves. Looking good!

In the 1960s! This uniform began to be perceived as "the old fashioned outdated" look!

And the old fashioned look had to make way for this "more modern new" look. But from today's perspective the difference does not appear to be that big.

Let's move back a couple of decades. This was the first ever group of South African Airways Hostesses. The picture was taken in August 1946. And how cool were these uniforms! 

All pictures credit  "Fifty Years Of Flight" by South African Airways 

Eloff Street Johannesburg In 1921 And 1936

 Eloff Street photographed in 1921

And 15 years later in 1936. The horse cabs are gone.

The Beginnings Of Johannesburg And The Gold Rush In 1886

Based on the interest that my last post has created I would like to share today some other images of my collection showing the early beginnings of Johannesburg. 

Around 1886 Johannesburg was nothing but a collection of shacks. Gold had not been found yet and there was a lot of doubt by the rest of the world that Johannesburg had the potential of producing larger amounts of gold. Little was it known then that it would develop into one of the biggest gold mining centers of the world.

Looking at this picture it is very hard to imagine that these are the beginnings of today's buzzing African metropole Johannesburg. 

But prospecting had begun...

Those days the traditional old method of "panning" was used. The name comes from the flat pan that was used to wash the crushed rock and separate the gold. It was not only the earliest method of gold mining but also the most convenient one. The pan was light and could be carried around easily by prospectors travelling far and alone.

Panning was a very laborious process but highly efficient for limited quantities. Its value lay in the fact that immediate tests could be made of the rock.

Here we see the landscape of the areas surrounding Johannesburg when the gold rush was in full swing. For hundred of miles the landscape had been turned into grey hills consisting of the stamped and washed rock after the last ounce of gold had been extracted. It was deposited as waste on the surface creating new geological formations.

It is said that this was the first house ever to be built in Johannesburg, a building constructed with brick and thatch. 

As far as it can be ascertained it stood on the site of the head office of the Standard Bank of South Africa. The head office of the Standard Bank is located on corner Simmons and Commissioner street.

A train arriving at Park Station Johannesburg in 1891. 

At the time the Park station covered all together 17 acres of land with railway lines, passenger stations and platforms. The arrival of a train system became the biggest competitor to the mail coach system which was operating in South Africa before.

And here we see a rare photo of the early days of the Zeederberg Mail Coach Office. The name of the Zeederberg Mail Coach was very well known throughout South Africa and it was a very important means of transportation for goods. 

Later on when railways started to compete with the Zeederberg Mail Coach Office, it transferred most of its coaching business and operations to then Rhodesia.

A look back into a time before gold was found in Johannesburg. This image shows a typical large Boer family in front of their homestead on their farm at the Witwatersrand at a time when Fred and Harry Struben and Walter and Honeyball had discovered the mineral wealth of this area. 

When gold was found many of the old homesteads vanished. Instead mining towers appeared all over the land.

All my sources come from old books and photographs and newspaper cut-outs collected over time.