By Nangamso Mabindla
1 July 2005

AT 121 years old, the Amathole Museum in King William's Town is the sixth oldest museum in the country. It is also the final resting place of Huberta, the famous wandering hippo.

Established in 1884 by the King William's Town Natural History Society, the museum was once of the small town's most important places. Current museum director Lloyd Wingate says the museum started off as a venue where community issues were discussed, until people started bringing items viewed as historical.

"Someone would bring an item and people would discuss its historicity, and those items would be kept here. That is how the museum started," Wingate says.

Now it has a rich historical collection - and an even more impressive mammal collection.

In 1920 it was known as the Kaffrarian Museum, named after the area from East London to Queenstown, which was known as British-Kaffraria at the time. In 1999 the museum changed its name to the Amathole Museum, named after the mountains outside King William's Town.

It was in 1920 that Captain Gulf Shortridge - the museum's director from 1920 to 1949 - began venturing out on expeditions further afield. He went to South West Africa (Namibia), Nyasaland (Malawi) and elsewhere in southern Africa, to look for examples of mammals of the subcontinent.

"He went on 16 expeditions in all, and wrote a book on the mammals of [Namibia]. That book is still very important today," Wingate says.

Thanks to Shortridge's expeditions, the museum now has 40 000 mammals in its collection, second only to the Pretoria Musuem. Shortridge collected 18 000 specimens, some of which date back beyond 1944.

The museum, which takes up four buildings, is an important resource for researchers and students. "We get students from Rhodes University doing research here," Wingate says. "We also have people from overseas coming here to do research on mammals. It is a very important part of our museum."

However, the mammal collection is used for research only, Wingate says. An impressive display of larger mammals, including giraffes and elephants, is open to the public.

In addition, the museum also has rich documentation of the people and cultures of the region. "We have records from Xhosa, Victorian English and German cultures for anyone who wants to see how people lived back in those days," Wingate adds.

It has a striking toy collection from all three cultures. "We have toys that date back to 1882, as well as modern toys. Here we have the first toy cellular phone, dolls made by Xhosa people in the early 1900s and one of the earliest Barbie dolls."

For those interested in the ever-evolving Xhosa culture, the anthropology collection is a must-see. For others, who want to learn more about the history of the Xhosa people, the history of King William's Town or read research material on mammals, the museum's library is the place to visit.

"We have a specialist library that deals with all three categories. We try to cater for all people here at the Amathole Musuem."

Visitors can also see Huberta, the hippo who wandered from KwaZulu-Natal to the Eastern Cape in a journey that took two-and-half years.

Despite its age, the museum is up-to-date when it comes to the latest technology, and visitors can learn more about the different animals by simply clicking on a computer mouse.

The Amathole Museum is a priceless resource for the region, with its impressive historical collection, mammal research and cutting edge technology.

Wingate is determined to see it grow. "We are always getting additional collections here, increasing our impressive museum."

For more information on the Amathole Musuem, you can call 043 642 4506 or stroll down the Main Road to the corner of Alexander and Albert roads in King William's Town and pop in.

Opening hours are from Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm and 1.45pm to 4.30pm; and Saturday 10am - 12.30pm.