Independent on Saturday

Financial history dug up

DUNCAN GUY duncan.guy@inl.co.za

THE front page and a business page were found when paving was lifted during construction work on developments to commemorate Michaelhouse’s 125th anniversary in August.

The 1927 issue reported on “today’s middle rates of exchange” against an illegible amount of the still-existing pound sterling. With the advent of the euro, the names of many old European currencies now belong to history.

From Paris came the news that it was 124.03 francs, Amsterdam 12.073 florins, Italy (not Rome) 90.03 lire. Then there’s repeated mention of Reich marks from Berlin, which on one occasion appears to be misspelt at “Rich” marks.

What’s a belga?

“A mid-20th century Belgian gold currency worth five Belgian francs,” according to Wikipedia.

Belgium discontinued using its franc when it switched over to the euro in 2002, as did France and Luxembourg, leaving only the Swiss franc in use on the continent.

Remnants of legibility on the masthead indicate that the 1927 newspaper is the Mirror, perhaps the Daily Mirror founded in 1903, which is still produced in Britain.

Senior prefect Kwande Dhlomo is scheduled to place a letter under a paving stone once new developments to mark the 125th anniversary of the Midlands school are done, said the school’s head of marketing, Murray Witherspoon.

In his letter, the senior prefect offers a synopsis of the present.

“Unfortunately, our dear country of South Africa still struggles with age-old issues of equity. Gender-based violence continues to ravage our patriarchal-built society as we strive for change in the treatment of women.

“Differences in gender, race and class still dominate the narratives of social, political, and economic life in the country as a worrying number of South Africans remain poverty-stricken and under-represented.

“This we can attribute to our past dealings within inequality but, once more, we continue to make strides to deconstruct these narratives, providing a greener path for all. Hopefully in your time these issues are nothing but a distant, distasteful memory of where we were and where we hope to be. These narratives are also largely prevalent in our world.”

Dhlomo brings in the pandemic. “The 2020/2021 narrative: the world’s shared experience has been defined by the Covid-19 pandemic that has dominated for the past two years.

“Millions continue to die, but we are bound by the commonality of

our collective struggle to continue to fight and celebrate the life that exists within us all.”

Then he looks ahead to a day in the future whenever his letter may be read, after a paving stone covering it has been lifted. “If it were possible to commune with the future, I’d be intrigued to know the extent at which you, not only as a school, but as a society and world, continue to prosper.”

METRO

en-za

2021-06-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

http://independentonsaturday.pressreader.com/article/281629603227167

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