MODDERFONTEIN LIFE
fitted into the centre of the magazine, These magazines consisted of: Punch, Na-
tional Geographic, The Geographic, The Sphere, The London Illustrated News, The
Readers Digest, The Outspan, The Farmers Weekly, Life, The New Yorker and Time
Magazine. Monthly and weekly magazines were stored in the library for a year in
case readers wanted to refer to them again and then passed on to the MDF Hospital
for use by the patients.
Two librarians of long standing were Mr Archie Moody and Mr Eric Archdeacon
(Superintendent and assistant Superintendent of the Explosives Magazines), who
together ran the library for over 30 years before retiring. They had the pleasure
of purchasing new books for the library from time to time from the CNA and Juta’s
Book Shop in Johannesburg They also arranged for popular books to be re-covered
when necessary.
Originally the library contained English, German and Italian books but after the
Anglo Boer War and as time went on they were replaced by only English books and
from the 1920s onward also by Afrikaans books.
This library played a vital part in serving the needs of the relatively isolated popu-
lation of Modderfontein and especially for the needs of the many young Chemists,
Laboratory assistants, Journeymen, Process workers and Apprentices and young
female employees and nursing staff living in the various blocks of the Single Quar-
ters on the property.
In the 1960’s a vociferous section of residents requested that the Company pro-
vide a better library facility on the property that would cater more for their chil-
dren with special emphasis on school projects. After several considerations it was
decided to request that the TVL Provincial Library service provide a library on the
North side of Queens Road at the local shopping centre which would then be more
central. A bright modern building was erected and this plan put into effect.
The original library in the Casino was closed down and most of its books donated
to the new library. The remainder were given to the Women’s Welfare Organisation
to be sold at one of their fund raising fetes. The Library Hall at the Casino was then
converted into a Ladies Lounge. When Modderfontein attained Municipal status,
this hall became the Council Chamber. The Modderfontein crest was installed in the
North window.
By Keith Martin
Share your stories with us!
We would love to hear from our residents, so if you have any stories to share
with the Thornhill community, please get in touch! It could be on your hobbies,