Irene Centurion
Melkplaas
Dairy Farm
Nelmapius Road
Irene
In die hartjie van die stad, onverwags, ń werkende melkplaas sedert 1895..
Hierdie plaas is steeds in die hande van die vyfde geslag Van der Byls
en is ń gewilde bestemming gevul met herinneringe en nostalgie.
Hier
vind ons ook die gedenksteen van die eerste aangetekende noodlottige
militêre vliegongeluk van die SAAF. (Sien aparte plasing).
www.irenefarm.co.za
VISITORS GUIDEOUR NEWSLETTER QUOTE NOW ONLINE SHOP BARN@IRENEESTATE.CO.ZA Tel: 012 667 4822 WHATSAPP US
Irene Farm
Irene history since 1895
Stone arrowheads and tools, discovered in the Hennops river bed and
dating back many years, prove that people have been living in the area
for a very long time. The earliest historical writings of the period
record that the Bakwena tribe, known as the Crocodile people, lived in
the area in the early 1800’s. When Mzilikazi (whose people later became
known as the Matabele) came to the area in 1825, he killed many of the
Crocodile people and drove the rest away. One of the Boer Voortrekkers,
Daniel Elardus Erasmus, who left the Cape Colony in the 1830’s to seek
economic and political independence in the hinterland, settled in the
area on a farm that became known as Doornkloof. Doornkloof became known
as the “kerkplaas” of the district. When Daniel died in 1875 he left the
farm to his three sons. Fourteen years later Alois Hugo Nellmapius – a
businessman who established a transport business between Lorenzo Marques
and Pilgrims Rest, as well as a Gin & Whisky factory, the first gun
powder factory in South Africa and the Irene Lime works – two thirds of
the Doornkloof farm. Nellmapius often entertained in a grand style on
the farm and a frequent guest was Transvaal president, Paul Kruger.
Nellmapius employed experts on his farm, one of whom was Dr Arnold
Theiler who later established the Onderstepoort Research &
Veterinary College. Another was Mr. Fuchs to lay out the farmhouse
gardens. Irene was first proclaimed a township in 1902 by Johannes
Albertus van der Byl – better known as Bertie who bought the Irene
Estate in 1896. The Doornkloof farm had been renamed Irene Estate by
Nellmapius after his daughter Irene. Today it is officially part of the
municipality of Centurion and even though the population has grown
considerably, neighbours still know one another and find time to chat,
all in an extremely relaxed and safe environment. Berti was first in
line of the Irene-born van der Byls who are now in their fifth
generation. The family have been responsible for building up the herd of
dairy cows on the farm, as well as planting many hundreds of trees, at a
time long before environmental consciousness. Irene was the site of one
of the Burgher Refugee or Concentration Camps where the British housed,
the tents the Boer women and children whose homes had been destroyed in
the Anglo Boer War. The Concentration Camp Cemetery is in Bruce Road,
as is the Irene Primary School, which began in 1901 as a school for the
Boer children in the camp. General Jan Christian Smuts bought a third of
the original Doornkloof farm in 1908 and needing a home for his growing
family, bought for £300, the wood and iron building which had served as
the Officers Mess of the British Forces in Middelburg during the Anglo-
Boer War, and transported it to the site at Doornkloof. The Irene golf
course , between Irene Estate Dairy Farm and Smuts House, was originally
laid out and started by Bertie van der Byl in approximately 1902, and
remains one of the few golf courses in Gauteng where playing golf is
still like a walk in the country. A visit to the Irene Estate Dairy
owned and managed by the van der Byls is a must, with its wonderful farm
stall and delicious fresh milk. This is where the locals often carrying
the old fashioned gallon pails, purchase their supplies. The shop is
licensed to sell certified milk – raw or untreated milk, complying with
the same standards as pasteurized milk. Cheeses and other fresh fare are
also on sale in The Deli, but best of all is the rich, fresh cream
resembling clotted cream. The “Barn” tea garden is situated in one of
the original farm barns, built in approximately 1890 and used as a farm
barn for over 100 years. The Barn looks out onto the dairy stable, also
built in 1890. It is still used today to feed the cows of the Irene
Estate milking herd, as it has been every day for over 100 years. From
the dairy farm, one can walk across to the Irene Country Lodge to enjoy
fine cuisine at its Meadow Green Restaurant overlooking a large tranquil
dam rich in bird life. Spending a weekend at the lodge will afford you
the opportunity of visiting the dairy farm, the Smuts House Museum, the
Rietvlei Nature Reserve and playing golf at Irene and Centurion Golf
course. Irene offers the Visitor the same peaceful and relaxed
atmosphere it exudes to its inhabitants – a far cry from the hustle and
bustle of the big city life. Irene Farm Stables – Irene Farm Stables
from 1889 by Wilhelm Johannes de Zwaan The Irene Farm Stables from 1889
by Wilhelm Johannes de Zwaan are a good example of the agricultural
architecture of the time. The stables and farm house were designed for
Alois Hugo Nellmapius (a man of many ventures, including a transport
route, a gin and whisky factory, the first gunpowder factory in South
Africa and the Irene Lime Works) who bought two thirds of the farm
Doornkloof which he then divided into three parts, naming the central
portion “Irene”, after his daughter.
IRENE FARM
Irene Farm offers a memorable family day out. It’s also a wonderful venue for weddings and special occasions as well as conferencing.
Fotos: Gysbertus Johannes Ströh 2019
