Park station place of arrivals and celebration

In the lives of many politicians, celebrities and thousands of ordinary people, arrivals at or departures from Park Station were significant events. Once the railway link between Johannesburg and Pretoria via Germiston had been completed in 1893, Paul Kruger, on his rare visits to the City of Gold, arrived by special presidential coach.

After the South African War, Joseph Chamberlain, British Secretary of State for the Colonies, visited South Africa. He arrived at Park Station on 8 January 1903 in a lavishly decorated train.

During November 1911, after the opening of the first parliament of the new Union of South Africa which united the two conquered Boer Republics and the two former British colonies, the Cape and Natal, a royal train carrying the Duke and Duchess of Connaught toured the country. It arrived at a lavishly decorated Park Station on 28 November. The floral arch at the exit of the station attracted much attention. According to a contemporary description, 'the panels were formed with deep green foliage, and the columns of the white ever lasting (flowers) from Table Mountain, chinkorzchee and white native flowers from Transvaal. The framework was a fine mesh and each flower had to be put into its place by the builders. The detail was very intricate and the compactness attained one of the greatest triumphs of the florist's art. The arch was surmounted by a perfect model engine, executed to scale to the most insignificant nut and bolt.'

Only the vivid recollection of Olive Doke, daughter of a great admirer of the world-famous political figure, Mahatma Gandhi, commemorates one of his arrivals at Park Station:

'At Johannesburg Station excited and patriotic crowds, both Indian and European, met him (Gandhi) when he was released from Volksrust prison where he had been serving his time for having broken the law by crossing the Natal border during the Passive Resistance movement. As the train drew in and he stepped out, great garlands of the most beautiful flowers were thrown around his neck until he could hardly move with them, and the station officials, yes, and the police, looked on in amazement. He never liked this publicity, but accepted it gracefully and humbly as he was piloted down the platform to the waiting cars at the entrance. I have seen Park Station, Johannesburg, wonderfully decorated in his honour as time and again he arrived after some big crisis in the Passive Resistance movement.'

:: Back to TOC