Rand Pioneer Memorial

At a ceremony held on 25 April 1924, Pioneer Park was dedicated to the memory of those who discovered, prospected and opened up the richest goldfields in the world. A crowd of three thousand people, including many Rand pioneers, gathered for the opening of the park and unveiling of a modest memorial by the Governor General, the Earl of Athlone, accompanied by Princess Alice. The original monument pillar was on a granite base, covered by “red bar” of the main reef series, surmounted by a piece of Langlaagte outcrop, over which the prospector who discovered the reef series was said to have tripped.

The original inscription unveiled in 1924 read as follows: 

“ Memorial to the Johannesburg Pioneers. Pioneer Park. Purchased by the municipality from Gold Mining Companies, 1920”.

This small monument still stands opposite the swimming pool about a hundred metres east from the Rand Pioneer Memorial. Unfortunately, it is missing both original plaques as can be seen by the photo evidence. These were likely metal plaques and removed for their scrap value.s

The Rand Pioneer Association was established on 8th July 1903 and membership was open to those who met these criteria. Professor Kathy Munro writes about the Association:

“Who then were the Rand Pioneers? They were the pioneers of the Transvaal Goldfields. The Rand Pioneers was an association established in 1903 with the primary purpose of “keeping alive the spirit of good- fellowship existing among the pioneers of the Witwatersrand gold fields”, plus recording and preserving interesting data and documents. It was a social club too. Originally the membership was restricted to those who resided on the Witwatersrand prior to the end of 1889, but this was amended to the year 1890. Joining cost was one guinea and the annual subscription was also a guinea (remember that the guinea was the standard currency for professional men naming their fee). As early as 1905 the organization regarded itself as a public body of weight and influence. It was this body that made short shrift of the proposal to adopt a New York style of street numbers instead of names and chose rather to stick with honouring the pioneers of Johannesburg in its street names. But the organization being of its time, also took up as a cause the “prohibition of natives on foot paths” and “the regulation of natives travelling on railways”.

The foundation stone for the Rand Pioneer Memorial was laid by Rev. James Gray (on his 80th birthday) on 5th of June  1932. The site, other than being a gated entrance to Pioneer Park, was also where a 5-stamp battery was erected for the old Wemmer Gold Mining Co. founded by Sam Wemmer. Several old pioneers were present: George Honeyball, Godfray Lys, and John Hunter McLea. Rev Gray was himself a pioneer, being one of the first ministers to have arrived on the Rand in May 1887.

The monument was officially unveiled on Saturday 19th November 1932 by the Earl of Clarendon. Present were Mayor Vickers, Rev. Gray, George Albu, E. H. Waugh, Mclea, and Chief Rabbi Landau.

DESCRIPTION FROM ARTEFACTS:

An engraved foundation stone is mounted centrally into the external wall of the west elevation, and is framed with polished blocks of gold bearing banket. The foundation stone has the following inscription - in English and Afrikaans:

THIS FOUNDATION STONE
WAS LAID BY
REV JAMES GRAY
(PIONEER)
ON HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY
5TH JUNE 1932
IN HONOUR OF
THE PIONEERS OF THE
TRANSVAAL GOLDFIELDS,
AND RAND PIONEERS

DIE FONDAMENT STEEN
WORD GELÊ DEUR
DS JAMES GRAY
(BAANBREKER)
OP SY 80STE VERJAARSDAG
5DE JUNIE 1932
TOT EER VAN
DIE BAANBREKERS VAN DIE
TRANSVAALSE GOUDVELDE, EN
DIE RANDSE BAANBREKERS.

An engraved commemorative stone is mounted centrally Into the external wall on the east elevation with the following inscription:

THIS MEMORIAL
WAS DESIGNED BY EH WAUGH ESQR.
AND BUILT: A. TREVENEN
(H . JAMES & SON, PROPRIETORS)
MONUMENTALISTS OF THIS CITY
THE COST BEING RAISED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTIONS
OBTAINED BY THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEE:
MESDAMES: C. W KRUGER. M. HOOK. K. TYE. N. SEATH.
I. M . H VEAR. E. DAVIS. G. BROWN. M. SPRIGG.
G. McALLISTER-ROGERS, E. WALTERS AND S. I. TEW
THE REV. JAMES GRAY & DR. J. J . LANDAU (CHIEF RABBI)
MESSRS: C. W KRUGER. F. H . BAGNALL. DOUGLAS PIGG.
D. McKELLAR. S. ELFICK SINCLAIR SCOTT
GEORGE HAY AND W. W. DANIEL.
ASSISTED BY MANY FRIENDS.
CHAIRMAN
FRANK McALLISTER-ROGERS
VICE CHAIRMAN
W . J . WALLETT.
HON. TREASURER
A. H. G . PIGG
JOINT HON. SECRETARIES
MRS. DEECKER, MISS WINIFRED SMYTHE
AND R. HYLTON GARDINER.

The memorial building is flanked on both the north and the south sides by three substantial hammer dressed stone columns. The first two columns on the north side of the memorial support a large semicircular arched wrought iron structure which records the words RAND PIONEERS (INCORPORATED). A decorative cast iron double vehicle gate is hung from the two stone columns and is flanked by a similarly detailed pedestrian gate.

The first two columns on the south side support a similar large semicircular arched wrought iron structure which records the words PIONEERS TRANSVAAL GOLDFIELDS. Another decorative cast iron double vehicle gate is hung from the two stone columns and is flanked by a similarly detailed pedestrian gate.

The dressed stone columns which support both pairs of vehicle gates are further detailed with the word PIONEER carved into the face of the north column and MEMORIAL carved into the face of the south column.

In 2017 construction of a new three lane access road into Pioneer Park commenced immediately to the south of the Memorial, with a new set of gates recessed a substantial distance from Turf road. This has had the effect of diminishing the importance of the memorial as the entrance into the Park, but fortunately the structure was maintained intact.

The memorial has recently had a modern palisade fence erected along the street frontage - presumably to better protect the perimeter of Pioneer Park.Since the erection of the monument, it has been established that George Walker was not the person who discovered the Reef. He was one of three ‘Georges’ linked to the discovery, but evidence in the form of official records points to George Harrison. The other ‘George’ in question was George Honeyball, who was present at the laying of the foundation stone of the Pioneer Monument.