Wednesday, February 28, 2024

K C MOONISAMI FAMILY HISTORY – AN INTEGRATION OF INDIAN AND SCOTTISH ANCESTORS

 

K C MOONISAMI FAMILY HISTORY – AN INTEGRATION OF INDIAN AND SCOTTISH ANCESTORS


(Mr K C Moonisami and his wife, Ponnamah, (seated centre) with their children. Standing from (left to right) : Reggie as a school boy; Sam; sister Anjila; George, Ali (George's wife); Indranee; Sunny; and Velloo)

INTRODUCTION: 

On Saturday, February 24, 2024, the last surviving sibling of the pioneer K C Moonisami Family of Gazard Road, Ottawa,  passed away at the age of 73. Dharmalingam "Reggie" Moonisami had survived four other brothers and two sisters. A year or two before his passing, I had interacted with him about the history of the K C Moonisami Family. His funeral took place at the Clare Estate Crematorium in Durban on Monday, February 26. Large numbers of family members, business associates, friends, golfing mates and some old-time residents of Ottawa attended the ceremony to bid Reggie their last respects.

As a tribute to Reggie and his extended family, I am today (Feb 27 2024), publishing the article about the well-known pioneer K C Moonisami Family.

(Dharmalingam "Reggie" Moonisami (6th from left front row) with officials and players of the Ottawa United junior team in the late 1980s) Photo: Krish Naicker



K C MOONISAMI FAMILY HISTORY – ANOTHER PIONEER FAMILY WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND SPORTING LIVES OF THE PEOPLE OF OTTAWA



                                          

 BY SUBRY GOVENDER


One of the pioneer families that played a significant role in the social, community and sporting activities of our village of Ottawa since the very early days was the Moonisami clan of Gazard Road in the Uplands area.

Gazard Road was formerly known as Park Lane.

The Moonisami family became well-known in Ottawa mainly through the football and community activities of the eldest son, K C George Moonisami, and his brothers – Rathanum, known as SunnyThangavelu, known as Sam, Valiatham, known as Veloo,  and Dharmalingam, known as Reggie.

K C George was a top striker in the Ottawa Football Club team for more than two decades when playing in the Verulam Football Association. He was selected to represent Verulam in inter-district tournaments and also played for the Rangers Football Club in Durban. Rangers was later transformed into the Manning Rangers F C that played in the South African Soccer Federation Professional League (SASFPL).

His brothers – Sunny and Reggie – also played for the Ottawa Football Club. In the 1980s and 1990s Reggie teamed up with another local soccer player and activist, Krish Naicker, to promote the sport among the younger generation. The photo above of Reggie and Krish with youngsters from Ottawa United was taken during a club banquet at the La Mercy Beach Hotel in the late 1980s. The photo was supplied by Krish following the sad passing of Reggie on February 24 (2024).

                    

The eldest brother, K C George, in addition to his football prowess as a player and official, also took a keen interest in community issues and became an active member and official of the Ottawa Indian Ratepayers’ Association. His associates at that time included Hoosen Hans, who owned a trading store in Central Ottawa; Bully Maharaj, who used to live with his extended family near the Central shopping centre; Cassim Latiff; and several other local activists.

Sunny Moonisami, who was number two in the family of five brothers and two sisters, was a builder by profession and he assisted Mr Sivasanker Badlu and others in the building of the new Jhugroo primary school.

K C George, Sunny and Reggie inherited the football genes of their father, Mr Kolapury Moonisami, who played in the Sam China Cup in 1925 and his name appeared on the floating shield. K C George kept alive the family name 34 years later when he also played in the Sam China Cup tournament.

I spoke to and interacted with Reggie Moonisami about the family history. He was  the only sibling of five brothers and two sisters who was alive at the time in November 2022. Sadly Reggie passed on, on February 25 2024.


(Mr Charles - Cameron - Wilkinson, the grandfather)

The Moonisami family history in Ottawa began in 1903 when Mr Kolapury Moonisami was born. His father was Mr Wilkinson, who worked in the Ottawa sugar estate where his mother worked on the sugar cane fields. Mr Wilkinson was of Scottish origin.

Mr Kolapury Moonisami, who also worked at the Ottawa Sugar Estate all his adult life, had two other brothers. They were known as Gilberts who settled in Umzinto and Shallcross.

Mr Moonisami married a local lady, Ponnamah, in the 1930s and they settled in their home at Lot 52, Ottawa Township, County of Victoria, Province of Natal. The address was changed to Park Lane and later to 14 Gazzard Road, Ottawa in the 1970s.

One of father's brothers, who was also known as Kolapuri, lived right next door to the Moonisamis in Gazzard Road. One of the well-known family members of that brother was known as Trolley / Kanna. 

Another brother of Moonisami,  who was known as Soobramoney, lived with his family right next door to Mr Sivasankar Badlu and his family in Kissoon Road. One of Soobramoney’s sons, Mack, was well known in the Ottawa circles.

“My mother, Ponnamah, in total had three other sisters and four brothers, who all lived in Ottawa but after marriage, they moved out to Chatsworth and other districts,” Reggie Moonisami told me in several interactions with him.

It was in the Gazzard Road house that all the seven Moonisami children – five brothers and two sisters – were born.

K C George, who was born in 1935 passed away in 2008; Sunny was born in 1937 and passed away in 2009;  Sam was born in 1939 and passed away in  2012; Angila, elder sister, was born in 1941 and passed on in 2017; Valiatham (Velloo), fourth brother born in 1943 and passed on in 2022; Indranee, younger sister born in 1945 and passed on in 2020; and Reggie, born in 1951 and passed away on February 24 2024 at the age of 73.

The initials K C became a full part of every member of the family after their father, Kolapury Moonisami, adopted the first names of his father, Kolapury (K), and that of his own father, Charles/Cameron (C) who was of Scottish descent.

According to K C Reggie Moonisami, the initials were kept confidential over the years due to the fact that one was white and the other Indian.

"All the brothers used the initials "KC". My eldest brother, George, was known as K C George in soccer circles all the time. And up till this day the name K C has been well identified to the Moonisami family. In the Family's oil business, Blendrite (Pty) Ltd, I am well known as K C Moonisami.”

Reggie Moonisami said all the brothers and sisters went to the local Jhugroo school and thereafter to Verulam High and Mt Edecombe High. Sam, and Reggie studied further at tertiary level. Sam qualified as a teacher after attending the Springfield College of Education in Asherville. Sam, who was known as Mr T. Moonisami in the teaching world, taught at several schools in Verulam, Mt Edgecombe and surrounding areas. The schools included Jhugroo, Natest in Mount Edgecombe and Everest Heights in Verulam. He was also a school principal.


(Valiatham or Velloo is seen (5th from left standing) in this school photo taken in the late 1950s. He was one of the members of the Bluebells sports team at the old Jhugroo School, which was situated where Globes has now been built.)

Valiatham, the number four among the brothers, married teacher, Mr Gobindar’s daughter, Thara. Mr Gobindar (seen in this photo first left) and his family lived on the Main Road in the Uplands, a short distance from where the Moonisamis lived in Gazzard Road. He worked at Clover Dairies most of his life and retired as a senior Administrative Officer.

Reggie, the 5th brother, qualified as an Analytical Chemist and worked for 21 years at Shell and BP as a Chemist. In 1997 he moved on to set up his own business in Jacobs, Durban. Reggie over the past five years took to golf to interact with friends and others involved in the oil business. Only a week ago he played with Ranjith Choonilall and two other friends at the Princess Grant Golf Course, near KwaDukuza, on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

(Reggie with friends during a recent golf game at Princes Grant Golf Course on the North Coast)

Reggie's wife, Mrs J Moonisami, who was known as Rumba, was another member of the Moonisami family who made a big contribution in the teaching profession. She taught at several local schools, including William A Campbell, Everest Heights, Jhugroo and finally at Skylark Primary. She retired from the profession after 44 years in 2019. She passed on in November 2020.

 

All the brothers lived with their families, after marrying, in the main house in Park Lane (Gazzard Road) and later in their own houses nearby.

The elder sister, Angila, moved to Chatsworth after her marrage, and the second sister, Indranee, moved to Verulam after her marriage.

According to Reggie, growing up in Ottawa in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was one of “unity and happiness” because all the residents and families respected one another and took part in various cultural and social functions with their neighbours and other residents.

“I can recall that in those days we used to walk everywhere without any fear whatsoever. Even during the night, we had no problems of walking through the main road and the inside roads.”

Another feature of growing up in the village was that the young people supplemented most of their limited food at home with fruits from bushes near their homes. They collected and ate fruits such as guavas, paw-paws, mangoes, avocado pears, litchies, mulberries, madonis and sugar cane.

“Getting up very early in the morning and venturing out to look for mushrooms was another important activity in the lives of the people of our village. Most of the time we did not wear shoes when we went into the bushes looking for mushrooms and fruits.”

His father, Mr Kolapury Moonisami, was a well-respected person in the community, despite looking like a “white man”.

Mr Moonisami never talked about his father’s family, including his cousins who were known as the Gilberts. But there was one incident that indicated that Mr Moonisami kept in touch with his father's family.  

“My father once asked me to drive him to the Montezuma Apartments on the Marine Parade in Durban. The building had a 'whites only' sign and I was so nervous about this. But my father insisted that I accompany him to a certain room. After knocking on the door, an old white woman appeared, not looking surprised at all when she saw my father. On recognising him, she hugged him uncontrollably and kissed him so lovingly as if she knew him, but I didn’t dare ask my father how she was related to him”

Reggie believes that the old lady was his father’s grand-mother.

Reggie’s father passed away in 1984 at the age of 81 while his mother, Ponnamah, passed away in 1985 at the age of 75.

The descendants of the Moonisami family with their Ottawa roots run into five generations and number more than 100 extended family members. The Moonisami family itself is made up of 32 descendants. Most of the descendants are settled outside Ottawa and are engaged in professional and business work.   ends – subrygovender@gmail.com Nov 18 2022 Updated February 27 2024

RAMCHARAN PIONEER FAMILY HISTORY OF 0TTAWA -RIET RIVER

 

RAMCHARAN PIONEER FAMILY HISTORY OF 0TTAWA -RIET RIVER

 

(Indentured labourers - Ramcharan, who arrived from the State of Uttar Pradesh in North India, and his wife, Phoojaria. They are the ancestors of Mahabir and his siblings who were born and grew up in the villlage then known as Mount Vernon.)


 

INDENTURED ANCESTOR - RAMCHARAN - ARRIVED FROM THE VILLAGE OF JUGRAJ IN THE DISTRICT OF FAIZABAD IN UTTAR PRADESH

 

By Subry Govender

 

 

One of the extended families that became an integral part of the Ottawa community since 1910 were the descendants of an indentured labourer who worked as a Sirdar (supervisor) in four sugar estates in Ottawa and neighbouring areas.

They are the descendants of Ramcharan, who arrived in the early 1900s at the age of 23 from the village of Jugraj in the district of Faizabad in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

He arrived at the then Port of Durban in the former Natal Colony on the ship called Ukkuzi XXX1X.

He was recruited by the owners of the Ottawa Sugar Estate where he completed his first five-year indenture. He, thereafter, moved to the Sykes Estate, which was situated in the area of Phoenix, as a Sirdar. He continued to work in this category at the Verulam Sugar Estate and J H Trenance Estate.

During his first few years on the sugar estates, he was introduced to and married Phoojaria, who was South African born.

They settled in the former Mount Vernon area (now known as Riet River) of Ottawa where other pioneer families – Jhugroo, Munn, and Mungal – had also settled while working in the nearby sugar estates.




(Mahabir and his wife, Kusmi, in the early days after their marriage)

Mr Ramcharan and his wife had six children – four sons and two daughters. They were Mahabir, Paken, Budraj, Kalideen, Rita and Mahaday.

Mahabir, the eldest child, was born in Mount Vernon on October 1 1924.

Mr Mahabir, who also in his early life worked at the Sykes Estate as a sugar cane field labourer, is the father of Paramanand Pabs Mahabir and five others -  Parvathy, Sewak,  Basdaw, Soolachanee, and Pamla.

I interacted with Pabs, who is now a Ayurvedic Medicine practitioner, about his family history and their struggles in the early days on the sugar cane fields.

According to Pabs, who qualified as a building inspector, his grand-father settled in Riet River because many other former indentured labourers from North India had also settled in the area.

His grand-father and grand-mother worked very hard in the fields to grow vegetables for food and also to sell vegetables and fruit in Ottawa, Mount Edgecombe and Verulam.

He recalls that his grand-father and grand-mother passed away in Riet Rivier in the 1960s when they may have been in their 80s.


(Mahabir and his wife, Kusmi, in their later years in Mount Vernon)

His father, Mahabir, entered the furniture industry as a carpenter after working at Sykes Estate. As a carpenter his father used to do some work at the new Jhugroo school as a voluntary labourer.

He and all his brothers and sisters had attended the Jhugroo primary schools and completed their primary education.

Some of them completed high school and also studied for their tertiary education through UNISA and other universities.

The descendants of the Ramcharans have now reached the sixth generation and most of them have entered  various professions after completing their tertiary education. Some of the Mahabir and other second, third and fourth generation descendants are now qualified Engineers, Soft Ware IT Specialists, electricians,  lawyers and food technologists. 

One descendant, Rahist Dusrath, grandson of his sister, Parvathy, qualified as a medical doctor two years ago.


(Paramanand with his wife, Roshni, dad Mahabir, and sister, Pamla, at his graduation as the "first" qualified building inspector of Indian-origin in the 1970s)

Pabs Mahabir (69), who lived in Mt Vernon for more than 30 years and who is now settled in Verulam, is one of the "first" persons of Indian-origin to qualify as a Building Inspector. He worked for the Ethekwini Municipality for 35 years. He studied for the Building Inspector’s Diploma through Technicon RSA through correspondence. 




                                  (Mahabir Ramchran and wife, Kusmi, at a family gatering)

Most of his siblings and cousins stayed in the Mount Vernon area even after marrying and entering the adult stages in their lives.

Some members of the extended Ramcharan family, Ravi and Kamil Mahabir, have emigrated to New Zealand over the past few years.

(Pabs Mahabir's immediate family - L to R: Kamil, wife Roshni, son Ravi and eldest son, Bivash.)

Growing up in Riet Rivier (Mt Vernon) was not only tough for his grand-father and his children but also for the second-generation descendants.

“After attending school at the Jhugroo Primary School, we had to work in the fields growing vegetables and weeding. We used to walk to Ottawa village and Mount Edgecombe with my grand-mother, Phooljaria, to sell ripe mangoes and vegetables.

“My grandparents had their own cows for milk and donkeys for ploughing the farm.  

“We had no running water and had to fetch water from the local ponds and the river nearby. Times were tough in those days.

“We also had no lights and had to study with  paraffin lamps and home-made lamps.

“We gathered wood from the nearby bushes for cooking our food on homemade fire places (chola) and bowla.”

There was also no public transport at that time and they had to walk to and from school and also to Verulam and Mount Edgecombe. It was easier walking to Verulam and Mt Edgecombe rather than taking the trains.

(Mahabir Ramcharan and wife, Kusmi)

“All the families, like those in Ottawa, lived very closely with one another like ‘one big family’.

“Our relationship with our neighbours was something we appreciated. We shared our food and helped in times of need.”

Some members of the extended family have researched their roots in India and have made several visits to the village from where their ancestor, Mr Ramcharan, had come from.

“My cousin, Hiralall, made contacts with the families in India. Hiralall, who is also known as Sham, and his wife, Shakila, visited the India families first.

“Thereafter, Hiralall took my uncle, Kalideen, my sister Pamla, my cousin Rajendra, another cousin Parvathy and her husband, Royith Bachan, to the village in North India.”

Pabs Mahabir also tried to visit the village when he and his wife visited India in 2005.

“We were on holiday and travelled as far as Ajodya. We contacted the families in the village by phone but unfortunately lost communication with them. After a few days we gave up our attempts to travel to the village when we failed to locate the family members.”  Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com Feb 10 2024

 

THE LATIFF FAMILY HISTORY OF OTTAWA

 

THE LATIFF FAMILY HISTORY OF OTTAWA

 


(Mrs Hawa Bibi Latiff, wife of Mr Abdul Latiff, with her sons from left: Cassim, Amod (Bhabi), Ismail, Yunus (Mahomed) and Goolam)


A FAMILY THAT NOT ONLY BECAME AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE COMMUNITY BUT ALSO PROVIDED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO RESIDENTS OF THE VILLAGE AND THE OTTAWA SUGAR ESTATE


By Subry Govender


(Mr Abdul Latiff during a visit to Amsterdam with his wife, Hawa Bibi, in the 1970s/1980s)

For more than 70 years since the early 1900s at least one shop-keeper family became an integral part of the lives of residents of Ottawa and the neighbouring sugar estates because of their willingness to provide goods to needy families on credit.

That family was none other than Mr Abdul Latiff and his wife, Hawa Bibi, and eight children who were owners of the Ottawa Trading Store situated in the area known as Central.  

Mr Latiff, known to be a disciplinarian to both his children and residents, showed his humanitarian side when he used to allow many residents to purchase goods at his shop on credit.

                                      (Mrs Hawa Bibi Latiff)

I personally, in my young days, used to witness this humanity in Mr Latiff whenever I visited the shop and interacted with his sons – Goolam, Cassim,  Mahomed and Barbie. I can clearly recall one instance in the early 1960s when he intervened to help a young girl from the Ottawa Sugar Estate who did not have sufficient funds to pay for the goods she had selected.

“Don’t worry we will write it down,” Mr Latiff told the young girl.

“You can pay the balance when you visit the shop again.”

Mr Latiff and his family members continued with this kind of generosity for more than 50 years that they had run the Ottawa Trading Store.

Mr Latiff, who was born in Clairwood, south of Durban, worked at the Bosco Bakery in his teenage years.

He moved to Ottawa sometime in the 1930s after he married Hawa Bibi who was from Richmond in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.

Here in Ottawa Mr Latiff and his wife stayed in a house behind the shop. Their immediate neighbour was one of his two elder sisters, who was the mother of Hoosen Hans and Ismail Hans, who also ran a shop next door to the Latiffs.

The Latiffs were also closely related to the Dhooma family who used to live in a house on the Main Road. A mosque has now been built on this property.

Mr Latiff’s parents came from a village situated in the area of Surat in North India.

In order to obtain more information about the Latiff family, I spoke to and interacted with Amod, also known as Barbie, who is the seventh child of Mr Latiff and Hawa Bibi.

The siblings in order of their births are:  Goolam, Cassim, Rabiya, Katija, Sara, Mohammed, Amod (Barbie) and Smiley.

Mr Latiff, with the help of his sons, grew the business over the years and established new stores in Verulam and Springvale, near Avoca.

Some of the businesses the Latiff family is well-known for are Bon Bon Café in Verulam and the "sweet meats and Chillie bites" establishments.

When the Latiff family established their businesses in Verulam and Springvale, they re-located their home from the Central area to Uplands. They stayed in a house near the Michaels and the Ruthans.

(Cassim Latiff behind the counter at one of the family shops.)

Despite their heavy work-loads, Goolam, Cassim, Mahomed, Barbie and Smiley also took an active part in soccer, cricket and other sporting activities in Ottawa and Verulam.

With their father, they also assisted in the building of the new Jhugroo Primary School in the Tin Town area of Ottawa.

Cassim Latiff, who studied at the University for students of Indian-origin at the Island in the Durban Harbour, also showed an interest in the struggles against apartheid in the 1960s. He taught at schools in Verulam and at one time headed the school at the Verulam Madressa. Cassim was also a teacher at the Crescent in Durban and served the Verulam Madressa school as teacher and principal for 19 years.

Cassim Latiff, who became a close friend of this correspondent in the 1960s, provided me an opportunity to work over weekends at their shop in Springvale. He used to provide me with a lift to Springvale in his car from Ottawa.

The gesture by Cassim Latiff demonstrated the humanity that his father used to treat people at his shop in Ottawa.

(Amod Latiff with his sister, Sara, on the left, and on the right Mrs Goolam and Mrs Ismail - Smiley)


According to Barbie, six of the siblings have now passed on. Only Sara, who now lives in Durban, and Barbie, who lives in Kissoon Road, are going strong. The widow of Goolam is also living in Ottawa.

One grandson of Barbie has settled in Riverview Road in Ottawa. 

The Latiff family have now reached five generations with 20 grand-children, 56 great-grand-children and 14 great-great-grand-children. There are now a total of 118 members, including spouses married into the family and more on the way.

One of their best memories was the Latiff, Hans and Dhooma families providing milk and fruits to people of all cultural groups who used to attend and witness the Mohrun festival that used to be held in an open area near the Central shop.

Another memory that Barbie recalled was when he used to deliver groceries on a cart to people in the Ottawa sugar estate.

On his return he used to fetch water in tanks from the river.

“Ottawa will forever be the home of the Latiff, Goolam Hoosen and Dhooma families,” said Barbie.


(One of the sisters, Rabiya)

“We hold dearly and closely all of our profound memories, good times and happy moments in our community. We also cherish the times when we used to walk in the nearby sugar cane bushes in search of mushrooms and sugar cane to eat. We carry these memories all the time and we are certain that these memories are also embedded with our departed loved ones.” Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com Dec 22 2022 Feb 5 2024