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WALL OF MEMORY PROJECT

The Wall of Memory Project

A Celebration of Life in Simon’s Town

The first Wall Panels from the Wall of Memory Project have been completed and are on display on the West Dockyard wall

  • The Girls and Lads Brigades of St Francis Church that thrilled the people as they proudly marched through the Town.
  • The remarkable repairs to ships as large as aircraft carriers, completed in the Naval Dockyard during World War II.
  • The startling catches of the deep sea fishermen leaving the Town Jetty to fish in False Bay and beyond.
  • The devastating impact of the Group Areas Act on family life in Simon’s Town.
  • The sad loss of the people of Luyolo Village on the hillside above Long Beach.

In time, the Wall of Memory Project will expand its scope to illustrate yet more aspects of life in Simon’s Town over the years.

  • The full extent of the presence of the Navy: the Dockyard, the ships, the seamen, the training, the hospitals and the nurses.
  • The impact of historic events on the life of the people, the institutions and the buildings of Simon’s Town.
  • All aspects of fishing in Simon’s Town: from the coast, close to shore and into False Bay, the boat-builders and the suppliers of nets and tackle.
  • Religious life in Simon’s Town: the historic mosque and the oldest churches in South Africa where families worshiped on holy days.
  • Arts, culture, sports and education: the schools, the sports clubs, the artists and the writers of Simon’s Town.
  • Historic shopkeepers and hostelries selling goods and victuals: the fish shops, the butchers and bakers, and the surrounding farms that sent meat, vegetables, milk, butter and cheese to the Town.
  • And much more.

The Wall of Memory Project is a joint effort by individuals and community organisations such as the Simon’s Town Historical Society, the Simon’s Town Museum and the Simon’s Town Phoenix Committee, and is coordinated by the Simon’s Town Historical Society. Each Wall Panel acknowledges all photographs used, and the financial contributions from the sponsors that are making the Wall of Memory Project a reality.