Flo Bird – esteemed founder of the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust (which became the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation in 2012) – recently celebrated her 80th birthday! To honour the occasion, a wonderful tea was held at Northwards where old friends, family and colleagues came together to acknowledge the remarkable contribution made by our irresistible, indomitable, incredible Ms. Bird.
It was a worthy tribute to a lifetime of heritage activism, filled with laughter and smiles as speakers shared their favourite memories of Flo. An outstanding ‘newspaper’ featuring highlights from Flo’s distinguished career was produced by Michele Vrdoljak, Andre Vrdoljak and Diane Steele (see below). And Kathy Munro presented Flo with her very own (and well-deserved) Blue Plaque.
The inscription on the Blue Plaque reads: Flo Bird was born and bred in Johannesburg, living in the suburb of Parktown all her life. Descended from Johannesburg pioneers, she is a true heritage champion who has fought tirelessly for the city she loves. In 1985 she founded the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust to rally support for the embattled heritage of the area. This vision grew into the much-admired Johannesburg Heritage Foundation, established in 2012. This plaque honours Flo – campaigner, educator, researcher and Joburg treasure – on her 80th birthday.
The JHF and all its supporters would like to wish Flo a very happy birthday and many more years of health and happiness!
I am overwhelmed with joy and yes, a bit emotional, to see that “the remarkable contribution made by our irresistible, indomitable, incredible Ms. Bird” was acknowledged with a Blue Plaque by the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF), fittingly in a ceremony at Northwards in 2023. I am currently writing up the restoration process of 143 Fulham Road Brixton where a JHF Blue Plaque was unveiled on 15 June 2024. My wife Elsabe and I bought the wood and iron building in 1983, restored it and with the help of Flo had it declared a National Monument in 1985. When we ran out of funding after making the interior habitable, Flo contacted the National Monuments Council (NMC) to request funds to paint the exterior. After this was completed Flo and we arranged a formal unveiling ceremony of the NMC bronze plaque which was attended by the Mayor of Johannesburg and Roelf Meyer, nogal. Flo, thank you so much again and RESPECT for your untiring efforts over many years to preserve the buildings and structures of early Johannesburg.
Dear Heritage Foundation
I am a long term resident of Killarney.
I have been driving past OXFORD PARK daily for more than two decades. There is a heritage site on the park, closest to the Beth Emmanuel Shul
I have noted and taken pictures of numerous happenings at this location which has caused concern. Reclaimers, drivers, pedestrians dump rubbish here, use it as a toilet and there are increasing numbers of street dwellers living in the over growth and burning fires.
City Parks is not looking after this area with the regularity it needs.
As a member of the NKRA (New Killarney Rivieriera Residents Association) and on behalf of them, I am requesting that The Heritage Foundation pays an urgent visit to this site and consider putting it on their agenda to manage. You have the connections and contacts within City Parks and CO. Across the on-ramp to M1 S, the highway verge is being taken care of by Hollard as per the JOZI MY JOZI movement. The contrast between the two spaces is stark.
Once the area is further occupied, it will be extremely difficult to recover it. It has definitely entered a viscous cycle of looking derelict and thereby inviting bad actors.
I am happy to share the dozens of pictures in my phone gallery of the dereliction if I could have an email address.
Thank you
Dr Nadia Nikakhtar