Ottawa Pioneer Residents

  (Munsamy Raman)                                            (Govindamma)   FROM THE SUGAR CANE FIELDS OF OTTAWA ESTATE TO COMMUNITY, SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND SPORTING INVOLVEMENT IN OTTAWA VILLAGE   By Subry Govender   During the 1960s and 1970s a group of brothers, who lived with their large family at the far end of School Road in Ottawa, became well-known for their involvement in the social, cultural, musical, religious and sporting activities of the village. The brothers – Boya Munien, Mike Subramoney, Gengan, Muthen (Kidd), and Parasraman (Parsu) – lived in a wood and iron house together with their two sisters, parents, and other members of the extended family. The sisters were Muniamma and Dhanbagium. (The Munsamy siblings - from L to R standing - Muthen, Gengan, sister Dhanbagium, Mike Subramoney, and Parasraman) The Munsamy brothers were act...

                                     (Ganas Govender and Mrs Thirupura Sundaree Govender)   "OTTAWA WAS A SPECIAL PLACE BECAUSE OF THE CLOSENESS AND COMRADESHIP THAT EXISTED BETWEEN NEIGHBOURS AND THE PEOPLE IN GENERAL"           (Mrs Thirupurra Sundaree Govender with her children -  from L to R -  Nava, Rajen, Vasie, Papathy, Baby and Poobal.) By Subry Govender Fetching coal from the now disbanded railway line between Ottawa and Mount Edgecombe, collecting wood from nearby gum trees, plucking herbs from the cane fields and eating lots of litchies, are some of the memories recalled by one member of a pioneer family who lived in the Tin Town area of our village. Vasie Govender is the 60-year-old daughter of Ganas Govender and Thirupurra Sundaree Govender, who lived with their large family in a house just off Munn Road in the 1950s...

 ( The Lil Ruthan Gobindar Sirkar family members celebrating their father's 57th birthday at their home in Uplands, Ottawa, in 1967.) M0ST OF THE LILRUTHAN BOYS AND GIRLS EXCELLED IN SPORT KANTHI LIL RUTHAN WAS ONE OF THE TOP ATHLETES IN THE THEN NATAL PROVINCE AT THAT TIME By Subry Govender One of the families that was blessed with some top-ranking athletes in the 1960s and 1970s was the Lil-Ruthans who lived in the Uplands area of Ottawa. Mr Lil-Ruthan Gobindar Sirkar and his wife Basmathi, lived in a large wood and iron house in an area we used to call Uplands. The area comprised the territory between Kissoon Road, Main Road and the Gazard Road.   (Mr Lil Ruthan Gobindar Sirkar and wife, Basmathi, were children of indentured labourers) Mr Lil Ruthan and Basmathi were children of indentured labourers who arrived from a village in the state of Bihar in North India to work on sugar estates in and around Durban. They settled in Effingham after serving their indentureships. It w...

(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. (Dharmalin...