ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Putting this book together was a great adventure and an amazing learning experience, and would not have happened without a group of very talented people. It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge those who made it possible.

Phil Massie, you are a great friend and photographer. Without your attention to detail and perfectionist way of working, this book would not have happened. Thank you for always making time in your hectic schedule and for sharing my vision.

Anne Clarkson, thank you for all your research and writing. I will miss our meetings at the Archives and your emails about the interesting things you discovered. This book belongs to you as much as anybody else.

My thanks to the staff at the Western Cape Archives and Records Service – Erika Le Roux, Achmat Smith, Ebrahim Kenny and Lunette Lourens – for making the research at the Archives such a pleasure. You were always willing to help and to go the extra mile without question. Without your help, this book would have taken a few more years to complete.

A special thank you to Jaco van der Merwe: since day one, more than ten years ago, you have been behind me and supported my ideas. Without your enthusiasm, this book would never have been. You are a great asset to the Archives and I think you are the only person who might love these old photographic collections more than I do.

To the team at The Aerial Perspective – Anthony Allen, Keith Quixley, Lucia Bellairs – your beautiful aerial photographs added the finishing touches that I needed. It’s always a pleasure working with such talented professionals.

At Random House Struik, my thanks go to Pippa Parker and Janice Evans, for seeing and believing. You and your production team – managing editor Roelien Theron, editor Alfred LeMaitre and editorial assistant Alana Bolligelo – were fantastic to work with.

Thanks to Mike Ormrod, not just for keeping me employed all these years, but also for always helping with, and supporting, my sometimes obsessive fascination with old glass plates and photographs.

And, last but not least, thanks to Seppi Hochfellner, for added inspiration.

Vincent Rokitta van Graan