Children's Art Centre celebrates 80 years with a nostalgic journey for pupils
Art pupils from Holy Cross, Chapel Street, Rahmaniyeh, Zonnebloem Girls', Zonnebloem Boys' Primary Schools, and Seven Steps Academy for the Deaf at the Children’s Art Centre’s standing at the original location at The Lydia Centre, which was formerly called St Phillips' School.
Image: Wesley Ford
Art pupils from various District Six and Walmer Estate schools were taken down memory lane on a story walk on Friday, September 26, to see different locations in the area where the Children’s Art Centre gave their lessons.
The Children’s Art Centre is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. They have been located at the Zonnebloem College Estate since 1970 in Walmer Estate, where they provide art lessons for primary school pupils from Holy Cross, Chapel Street, Rahmaniyeh, Zonnebloem Girls' and Boys' Primary Schools, and Seven Steps Academy for the Deaf. (“Children's Art Centre marks 80 years with fundraising initiatives,” Southern Suburbs Tatler, March 25)
More than a dozen art pupils from the aforementioned schools were taken to the original location at St Phillips School in Chapel Street in District Six, which was used in 1945, then they would go to Victoria Walk, Woodstock, which was used in 1950, which today is a vacant site.
The Children’s Art Centre principal, Berenice Carelse-Plato, said they had this story walk to share historical stories with the art pupils.
“It was to let many of our feeder schools know how we started, where we started, the reasons for moving from the locations, and how we ended up in our current location at Zonnebloem College Estate for the last 50 years,” she said.
Holy Cross principal Nomthandazo Zweni, who joined the story walk, said her pupils were excited to join this walk.
“It was a great experience for me and the children, and to talk about art with them was so amazing, and I would like to thank the Children’s Art Centre for their good work,” she said.
Zonnebloem Girls’ Primary School principal, Leigh-Anne Lenders, was also a former Children’s Art Centre pupil back in the day.
“The walk was nostalgic for me, being a former pupil of this art centre, and it was a wonderful opportunity for the pupils to be part of this art centre’s history by joining other schools in the area to do the sunflower workshop and find out more about the history,” she said.
Educators of the feeder schools of the Children’s Art Centre, from left, are Zonnebloem Girls’ teacher Nikita Marais, Chapel Street library staff member Fayrouz Mohamed, Zonnebloem Girls’ principal Leigh-Anne Lenders, Seven Steps Academy for the Deaf teacher Mishqa Phillips, Rahmaniyeh teacher Washiemah Sydow, and Holy Cross Primary Schools principal Nomthandazo Zweni, standing at the Art Centre’s second location in Woodstock.
Image: Wesley Ford
The Children’s Art Centre staff at their current Zonnebloem College Estate location from left, Cara Borcherds, Lee-Ann Groenewald, Berenice Carelse-Plato , Ursula Windsor, Malikah Mathews, Hedwig Chandler and Minique Jooste.
Image: Wesley Ford