Springs, South Africa

Goldman Family

by Arlene Beare

I was born in Pretoria but went to live in Springs when 18 months old so I grew up in Springs and went to Selection Park School and then Springs High School. In my Matric year they decided to open a separate Girls school and so Std 9 and Std 10 stayed on at the Boys high. I thus finished my last year at School at Springs Boys High. I went to Wits to study Medicine aged 16 in 1952 and I was married in the Springs Shul in 1959 by Rev Altschuler. I married David Beare from Durban and we had 3 children. We emigrated to the UK in 1974. Sadly David died in 1983. I have 5 grandchildren.

My sister Eleanor and I were recipients of Springs Town Council Scholarships which enabled us to study Medicine which would not have been possible for my parents.  My father who was an Electrical Engineer founded the Springs Orchestra and conducted Concerts in aid of War efforts. Every year the Springs High School prize giving  had a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta for entertainment and my father played the Clarinet in the Orchestra. I attended rehearsals and to this day know the words to many of the operettas.

 

My sister Eleanor married Izzy Miller from Brakpan and they lived in Springs. He owned a Pharmacy and my sister worked as a Dr at the Far East Rand Hospital They lived in Springs with their 5 daughters until they left for the UK in 1974. 2 daughters live in Israel and the other 3 in the UK. They have 11 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

My sister Dawn who was studying Nursing at  Johannesburg General Hospital met and married Julius Herson from Johnnesburg. He was a Pharmacist and a qualified Dr.  They emigrated first to Israel and then to Sydney in Australia. Their 2 sons are Quantas pilots and they had one daughter. Julius passed away in 1982 and Dawn in 2014.

 

I am attaching a photo of my father playing his phono fiddle surrounded by all his instruments. His favourite was the Clarinet and I came into this World hearing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. He made the phono fiddle out of a piece of wood and it  had one string. The horn was from an old HMV gramophone. He could play anything on this phonofiddle and would accompany singers or other musicians. 

 

I am attaching an article from the Springs newspaper which may interest you.  He never made it in 1914 as it says in the article so I do not know where that came from but made it much later when he was an adult.

 

He was also a keen gardener and the article is about his balcony garden.

Please note:

I do not have any Goldman relatives. My father Louis Goldman was born Samuels and adopted by a Mr Goldman from Krugersdorp. Mr Goldman had no other children. My grandmother Annie Samuels died of Puerperal Sepsis 12 days after her 9th child was born. My grandfather, Benjamin Samuels abandoned the 9 children who were taken into care in the Nazareth Home and the Non Denominational Children’s Home, both Christian Homes in Johannesburg. Rabbi Hertz, who became the Chief Rabbi of England, met with the Jewish Women’s Communal League as he felt it was quite wrong for the children to be brought up in a Christian Home, and The Johannesburg Jewish Orphanage was founded in 1903 for the Samuel’s children.  The Orphanage in 1906 became Arcadia Jewish Orphanage.  Benjamin and Annie Samuels were from Poland then England, Wales and last of all South Africa..

 

Arlene