Donald Martin
Donald Martin was born on the fifteenth of February 1937 and lived at 28 Edward Street with his wife, Mary. Now living in Retreat, he remembers the name of every neighbour he once shared the street with – from the Paulsens to the Cupidos, the Stoltenkamps to the Thomases. Donald even recalls vividly the names of the families his mother worked in service for: the Gibbs’s in upper Claremont, and the Fergusons on Riviera Rd.
Donald & Mary had three sons: Donavan, Ronald & Brian, two of whom were born in Harfield before they were forcibly removed.
Donald recalls that, during the time of the removal, they were among the first to start making decisions about where their new home would be. There were few choices, and he chose Retreat because of its close proximity to transport lines. Though it was a distance from Mary’s family, it ensured that the family was not cut off from work opportunities or from their old neighbourhood where some of their friends still lived at the time. Donald worked as an admin clerk for electrical firms such as Universal Electric in Salt River & Bellco Electrical.
Many from Claremont remember Donald’s talent as a public speaker and coordinator of activities in the area. As Captain of the St Matthews Brigade, Donald was a notable influence on the Claremont community & fondly remembers the years they all shared together. He was also a member of the Free Gardeners – a fraternal society that originated in Scotland and later moved to South Africa.
His home on Edward St was rented from the shopkeeper, Mr Humdulay Coosain, who owned the cafe on the same street & leased a small number of properties there. His tenants were all forced to move when Mr Coosain was ordered to leave the neighbourhood. Donald now lives in Retreat with his wife, son and grandson, in the house they first moved to when they left Claremont, and Mary continues to make her famous konfyt from watermelons grown in their own garden.
You can view Donald’s photo gallery on Claremont Histories here.
