William Benbow Humphreys
The second and very deserving freeman to be given
the Freedom of the City (Kimberley) was Mr WB Humphreys, who received
the honour in 1961.
William Benbow Humphreys was born in Oudtshoorn on
5 April 1889, and came to Kimberley with his family at the age of 6
months. He was educated at Kimberley Boys' High School from which he
matriculated in 1908. Thereafter he studied at Elsenburg College of
Agriculture later incorporated into the University of Stellenbosch. In
1910 he married Maude Elizabeth Searle who had been born in 1890 at
Blanco near George, but like her husband came to Kimberley at a young
age. They were to have six children: Dulcie, Aubrey, Basil, Margery,
Elaine and Winsome. Mr Humphreys initially worked for his father S. B.
Humphreys who was a general dealer and produce merchant. The business
premises were in Giddy Street. In 1917 William had been elected onto the
city council but in 1927 became a member of the Cape Provincial Council.
In that same year he retired from the business to concentrate on his
political career. Two years later he was elected to the Union Parliament
as the representative for Beaconsfield following the retirement of Sir
David Harris from that position. From 1921 to 1930 he sat on the
Kimberley School Board. In 1933 William was returned unopposed to the
Beaconsfield seat as the coalition candidate of the South African Party.
Mr P.E. Scholtz of Modder River who proposed the resolution recommending
Mr Humphreys' candidature did so because the latter was the ideal person
for the position. He was fully bilingual and thus could address the
constituents in their own languages. This was essential as Beaconsfield
was both an urban and a rural constituency.
English-speakers predominating in the former area
and Afrikaans-speakers in the latter. Furthermore he was an independent
businessman, not a novice in parliamentary affairs and had a large
experience in all matters connected with the house, and was one hundred
percent a coalitionist. Mr Humphreys certainly proved worthy of the
confidence shown in him. In that same year he was instrumental in
getting the Government to agree to build the Vaalharts Irrigation
Scheme. The four million pound project was to bring relief to the severe
unemployment caused by the Great Depression, and in the long term
resulted in a great improvement to the economy of the northern Cape. At
a special meeting in the City Hall on 2 November 1933 the Minister of
Lands and Irrigation, Colonel Deneys Reitz, paid tribute to Mr
Humphreys' efforts towards the realisation of the scheme, at that time
the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
In 1938 when Sir Ernest Oppenheimer retired from
Parliament as Kimberley's representative Mr Humphreys took over in that
capacity. On 29 October of that year he and Mrs Humphreys gave a
cocktail party for General Smuts, not only a political ally (as leader
of the United Party) but a personal friend, at their 'lovely Carrington
Road home'. The guests were entertained in the outer court which was
cool and fresh following rain in the afternoon. Mrs Humphreys was as
usual a charming hostess with time to spare for everyone. She was ably
assisted by her daughter Miss Dulcie Humphreys and Miss Onah Long, the
fiancée of her younger son Basil. General Smuts, then the deputy prime
minister, had opened the Gore-Browne Native Training School earlier that
day.
William's interest in art was already much in
evidence at this time and his collection already fairly large. He
travelled overseas frequently and bought paintings, sculpture, old
furniture and object d'art of all kinds. He described picture hunting as
a 'tip-top but hectic' holiday. His home Benbow Lodge at 46 Carrington
Road was filled with these treasures and indeed had its own small
gallery in the grounds built to accommodate more of the ever-increasing
collection.
In 1948 he retired from politics having in all the
19 years he was actively involved in it never lost an election. The year
before Mr Humphreys had in a statement to the Diamond Fields Advertiser
on 1 August, replied to allegations of unfulfilled Government promises
made by G.S. Eden, at a Council meeting on 28 July. He said the old
adage about 'grass growing on Kimberley streets' had become imprinted on
the minds of its citizens and helped create a fear complex more than an
inferiority one. This attitude of mind bad as it was had in past years
done some good in Government quarters but harm in other ways.
Furthermore the view held by some, since the 1920s when the local mines
office was moved from the Diamond City to Bloemfontein, that the latter
city was the Government's 'blue-eyed boy and Kimberley its stepchild'
was not correct. It was 'high time Kimberley threw off its morbidity'.
One just had to look round the city and district to see signs of
progress and development.
Mention was made of the proposed new railway
station, railway workshops and court buildings. All· these, said Mr
Humphreys, would materialise in the fullness of time but just at present
houses for ex-soldiers and private individuals were top of the priority
list.
Following his retirement from the hurly burly of
Parliament William did not just continue collecting art but also had
more time to devote to farming something else which he enjoyed. He had a
large farm near Douglas where purebred Persian sheep were raised.
However it was his love of beautiful things that took up most of his
time. His collection was quite catholic but his favourite paintings were
of the Dutch and Flemish schools of the 17th century. In 1948 he donated
a portion of his vast collection to the people of Kimberley and the
northern Cape 'in consideration of his long association with the public
life of the northern Cape and his desire to further the interests of the
said region'. It was to be known as the Humphreys' Bequest and comprised
a selection of European and British paintings, furniture and
contemporary copies of classical sculptures.
Initially the works were housed at the Northern
Cape Technical College but the terms of the donation stated that a
suitable building should be constructed for an art gallery. In this
regard William gave a large sum of money towards the building costs and
on 5 June 1952 he laid the foundation. stone of the gallery which bears
his name. It was a simple ceremony and Mr Humphreys in his speech said
that there were too few galleries in the country, but then it was a
young country. He hoped in particular that the younger generations would
take an interest in the Gallery. Furthermore even if the 'artistic bug'
only affected one percent of visitors to it the institution would be
serving its purpose. In introducing Mr Humphreys, the Mayor Mr JP Smit
said 'we in Kimberley are proud of you. It is a pity that there are not
more men of your caliber'. Six months later in December the Art Gallery
was officially opened by Mr Harry Oppenheimer. In the early days of its
existence Mr Humphreys acted as curator, secretary, caretaker and
virtually everything else. Unfortunately he was not, it would seem, a
good administrator and most of the early documents pertaining to the
Gallery and collections were lost.
That however should not take anything away from
the fact that it is largely due to Mr Humphreys that Kimberley has an
art gallery today, and that the collection he amassed during his
lifetime forms an integral part of its collections. This contribution
was recognised and acknowledged on 5 April 1960 at a special function
held in the Art Gallery. The mayor Mr l Jawno said 'there is no better
name for this wonderful showplace'. He referred to the good work William
had done in his 'quiet, modest way' and said he had been given his start
in business by Mr Humphreys. The latter gentleman said at the same
function, which by a happy co-incidence took place on his 71st birthday,
that he was no artist but had 'always had a hunch for collecting
paintings and antiques'. He expressed the view that a gallery could not
thrive if it had to rely only on gifts and donations. It would become
'static'. He hoped that one day the Gallery would have ample funds, and
would be able to purchase the works of some of the great masters.
The following year Mr Humphreys received the
ultimate accolade for all he had done for Kimberley and the northern
Cape, in so many spheres ranging from politics to the arts, when the
Freedom of the City was conferred upon him. The ceremony took place in
the Council Chamber on 14 September. At the function Mr GS Eden said of
William that 'without him the aspirations of this vast area of the
northern Cape would never have seen the light of day in Parliament'. The
outgoing mayor Mr Jawno said that Mr Humphreys had always worked
unstintingly for the good of Kimberley without asking for anything in
return.
William died on 25 July 1965. He was survived by
his wife and children. The funeral, a civic one, was held on 28 July at
the Newton Dutch Reformed Church. The Humphreys family had a close
connection to it and William's mother had given the handsome four-face
clock and set of bells in the tower. The bells, which came from Hamburg,
had been bought by Mr Humphreys at his mother's request. He himself had
given a beautiful set of collection plates to the church. The service
was conducted by the Rev. W Fullard who also presided at the graveside
in the West End cemetery. There the leader of the Indian community Mr GW
Naidoo spoke, saying of Mr Humphreys 'he was one who was quick to
appreciate other people's hardships (and worked for the interests of the
Coloured and Indian people of the city). He loved the poor and served
his people with an understanding heart'. On the day of the funeral the
Art Gallery was closed as a mark of respect to its founder and
benefactor.
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Article courtesy from Now & Then, June 2009.