Springbok Radio Preservation Society hands over archives to SABC

The radio station closed down in 1985 and unfortunately, due to many reasons, much of the material was not archived, although producers, presenters and listener's recordings kept a lot of the material.

Public interest grew and the nostalgic value of old time radio increased over the years. Erasmus, the main drive behind the initiative, dedicated his life to collect as much material possible, either from producers and production houses, or from private collectors, both locally and overseas.

The SABC Radio Archive has been working closely with the society over the last few years to assist in making the collection accessible to the public. Since most of the material belonged to the SABC, an agreement was reached with Erasmus to grant him permission to look after the collection and to make the material accessible via a website and a digital stream.

SABC's radio broadcast legacy

The SABC in return handled all queries relating to Springbok Radio and ensured that copyright was not violated. In addition, copies of the collection were handed to the SABC on a regular basis to be catalogued and added to the SABC databases. The mutual understanding was to transfer the complete collection back to the SABC for preservation as part of the SABC's radio broadcast legacy, while the Society would maintain the website and digital stream under the auspices of the SABC.

Recently Erasmus decided to hand the collection in its entirety, including the website and the digital stream to the SABC Radio Archives and agreed to assist with and oversee the process of transferring the digital stream and the website, as well as advising on the preservation of the material and the information pertaining to the material.

Formal thanks

As a gesture to thank Erasmus and the Society for its contribution towards the preservation of one of the most nostalgic radio stations in South Africa, the SABC Media Libraries will host a formal function where tribute can be paid to Springbok Radio and the work Erasmus has done.

The theme of the event will be reminiscent of the era of Springbok Radio and it is hoped some of the previous presenters will grace the event, to thank everyone ever involved in Springbok Radio for their contribution to brighter broadcasting.

Voices from the past

When Springbok Radio opened in 1950 it had only three medium wave transmitters, but by October 1951, it was broadcasted to all the densely populated areas of the then Union of South Africa on 11 transmitters. Eric Egan was the first voice on Springbok Radio with his breakfast show. From the start, it was said to be a resounding success - announcers found themselves catapulted into the limelight and mobbed by fans when they made public appearances.

It created a new vehicle for local artists and writers. Private production houses were churning out episode after episode of soap operas such as From Chrystal with love, No place to hide and Liefdeslied. There was also more than enough comedy to satisfy listeners. Shows such as the Caltex Loudspeaker Show, Next Stop - Makouvlei, Taxi, The Navy Lark, Friends and Neighbours and the Men from the Ministry became cult hits, while shows such as Springbok Radio Top 20 offered music to the ears of the listeners.

Voices from Springbok Radio included Pip Freedman, Paddy O Byrne, Esme Euvrard, Clark McKay, Danie Smuts, Gordon Mulholland, Brian O' Shaughnessy, Dorianne Berry, David Gresham, Mervyn John, Robin Alexander, Dana Niehaus, Douggie Laws, Denis Smith and Bea Read, to name but a few.