Tributes and Obituaries

It is with great sadness that we have learned about the passing of our friend and  colleague, the esteemed conservationist and urbanist Nicolas Baumann, who died on his birthday (that he shared with his twin brother Sean) on the 7th January 2025.

Nicolas was always principled and committed to authentic urban values, the protection of historical cities and towns, and the conservation of Cape farmsteads and the cultural landscape. As a heritage consultant he viewed new developments through a committed vision and lens for appropriate re-development, preservation and respect for the past.

As a partner in the Revel Fox Architects practice he was involved in exceptional legacy  projects - extraordinary examples of adaptive re-use and restoration. These include the Breakwater Prison on Portswood Ridge at the V&A that was sensitively converted into the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business and the alluring restoration of parts of Groot Constantia - the pool at the Wine Cellar forecourt and the Wine Cellar at the  entrance gates.

He undertook numerous surveys and conservation plans for historic places and served as  heritage consultant - for The V&A Waterfront, Simon's Town, the Overberg and for Drakenstein Municipality, and undertook conservation plans that became benchmarks for Boschendal, Groot Constantia and Vergelegen. Many of the latter projects were undertaken with his long-time associate and colleague, Sarah Winter.

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It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart that I write this goodbye to my friend, my "go to" encyclopedia for information on military, cultural and Zulu history and customs of this region, a sounding board for events and new ideas and information on medals.

Pat Rundgren will leave a huge hole in our area - his passion for the history, his incredible breadth of knowledge, his willingness to always share his knowledge and for always being there when it came to tours, reenactments, writing articles and so much more.

Always ready for reenactments

For over 20 years he served on the Dundee Tourism committee. From the very early years he was part of the Battlefields Route committee and was a founder member of the professional association of Battlefield Tour Guides and served as secretary for many years. His wit and sense of humor was evident in all notices and minutes of meetings - and always drew a reaction and interaction from the guides - and his call sign as he ended his messages- Kambula Kid.

He served on the Talana Museum Board of Trustees for over twenty years and as Chairman for the past five years. Many was the time when he thought that I was really barmy especially when it...

The news that Michael Sutton had passed away was not surprising but nonetheless a gaping hole opened in me. With every recent message I had sent, I wondered which would be the last. 

Michael has inhabited my thoughts in one way or another since the fortuitous day I stumbled upon the townhouse in The Courtyards that would become my first home in 2000. When I walked in the door I just knew. Anthony (my partner then and husband now), who did not have much to say about architecture in general, and who was far more practical about making financial choices knew that we were not walking away from the encounter unscathed. We pooled our resources and were able to buy our first home.

The Courtyards (Wallace Honiball via Artefacts)

I have visceral memories of that place. The space was generous, the finishes sparse, the form simple and clean. The high walled courtyard garden was our haven. Brutal concrete beams over the terrace were covered in an exuberant banksia under which we huddled in summer. At night we shut ourselves away from the world behind sliding shutters and were woken in the morning by the slices of light through the slats.

That year, I wrote a rather amateur dissertation on Michael’s work with the...

Michael’s inimitable ink, sepia and watercolour History of Architecture drawings on peerless Watman’s paper, would grace my father’s desk for after-dinner-marking. Michael, as yet unseen by me, was this mythical being, this deaf student who could create such magic. I was enchanted and wanted nothing more than to study this history. Only by studying Architecture would that be possible. The rest, you could say, is history!

Many years later, Michael expressed his gratitude for my father’s support and his after lecture explanations of the slides that had been shown in the dark. After one of his visits to Italy, Michael gave my father a charming small watercolour painting of a street market in Rome in acknowledgment.

I probably first met Michael at the annual final year party at my parent’s house. I was struck by his good looks, his height and his shyness, as well as my own terror of not being able to understand him and having to remember that one needed  not to shout but to enunciate words clearly for him to understand what was being said. How frustrating that must have been for him, though he never showed it.

As time passed, I became increasingly aware of his wonderful buildings – rough plastered, thick walled, shuttered houses in particular. Michael’s versatility was shown in the amazing variety of his projects. The Goodman House, curvilinear in plan, with its brick walls rising Zimbabwe-like out of the rocks, the complex vaults and Cycldian island quality of the Gage House...

Hearing about the death of Michael Sutton, architect extraordinaire, on the 22 May 2024 at the age of 96, was a terrible shock, despite knowing it was imminent.

Many of us know Michael Sutton as a brilliant architect who designed masterpieces in South Africa and Greece. His life was extraordinary and his achievements were impressive.

My own association with Michael Sutton goes back to 1972 when I was privileged to work in the office of Michael Sutton and Walker for a year before studying architecture. Thereafter, I worked for the partnership at every opportunity in vacations and then again after graduating. Initially I wasn't sure I wanted to be an architect, but working with him was an inspiration and I quickly made up my mind. The office was a rollercoaster of ideas, always exciting and challenging. With the encouragement of both partners and by example, I knew that I wanted to follow in their footsteps. This is where I met Mohammed Hans, Marcus Holmes, Lynnette Alan and Robert Stasio who all shared my admiration for Michael and all of whom were lifelong friends with Michael.

Michael was born totally deaf in 1928. His sister Ann was also born deaf. Both went to school in England where they were taught to lipread. Neither of them learned to sign which, if it had been their sole means of communicating, would have made integration with the broader society far more difficult. Lipreading made it possible for them to communicate in a natural way with...

Malcolm Freeland was a passionate Johannesburg heritage man backed by his education, his professional training and experiences, his family background, life for a century in his fine heritage home and in his commitment to and work for the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust (today the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation).

Malcolm was born in Johannesburg in 1920. He was educated at St John’s College and matriculated in 1938. He studied architecture at Wits University and graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Architecture. He also studied town planning and worked in London for a couple of years in the early 1950s. Malcolm returned to Johannesburg and was employed by the Johannesburg City Council in the City Engineers Department. He was an architect and town planner and at one point in his career was responsible for Johannesburg's aesthetic standards as the Aesthetics Officer for the Johannesburg City Council, a task he found singularly frustrating.

St John's College

Malcolm maintained professional membership of several bodies. He was an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects, a member of the South African Institute of Architects, a member of the South African Institute of Town and Regional Planning and was a fellow of the British Royal Society of Arts. He was a...

A land surveyor of distinction and an early pioneer of South African satellite geodesy, Werner Kirchhoff, passed away at the age of 92 in August 2023.

Werner, born in Germany in 1931, was the son of Peter Kirchhoff and Margarete Bose. Two years later his family left Germany and immigrated to South Africa, settling in Johannesburg in 1934. Between 1936 and 1941, he attended the German school in Edith Cavell Street, Hillbrow and from 1942 to 1947, the German school in Pretoria (the Deutsche International Schule) and Pretoria Boys' High School.

Werner grew up in an artist’s home. His father (with three other artists: Hennie Potgieter, Laurika Postma and Frikkie Kruger) was commissioned to sculpt the Voortrekker Monument Hall friezes from 1941-1946. Here, the young Werner acted as the model for the young hero figure of Dirkie Uys, a young Paul Kruger at Vegkop and a surveyor in the Church of the Vow frieze. The latter post was prophetic indeed as surveying became Werner’s profession.

Werner posed for these figures in the Voortrekker Monument Hall friezes (Russel Scott)

The Kirchhoff family lived at Harmony Hall (the converted artists’ studio for the work of the four artists on...

Marcus Holmes (1952-2022), a principal partner of the architectural practice Fassler Kamstra + Holmes Architects, passed away on 9th November 2022 in Linksfield Hospital after a short illness (borne with stoicism and anger). He died far too young; he still had so much more creativity to give and work to do. We are left with the image of Marcus as the tall, gangling man (he was over six feet tall),  who wore tight narrow trousers, a broad stylish leather belt and beautiful leather shoes to show off his good looks, long feet and thin figure. For over four decades, he was a vibrant, creative and forceful voice who contributed hugely to the South African architectural landscape. He was an extraordinary person.

Marcus was born in Oxford, England and came to South Africa with his parents in the 1950s. He was educated at St Andrews College in Grahamstown where he obtained a first class matric in 1969. He was a proud product of St Andrews where he shone in science and mathematics.

St Andrews College Clocktower (20 Historic Schools)

He originally thought he would study engineering but instead earned a BArch degree at Wits in 1977. Marcus bloomed and blossomed young; he completed several projects while still a student – Blackroofs, a Baker house in the Valley Road Westcliff, being...

Rev. Robert Forsyth (30th May 1954 – 27th April 2022), a passionate heritage man, passed away in a motor vehicle accident on 27th April 2022. A memorial event was held to celebrate his life at Misty Hills Country Hotel, Muldersdrift on 9th May.  We mourn his passing. His departure is a great loss to the heritage community.

Robert was the man who developed Kedar Heritage Lodge on the old Paul Kruger farm Boekenhoutfontein in the North West Province into the superb country lodge, fine restaurant, game farm, heritage centre and South African War museum that Kedar is today. He was also the proprietor of Misty Hills, an old country hotel with a long history. Robert has been the man who conserved, preserved and improved these resources in ways that made heritage a living part of modern lives.

Robert was an exceptional human being. He was a man of vision. He was a man of many talents – entrepreneur, visionary, businessman. He left this world a better place and the many people who interacted with him were enriched by the encounter. He was a bold man whose Christian faith underscored much of his life. He built a superb restaurant (Carnivore) and brought Misty Hills to top tourism status. 

Robert was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Bulawayo. As a young man he trained as a pastor in the USA but returned to the African continent and settled in South Africa. He loved Africa and was keenly interested in history. His unique approach successfully combined a country...

Johann Bruwer's contribution to heritage conservation in Johannesburg - and indeed elsewhere on the Witwatersrand and in Gauteng - cannot be overestimated; he was a friend as well as a colleague and his warmth and generosity will always be remembered. Johann suffered a massive heart attack on 9 September 2021 and despite bravely persevering passed away on 17 September 2021.

Johann was born on 21 June 1954 and attended school in Alberton, but matriculated in Windhoek after his parents relocated to Namibia. He served with the 3rd SA Infantry Battalion and the Johannesburg Regiment and then commenced studies at the Rand Afrikaans University, and was awarded his BA, BA Hons, MA and Doctoral degrees.

Johann's detailed research and documentation learnt during his years at university were to become his trademark. Very specific aspects of the Second World War were investigated for his Master's thesis. His subject (translated from the Afrikaans) was 'The Role of the Sixth South African Armoured Division in the Deployment of the Allied Offensive in Italy; The Battle of Monte Stanco, October 7-13, 1944'. The Master's degree was awarded with distinction.

Johann's doctoral thesis was titled (again translated from the Afrikaans): 'The role of the Sixth South African Armoured Division in Italy: 27 May to 8 August 1944'. The degree was awarded in April 1991. Much of the original research for both higher degrees was conducted through interviews with veterans of the Italian campaign.

Johann had joined the S.A. National Museum of Military History in Saxonwold as...