Some memories and history of this delightful little spot on the South Coast of Natal, brought to you by Des Humphrey (original home owner of Humphrey's Hideaway) - June 2007
Bazley’s Origins
This township originally was just a Railway Halt named Bazley, but then was re-named Woolwich Township, when the town was officially developed in the years 1954 to 1956. It soon reverted to the Bazley name, by which everyone knew it. This was in 1956, when I originally bought into the area and the Title Deeds actually still reflect the name of Woolwich.
Early Days and Infrastructure
At that time there was very little infrastructure – sand roads (even the old N2, which ran along the coastline, initially was sand) – no water – no electricity and building in those times was really a hardship.
The old South Coast road was tarred during 1956 and the trip down the entire coastline was an adventure on its own, as one meandered through each local township – Amanzimtoti- Doonside – Karridene – Umgababa – Umkomaas – Winklespruit – Clansthal – Scottburgh – Park Rynie – Kelso Pennington and at last, reaching the turn off to Bazley.
It really was super, when the new freeway was built, by-passing all these villages, as it converted the trip from three hours to an easy one hour from Durban.
Cherished Memories
Some of our dearest memories are:
- Awakening at night to the roar of the old “steam engines”
- The absolute quiet and darkness of sleeping in tents under the trees
- The fun and joys of ablutions with no water and no toilet
- The sound of the waves
- Enjoying a Van Der Hum & coke at the end of a day’s hard work
- The open house attitude, where we gathered for Xmas or New Year on our veranda
- Bringing up and rearing four young children during this period
- The camaraderie of the community
First Structures and Building Hardships
The first structure that I recall was Carl Mouton’s two rondavels joined together by a lounge/living area, at the top of the north hill, (opposite Kani Klaar Nie), looking down towards the beach between Ndasingane and Shower Pool. Carl and I became acquainted over a few beers and during these sessions, he told me of his hardships in building on the cheap, as he was still a university student. His daily routine, during school holidays, consisted of ‘humping (on his shoulders) sackfuls of beach sand, which he used for the aggregate to make concrete. Blue stone he carried down in his car, together with cement.
Water and Building Challenges
Raw river water was pumped up to two enormous tanks situated at the turning circle of ‘the extreme end of the north road, by Sezela Sugar Mill, every Friday, in terms of their agreement at the time of the sale of the land. The foundations to these tanks are still visible to those who know where to look. Except for the Bazley’s house, which was the original homestead, the houses were slowly built.
Early Developments and Attractions
The original entrance to Bazley was via a sand road at the south side, joining into the road just before the straight where the left-hand turn goes down to MacNicol’s. The south side of Bazley was the most developed due to the Ifafa lagoon (where MacNicol’s are now) and many were the lovely times experienced, in launching canoes and boats at this spot. One could simply drive to the lagoon, park next to the water and swim or paddle around the steel pylons of the old railway stanchions, which stretched, from bank to bank. Many happy times were spent paddling up past the road bridge near Ifafa, (Old N2).
North Side Development
As we were on the North side, we only noticed the houses in this area, but the south side did develop early, as the lagoon was the big attraction. Once MacNicol developed his caravan park in the 1980’s, the north side slowly started to develop. The order of dwelling built on the north side were: The Curry’s, The Franklin’s, Kani Klaar Nie, Jumbo’s Place, Humphrey’s, Maarten’s, Fenn’s, van den Berg’s, all before 1975 and thereafter with the coming of fresh piped water and with the roads being tarred, the area quickly developed.
A Salute to Early Builders
To all those who built before 1975, I raise my hat and salute you, for my family experienced some of the hardships of rough living – sleeping in tents – no security – no drinking water – sand roads (which in summer required chains to negotiate) – no shops (Park Rynie being the closest) – arranging deliveries (where no address existed) – no electricity (one went to bed with darkness and awoke with the dawn, sleeping on the ground and generally living as the Voortrekkers. We took about 2 years (weekends) to build Humphrey’s Hideaway – stage one – where it was a one-bedroom bungalow and then another 12 years to extend to the 4 bedroom unit that it is today (all over weekends).
Community Spirit
The community, in those early times, were VERY close-knit, especially in giving and loaning – tools, drinking water (always a problem), materials to complete the weekend’s work – etc. etc. We generally gathered together to enjoy a beer (mostly warm) on the Saturday evening, as we were all weekenders, all either building or extending and having the same problems. Many’s the time I can remember walking home in the dark on the sand roads – no street lights. Ice and coolness were always a problem, and we even ran our own 3kw generator to run the fridge, but the difficulty in transporting the fuel, plus the cost, made it prohibitive once Eskom arrived around 1980.
Friendships and Changes Over Time
We made some extremely good friends during those hard times: Dave Franklin, Basil Fenn, van den Berg, Carl Mouton, and later Gordon and Jean Powell. As the houses developed, we had “permanent” as well as “weekenders” and slowly the permanents became the majority. With the permanents came the housemaids and gardeners, which also brought crime into the area. Before 1980, there was literally no crime; one could leave the house open when going to the beach, or women and children were quite safe on their own, which was quite often, as one had to travel afar to get materials, sometimes overnight, leaving the family on their own, to sleep in tents.
Enduring Affection for Bazley
All in all, we, the Humphrey family, have loved the Bazley Community, the friendship between the neighbours, and the camaraderie that still exists today. The bond created by those pioneers has communicated itself to the newcomers, and we say how welcome you are, and how wonderful all the people of Bazley have been to each other.
Changing Neighbourhood
When we first built in Bazley, our house had no neighbours but now has 4 or 5, some of the most wonderful people one could wish for neighbours. Bazley people have always been a bit of a tough lot, as mostly we come from the “working class” who understand the need to cooperate and help each other, as was so easily seen and demonstrated by the Neighbourhood Watch.
Passing the Torch
In about 1975 we subdivided our acre and Richard, our son now owns the adjacent plot, with the original cottage now owned by our other son Alan. Gordon started the Bazley Beach Gentleman’s Wining, Dining, Fishing and Hunting Club, and we have enjoyed many wonderful meals, jokes, stories, and times together. It would be a sad time if this unique club were to disappear. Beulah and I are no longer homeowners in this delightful village, but in our hearts, we are still Bazley Homeowners.
