SANParks.org Forums

Dear Weltenman,

Thanks for your comments and I agree, it is a great topic. I had the same concern about old Balule, which has huge nostalgia due it's age and the fact that time has virtually stood still since it's opening in 1930. There is some structural damage to some of the units, door ripped out, etc, but this will be repaired rather than rebuilt.

Kind regards.

JOEP

Hi JS, could you give any info on the hut at Letaba called Ma-blom, it is not available to tourists anymore, if you have already, sorry.

I used to stay there many years ago.

Dear Scipio,

Yes, I forgot about Ma-blom. This indeed is a transformed version of what the old huts at Letaba were like, no verandah or any kitchen or bathroom facilities. That would make it one of the oldest buildings in the current camp. It is used for honorary rangers on duty and if I have it correctly, named after a previous garden supervisor of the park that was stationed in Letaba and aptly named "Ma-blom" by the local staff.

Kind regards.

JOEP

Francois,
I think the car on the left in your photo is a Studebaker. These cars were produced up to around 1965. The low flat boot and bonnet were very advanced designs for that era.

Here is a photo of Satara camping circa 1951. The lady in the midddle is my wife. Isn't she pretty?

The North-South road ran right through Satara in those days.

Just outside the camp was the gate that closed off the Northern part of the park to tourists for the summer.

Thanks, Madalla, most interesting. Yes, the camp was where now circle D is and the north-south road ran west of that. Don't you have more pics to share?

Kind regards.

JOEP

Greetings all !!
I'm new on the forum and am finding my way around.
Forgive me !!
I posted some info on "Trips to KNP" and have only now found this section on Old Photos.
I may have some photos which go back to the 1950s and a bit later.
My grandfather had 8 mm movies of KNP in the late 40s (you cant believe how the old Fords with their biscuit thin tyres got around ) and 16 mm movies from the 50s and 60s but most were destroyed in a flood some years ago
But I may still have some pics of KNP in the 60s and 70s --- there are a few pics of Rabelais camp maybe 50 years ago and also of Nwanedzi camp which was only 20 odd years ago.
Will have a search when I return from KNP as a bit busy in next week visiting JHB from western cape --- and then from 10 May till 21 May will be in KNP !!!!
The lions seemed a lot bigger in those days

I love the photographs, I would have loved to visit the Kruger back then, when things were uncomplicated and most people were true lovers of the bush and the park

All for the Stunning, delightful, dazzling etc etc, Old photos of Kruger

A person can see how, in those days, peaceful it was

Sharifa, extreme left, Kruger Tablets in 1961



My Parents and Brothers, Skukuza 1977



Two postcards I have from the sixties





My children and nieces, Skukuza 1989



Me, at Nwanetsi Picnic Area in 1991



My children at Albasini ruins in 1991

Fantastic

I love these old photographs.

Love the photo's too and can place the location in the camp (Skukuza) in many of the instances as well.
And the cars of my childhood - Citroen ID19 , Zephyr 6 , Austin 1100 and Vauxhall Velox.
I wish I could remember the license plate codes - TBJ for the Citroen. I wonder where they were from?

TBJ from Trichard (Not Louis Trichardt), Shidzidzii

What an amazing trip back in time these old photo’s are Those days were different in many ways I think and one of them is that there was no computer technology available and to communicate with family or friends must have taken ages by postcard or letter but I guess the ‘Tiekie Box” made it kind of possible . I guess a person had to go through some kind of “telephone exchange” in Skukuza perhaps and continually dropped money in the money box

Skukuza had a manual phone exchange untill after july 1986.