Rissik (G 8)

Name: Rissik

Rissik Station (Loftus)

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Our HistoryClydesdale boasts a rich heritage with history resonating throughout the village. Key dates in Clydesdale history are listed below.

1890 – Johan Rissik (1857-1928) surveyour-general of the ZAR became engaged to Miemie Leibrandt of Cape Town

1891 – Johan and Miemie Rissik settled into their new home at 655 Park Street (this would be overlooking the Art Museum if still standing). Their home was built on a 20 acre holding, bordered by the present Wessels Street, Minni Street (named after Miemie), the Walker Spruit and named “Linschoten Huis” after the village of Linschoten in Netherlands where Rissik’s father was born.

1898 – The original township of Clydesdale was surveyed by AH Walker who laid out 45 erven (no 742-787), which would currently be situated in the following streets: Park, Minni, Maple Ayton, kirkness and Farenden. It was established on a portion of land of the Elandspoort farm known as Clydesdale that was registered in the name of Ethel Meintjies, nee Ayton, the second wife of Eddie Meintjies.

715 Park Street (entrance now in Minni Street) was the home of WJ Fockens, secretary in the Prime Minister’s Department. Martha Street was named after his daughter Martha who was married to JH Rissik, Johann Rissik, elder brother. The gable of 813 Park Street has “AD1908” inscribed on it. This house belonged to Rev Henry Bindley Sidwell, Archdeacon of Pretoria (1905-10) and Vicar of Christ Church, Arcadia (1909-11). In 1911 he was consecrated Lord Bishop of George.

1902 – Erven 788-936 were laid out in the following streets: Ayton (Left hand side, north facing), Brecher (all excludinglower portion) and Villa (excluding lower portion) north facing on the left hand side.

D Cairncross of the firm “Cairncross and Zillen, Grocers and General Merchants” lived on a large property at 41 Ivy Street (between erven 811 & 817), known as Devonshire Villa in teh spacious Victorian home on the corner of Villa and Ivy Streets that was restored in the 1990s by Prof. Ora Joubert.

10 Ocrtober 1902 – Pretoria High School for Girls was founded by Miss Edith Aitken

1902 – the Harlequins Rugby club and two other clubs were established. Loftus Versfeld, the chairman of the sub-union became the prime mover for getting suitable playing fields for rugby in Pretoria.

1903 – Mr F Penbertyh, Cycle and Motor dealer, built a Victorian home at 415 Kirkness Street. During the hundred years of its existence, this home has only been occupied by two families – the Penberthys and the Helms.

1904 – EC Anderssen, former chair of the CVA, built his house at 38 Minni Street (erf 752)

1906 – Dr Troup and Mr Harm Oost surveyed the Town Lands that had been the site of the British field hospital from the hill where Pretoria Boys High now stands. These lands bisected by the railway line were earmarked by the Pretoria Council for three new educational institutions: the Pretoria High School for Girls, the Transvaal University College (University of Pretoria) and the Pretoria College (now the Pretoria Boys High School).

1908 – The Transvaal University College began in town in a house called Kya Rosa.

15 April 1909 – The new buildings of the Pretoria Boys High School were opened by General JC Smuts, the colonial secretary. He announced that he had allocated 50 thousand pounds for the erection of the university college buildings on the municipal land in Brooklyn. on 17 May 1909 the site was allocated for the proposed college buildings on the high ground in the vicinity of the High School buildings.

26 May 1909 – the Government granted eight morgen 588 square roods of a portion of crown land in Sunnyside of the farm Elandspoort no 193 to the Council of the Municipality of Pretoria. This was used to establish the Eastern Sports Ground, the precursor of the Loftus Stadium. In October 1911 the City Council decided to develop a central sports complex on this piece of land west of Delagoa Bay railway line. On 11 January 1912 the City Council ratified the project and set aside 5000 pounds for the development of the site. There were to be four rugby fields, but later one was given to hockey players. On 18 April 1914 the Eastern Sports Grounds were officially inaugurated with the start of the rugby season.

1915 – The new school building for Pretoria High School for Girls was occupied.

1917 – Death of Edward Phillip Arnold Meintjies, member of the Volksraad and a City Councillor, who had owned the property Clydesdale.

1920 – The Afrikaans High School was started in Visagie Street.

1923 – Johan Rissik sold his estate and Linschoten Township consisting of erven 937 to 1007 was laid out.

Rissik built a new Linschoten House, designed by Gordon Leith and W de Zwaan, on the corner of Park and Minni Streets (erf 955). The property is now known as Rissik House.

October 1924 – The land on which Loftus Stadium is situated, on the corner of College Avenue (now Lynnwood Road) and Kirkness Street, was surveyed by FS Elphinstone and approved by the Surveyor-General for the purpose of a lease.

1924 – Clydesdale no 2 was established. Surveyor FS Elphinstone laid out the 26 erven (1010-1035) bounded by Bond Street, Villa Street, Farenden and Walker Spruit. 13 November 1924 the Township and its name, Clydesdale, were approved by the Administrator of the Transvaal (Administrator’s notice no. 567 in 1924).

1927 – Eastmead township was proclaimed. Thirty-one erven (1036-1076) were laid out in an area of cultivated ground that had belonged to Frederik Hendrik Rissik (Johan’s elder brother). The property, adjoining Clydesdale, was bordered by Martha Street (later changed to Maple Avenue) named after his wife, Martha Fockens and Ayton Street. The land for Myrtle Park (donated by the owner) was laid out adjacent to Walker Spruit on erven 1077-1081.

1927-1928 – Ooskerk, designed by architect Gerhard Moerdyk, was constructed in Kirkness Street.

26 January 1927 – Afrikaans High School moved into new school buildings in Bond Street.

1928 – Johan Rissik dies.

13 December 1929 – Decision announced to split the Afrikaans High School into separate schools for boys and girls.

1932 – Loftus Versfeld dies. In his memory, the name of the Eastern Sports was changed to Loftus Versfeld.

1967 – The City Council announced the proposed Road Transport system for Pretoria. It was planned to route a freeway through the middle of Clydesdale that would have fundamentally changed the suburb.

1977 – Pretoria High School for Girls main building was declared a National Monument.

1978 – Pretoria Boys High School main building declared a National Monument.

1985 – Most of Linchoten Township was expropriated and demolished by the Transvaal Provincial Administration to provide a sports field for the Pretoria Technical High School. The properties on erven 975 – 1007 that survived the demolition are in Linchoten Avenue, Minni Street and Valley Road.

20 March 1989 – The Simon van der Stel Foundation (now Tshwane Building Heritage Association) arranged a meeting at the University of Pretoria to inform the Clydesdale residents of their rights in view of the various threats aimed at the suburb.

30 March 1989 – A group of residents formed the “Clydesdale conservation committee” (which later became the Clydesdale Village Association) at the home of Rai Immelman in Farenden Street.

27 June 1989 – The committee held the first general meeting to get a mandate from residents to have Clydesdale declared worthy of preservation and so prevent its destruction. 26 September 1989 a report on the neighbourhood survey showed that of the 94% of residents who had responded, 95% were against the freeway going through Clydesdale.

1989 year-end – A neighbourbood description prepared by architects of the Clydesdale Village Association was distributed to City Councillors.

1990 – The Clydesdale Village Association drew up a constitution. The committee, together with those of Hatfield and Arcadia, opposed the re-zoning of the area adjacent to Loftus Versfeld Stadium for the erection of a hotel. Ooskerk was proclaimed a National Monument during this time.

1991 – The CVA committee organised an “end of the road” party in Eloff Park at Loftus to celebrate the press announcement that plans for the road have been dropped.

1996 – A residents survey indicated that problems around Loftus Versfeld topped the list of concerns.

7 August 1998 – (Gov Gazette notice no 19109) The site and the old Club House of the Eastern Sports Grounds at Loftus Stadium were granted National historical Monument status.

1999 – The CVA, in coalition with surrounding schools, Pretoria East NG Kerk and other affected parties in the area, opposed the proposed large-scale development of Loftus Park (comprising offices, businesses, a hotel, 4000-bay parking area, sports club, clinic and residential units). The idea of having Clydesdale preserved in the context of a security and heritage village was mooted. An opinion survey of the residents showed that support for the idea was still strong.

November 2000 – a Bobby on the beat bicycle patrol was introduced in Clydesdale.

2002 – A coalition of the CVA, PHSG, Cornerstone Assembly and Pretoria Technical High School successfully opposed the proposed alignment of the Gautrain along Park Street.

2003 – Application by Loftus for the establishment of a township Arcadia Extension was opposed.

2004 – The Clydesdale Village Associaiton marked the suburb’s one hundred years of existence. At the AGM, the CVA committee was given a mandate to investigate the establishment of a City Improvement District in Clydesdale (CID).

18 June 2004 – A delegation from Gauteng Provincial Heritage Resources Authority visited Clydesdale and declared that under the new Heritage legislation the suburb merits proclamation as a site of Heritage significance.

Read more: http://www.clydesdalevillage.co.za/
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On match days, dedicated soccer trains will run from Johannesburg's Park Station and from Germiston Station to Rissik Station in Hatfield and back after the match.

"There will be two trains from each station to allow for expected numbers. They will leave approximately five hours before kick-off. The trip is around one and a half hours," explained Mr Nkwane.

He said soccer fans coming from Johannesburg via train would disembark at Rissik Station in Hatfield. From there it is a 10 minute walk to Loftus along a route manned by security personnel and volunteers.

Some fans, however, would have booked a hospitality package through MATCH which includes being transported via their tour operator to the designated parking area at Loftus Versveld.