Extracts from Port Alfred River Club

Among the thick bush and sandhills on the East Bank of the Kowie River at Port Frances (now Port Alfred) only six years after the landing of the 1820 Settlers, the Rev. William Shaw built this historic little church. Services are still held here today. It has been declared a National Historical Monument and is said to be the only church that has been continuously used since erection by these stalwart settlers. The original roof was constructed of thick thatch, the walls were built of rough stones and the floor was made of dried mud.

This small house of prayer, being the only church for a great many miles, was at first used by all denominations and the settlers came long distances to worship there. They called it the "Bush Church". During the turbulent times of the Kaffir wars some of the settlers used it as a place of refuge, but it was devastated by fire. Soon it was rebuilt only to be burnt down again. Later the building was roofed with iron, the walls strengthened and for a while portion of it was used as a dwelling.

Between the picturesque old church and the neatly-kept settler's cemetery alongside, stands the ancient church bell, which came from a long forgotten shipwreck.

Now when we safely stand in this hallowed spot, with bowed heads, we silently pay tribute to the courageous settler builders of this first small isolated church, who, even during the perilous days of the Kaffir wars, managed to gather there for worship.

"PORT ALFRED"
Christened by 8-year-old girl.
Here is her own story...
Extract from Reminiscences of Richmond Villa
(formerly known as "Cock's Castle")
by Miss Letitia Harriet Elizabeth Cock,
eldest Granddaughter of the Hon. William Cock, M.L.A.

"The Duke of Edinburgh landed at Port Elizabeth on the 6th August, 1860. He was a Cadet and it was his birthday, and he was to come to Port Frances to change the name to Port Alfred. He came as far as Grahamstown and wanted to shoot an elephant but Capt. Talton and Sir George Grey, the Governor, said he couldn't do both things - he couldn't go to Port Frances and christen it and also shoot an elephant and reach his ship in time - the "Euripides" (or "Eurius") - so Capt. Talton, Sir George Grey and staff and all the notable people belonging to the Government came to Port Frances as the guests of my grandfather. My grandmother was lying dangerously ill at the time and so she was unable to do the christening. I was the only other female by the name of Cock and so I had to christen Port Alfred. I remember two piles being driven into the river before the work commenced. Someone broke a bottle of champagne and I had to say "Port Alfred". All the staff stayed at the Castle they had dinner there and slept there that night and next morning at breakfast they sent for me to say good-bye".

"I was born at Hope Farm near Port Alfred on 5th May 1852, and as a young girl spent many years with my grandparents at the Castle. The builder of Richmond Villa was William Cock, who was born in Penzance, Cornwall, and married Elizabeth Mary Toy; they were married for sixty-four years. The Castle was built in 1840 and the foundations are 10 feet. The woodwork, which was all made of oak, was brought from Cape Town to Port Frances in one of William Cock's own little ships.

Before they came to South Africa my grandfather and his family were on the verge of leaving for Canada when he was approached by the British Government through Lord Grenfell who was a friend of my grandmother and a member of the British Cabinet. He asked my grandfather to relinquish the idea of going to Canada and, instead to take charge of a company of immigrants (1820 Settlers) which the British Government was sending out to South Africa. This my grandfather consented to do. They came out in the Weymouth and, during the voyage were fired on by a pirate ship and the Captain of the Weymouth wished to retaliate but my grandfather persuaded him not to do so as there were women and children on board, so instead they showed a clean pair of heels and sailed on. The sequel to this story is that many years after the same pirate vessel was sold in Table Bay and my grandfather bought it to add to his little fleet of twelve ships. The cannon which the pirates used was, when I last saw it, near the flagstaff in front of the Castle.

After my grandfather had been in South Africa for some time he went back to England and settled at Richmond, near London, but he was one of those men who must be doing something, so it wasn't very difficult for his partners to persuade him to come out again in 1836 with the idea of making the Kowie into a watering place after the style of Brighton. The partners started, but when they saw it was going to be a failure, backed out and left my grandfather to hold the baby alone. Some people have funny ideas about the drawings and plans of that river. I told my grandfather one day "People say you altered the course of the river" and he said "My dear child, I am not an engineer; I am only a commercial man and I just supplied the money". The plans were drawn by Sir John Coode and the works were supervised by a resident civil engineer. Some time after my grandfather's death Sir John Coode came to South Africa and visited Port Alfred. While he was there I remember distinctly that he said "If they had carried out my instructions all this failure would never have happened". My grandfather spent £75,000 on the works at Port Alfred.

PORT ALFRED - THE KOWIE.
(With acknowledgement to the Port Alfred Municipality - 1955)

Within a year of the landing of the 1820 Settlers there was an official pilot at the "Kovie" River mouth and a couple of years later a Customs office was established. In 1825 on the occasion of the visit of Lord Charles Somerset the name was changed to Port Frances at the request of the inhabitants as a "tribute of respect to the Lady of Colonel Somerset", son of the Governor. The name was changed again in 1860 to Port Alfred to honour the visit of Queen Victoria's second son.

William Cock, an 1820 Settler, first came to the "Kovie" in 1836 and seeing the potentialities of the place, built the original "Cock's Castle" and spent his life and money in furthering the development of this delightful spot.

He it was who canalised the flow of the river from the Biscay Bend. The mouth was opened in February 1841, and continued to serve, with ups and downs due to storm and stress, until in 1854 a charter was granted for "The Kowie Harbour Improvement Company".

Progress rapidly followed and in 1883 as many as seventy-three vessels entered the harbour, but when the Shipping Companies increased the freight from London by over £2 a ton, as compared with Algoa Bay, the decline of Port Alfred as a port set in, which reached its climax of complete shutdown in the early years of the 20th century.

The potentialities and possibilities visualised in 1900 by Mr. C.W. Methven, M.I.C.E., still exist and Port Alfred will, no doubt, one day come into its own.

There is good reason to suppose that the Kowie River was the "Rio de Infante" where Bartholomew Diaz terminated his voyage of discovery about A.D. 1488. At any rate The Fountain Rocks - a well-known sight about three-quarters of a mile out to sea - received its name from the Portuguese sailors because of the fountains of spray thrown up at spring tides; and the little cove about a quarter of a mile up river from the sea, where a fresh water spring gushed out of the rocks, was named by them "The Cove of Santa Maria".

William Cock's Mill, on the banks of the river by the cove, still stands though shorn of its upper storey and now converted into flats, but "The old Mill" at the junction of the Mansfield tributary, about 12 miles up river, is now but a meagre remnant of a ruin.

The wharfage front in the river, close to the Town Hall, is a relic of the Schooner days when those boats discharged their cargo into the customs sheds, one of which was later converted into the Town Hall and Municipal Offices.

The old Customs House, built in 1824, has now disappeared under the sands of the East Beach, but many will still tell you that that site marked a still older Portuguese Fort where slaves were kept chained together in "slave pits". When the Customs House was built the river mouth - the natural river mouth - was alongside, but William Cock's work, plus nature's work, have since covered it completely.

On December 5th 1826 a plot of ground was granted to the Wesleyan Church on which they built what is known as "The Settlers Church". Twice destroyed by fire the Church survived in its reconstructed form and is a National Monument of great interest, with a well-kept, beautiful churchyard alongside.

Port Alfred is situated on both sides of the Kowie River and is more or less equidistant between the major ports of East London and Port Elizabeth. Some forty odd miles by rail from Grahamstown it links with the main North and South rail route at Alicedale. A trunk road runs through to Grahamstown and a coastal road has finally been approved, and in fact already commenced, which will eventually link Port Elizabeth with East London via Port Alfred with a bridge over the Great Fish River only a quarter of a mile from the mouth.

Port Alfred's distinctive features are fairly numerous and make it one of the pleasantest, most restful, seaside holiday resorts of the Southern-continent.

The Royal Port Alfred Golf Course - granted its regal status by the Duke of Windsor when he spent a brief holiday at the Kowie during his tour of the Union as Prince of Wales - is one of the most picturesque and natural courses in the Republic, presenting as wide a variety of golf in its 18 holes as one can wish for.

The Kowie River - often compared with the Devonshire Dart - is a beautiful scenic water course, being tidal for over twenty miles, and possessing in its upper reaches the famous "Horse-Shoe Bend", a magnificent view of which can be had from a by-road out of the town of Bathurst. Up the river can be seen in their seasons masses of Tecoma, Plumbago and the gorgeous Crane Flower, while succulent hunters will be delighted with the giant Gasterias and the various Haworthias found in the more rocky sections. Ancient Cycads spread their palmlike foliage amidst the indigenous bush along the banks, amongst which the Sneezewood and the Calodendron are to be found.

The fishing in the river can be, and often is, phenomenally good, as well as uncertain and poor like all estuaries. Varieties caught are extensive and Kabeljou up to 135 lbs. have been taken, while it is on record that a Brindled Bass of 600 lbs. estimated weight was shot with a rifle in King's Reach.

Surf, rock and pier fishing are good according to season and there are many well-known places up and down the coast which are easily accessible by car.

Conchologically speaking, Port Alfred beaches and those within a radius of ten miles have been made famous by Colonel Turton, who identified over 1,800 different varieties; while the ordinary visitor can find a variety of shells from the brilliant Venus Ear to the gem-like Phasianella, and from the queenly Nautilus down to the miniature sculptured Turbonilla.

Scenically, Port Alfred can point to several interesting drives through the surrounding district i.e. the Round Hill at Trappes Valley (where the Bantu gather to pray for rain in times of drought), the Three Sisters just beyond Riet River, the Ship Rock near Kasouga, and the Beautiful Kariega Bend are places to be visited, while the village of Bathurst, with its historical associations, should not be missed.

Port Alfred has developed since the beginning of the war and the rateable value must now be knocking at the door of a million pounds, but it has no industries other than that of being a really nice care-free holiday resort, so development will continue, slowly it is true, but surely, and will undoubtedly accelerate once the Coastal Road is completed and when the Air Station is opened.

Its School, the Queen Alexandra Secondary School, has a good reputation and should very soon be graded up to high school status.

Among many other amenities the Public Library, Cinema, Bowling Club, Tennis Clubs and Rowing Club must be mentioned, as well as the Bathing Lagoon and the Little Beach, a tidal lagoon directly connected to the river just above the Aquarium, and which is a wonderful place for children and toddlers, for they can bathe, paddle, splash and dig in the sands in absolute safety, even on a very windy day.

There are three Municipal Camping Grounds, one on the West Bank within a hundred yards of the most popular beach, another on the East Flats, fairly near the East Beach and alongside the Bathing Lagoon, and the Willows, centrally situated between the river and the Little Beach, about a mile from the river mouth.

The weather is never too hot and never too cold, frost being very rare. The rainfall, about 24" a year, is least in the winter months with March and October showing the highest average.

One day in the 1890's, while his mother was hoeing in the lands, a native boy disappeared without trace. There were numerous troops of baboon in the vicinity and it is generally believed that the little black boy was stolen by one of them.

Several years later some men watching baboon in the krantzes saw to their amazement that one, although running on all fours, looked exactly like a naked native boy. The men gave chase and eventually managed to capture him. He was very vicious and whilst screeching baboon-like cries, bit and struggled like a frenzied wild animal.

The men bound him but were perplexed as to what to do with this ferocious human boy. They decided to take him to the Police Station and from there he was taken to the mental hospital.

The Baboon Boy, aged about 12 years, was too uncivilized and animal-like for the hospital authorities to handle, so a farmer living in the Bathurst district, a Mr. George Smith, offered to take charge of him.

Mr. Smith, who called the Baboon Boy "Lucas", found he had taken on a very difficult task. At first he had no way of conversing with Lucas, who acted more like an untamed animal than a human being, barking and making gutteral and chattering noises like his former foster parents.

Lucas became very attached to Mr. Smith and followed him around like a dog, but he still acted like a baboon, snatching a bone from the dog and gnawing it himself, robbing mealie lands and eating birds. He also collected berries, locusts and insects, including scorpions and would sit on his haunches, ape-fashion.

After a time, this once-wild boy learned some English words and was able to do simple work on the farm. In his primitive way he told about his life with the baboons and how a big scar on his head was caused by a kick from an ostrich when robbing a nest.

This famous Baboon Boy, whom the newspapers called "Tarzan of South Africa", never knew that his story was flashed around the world as headline news. He died in the Settlers Hospital, Grahamstown in 1948.

In the 1870's Mr. Charles Purdon, a farmer from the Bathurst district, near Port Alfred, travelled to Grahamstown by ox wagon and, whilst there, had his hair cut. When in the barber's chair he saw a row of pineapple tops set on the brims of jars of water. These roused his curiosity and he was told by Mr. Green, the barber, that they were from pineapples sent as a gift from Natal. Mr. Purdon was so interested that Mr. Green gave him a few to try on his farm. They grew very well and were soon bearing luscious golden fruit, some of which, it is said, sold in Grahamstown for five shillings each.

Other farmers heard of Mr. Purdon's success and were impressed by the fact that the plants had withstood the drought and needed no irrigation. This encouraged many to plant on a large scale with the result that in a few years the supply exceeded the demand and the price slumped to 1d. per dozen. Today, however, with the vast export trade and the South African jam and canned fruit factories, the position is secure and although millions more pines are grown, the demand exceeds the supply.

During the 1870's pines were brought to Port Alfred by sailing vessel from Natal and were planted by Mr. Joseph Wood on his farm "Mansfield" a few miles from Kowie.

Thus began our flourishing pineapple industry. Pineapple lands can be seen from the town and during February this year approximately 1,000 tons of pines were railed from Port Alfred alone.

On a summer's day long ago two policemen were escorting a convict to gaol. Their captive was chained at the ankles to two cannon balls and manacled at the wrists, so it was thought quite safe to leave him in their cart while they quenched their thirst at the local inn.

The day was very hot and the men spent a long time in the tavern. Meantime the prisoner, with great effort, managed to struggle from ht e cart and, picking up the cannon balls, tried to escape but his progress was greatly retarded by these burdens so he was unable to get far before the alarm was given.

When called upon to halt, he did not heed. Perhaps due to the clanking of his chains, he did not hear. He was fired upon, dropping dead just before reaching the crest of Wesley Hill, where, it is said, on clear moonlit nights his bent ghostly form may be clearly seen and the eerie clanking of his chains heard as he forever desperately attempts to escape.

EXTRACT FROM THE CHRONICLES OF A CONTRACTOR
by GEORGE PAULING.
CHAPTER IX PAGES 36-38.

Railway access from Grahamstown to the sea was then through Port Elizabeth, a distance of about a hundred miles. The natural outlet was, however, Port Alfred, at the mouth of the Kowie River, only about 40 miles away. The Government had in previous years spent something like £200,000 in making the river accessible to ships of small draught and big vessels were unloaded in the roadstead into lighters which were brought into the river by steam tugs. One of the Members of Parliament for Grahamstown was Mr. Cron-Wright, with whom I was on terms of intimate friendship, and I suggested to him that, if the Government could be induced to grant a subsidy of approximately £2,000 per mile for building the railway from Kowie River to Grahamstown, I might be able to raise the rest of the money in England. I had in mind to get Mr. Ralph Firbank to join me in the venture, and had previously written to him on the subject. Mr. Cron-Wright and other members of Parliament for Grahamstown and Albany thought well of the proposal and during that session the Cape Parliament passed a Bill giving a subsidy of £1,500 a mile for its construction. Leaving the management of the hotel and my other affairs in the hands of my wife, I lost no time sailing for England. As she was not able to look after all my local interests, I obtained six months leave for my brother Harry, who was then an engineer in the Western Province, and he went to Grahamstown to help Mrs. Pauling.

I took with me to England full particulars of the trade of Grahamstown and of Port Alfred and the district through which the railway would pass. I had figured to show that in the preceding years the trade of the Port had increased by several hundred per cent. I also took with me a photograph showing the thirteen sailing vessels lying in the river at the wharves which had been constructed by the Government. These sailing vessels were, of course, of comparatively small tonnage, most of them being boats which had brought sugar from Mauritius, and were being loaded with maize and other produce from the Grahamstown district. I had the photo enlarged to about six feet in length and it made a beautiful picture, showing the noble river with much shipping, indicating a centre of commercial progress, and I have no doubt the photo assisted us greatly in our efforts to raise the necessary capital for the railway. I also brought home with me several photos of the magnificent scenery along the Kowie River which nowadays attracts many visitors to that part of the country. I knew that whatever I might be able to arrange at home would have to be completed with the utmost dispatch. Having the utmost confidence in the ability and wisdom of Mr. Ralph Firbank, I at once referred to him. He took to my scheme with enthusiasm and in less than two months we had formed a company with which, on my estimates, he had made a contract in the name of Firbank & Pauling, to build the railway, and I returned almost post-haste to the Cape. There I saw Mr. Cron-Wright and we had no trouble in fixing up an arrangement with the Cape Government.

The survey of the railway presented many difficulties. A very bad piece of country had to be crossed and it took some time before it was decided to cross the worst spot on the route, called Blaauwkrantz, about thirteen miles from Grahamstown, by a high level bridge. This bridge was subsequently built on the cantilever principle, with a central span over 300' above the bottom of the gorge. In point of design it has been described as the most graceful in the Colony. It was designed by Mr. Max Am Ende of Westminster, and to my mind it was at the time the strongest and lightest bridge of its kind in the world and so long as it is properly maintained it will continue to fulfill its purpose. For a time the work progressed satisfactorily, but ere long I experienced much delay and trouble in obtaining money from home. When about two-thirds of the work was finished an arrangement proposed by Mr. Ralph Firbank for finding further capital fell through, and I had great difficulty in raising sufficient to carry on. I had reckoned on the probability of getting the Government to advance money against the subsidy of £1,500 per mile. But the department concerned resolutely refused to part with a fraction till the railway was completed, and I had no alternative but to acquaint my partner, Mr. Ralph Firbank, of my miscalculation in this connection. He wrote me that this fact had upset his arrangements, but that he was making others, which, he had no doubt, would be carried through, and by which sufficient funds would be forthcoming. About a fortnight after this letter was written he died suddenly from heart failure. He left an executor, his brother Christopher, who tried to complete the arrangement which Ralph had initiated. Unfortunately it fell through and I was put to all kinds of devices to manage to carry on. This would have been impossible had I not in the meantime obtained other contracts, of which I propose to write in succeeding chapters. We saw it through to the end but it proved a sore drain on our resources. We had financed it to completion and had taken part payment in paper, which was never of any value to us. The Kowie Railway Company got the Government subsidy, part of which ultimately came back to us. The railway was opened in 1884, and was purchased from the Company by the Union Government in 1913. The first sod was turned by Mr. John X Merriman on October 21, 1881.

1488	Bartholomew Diaz made last anchorage at Great Fish River Mouth. (Chapman's Bay).
1817	Kaffir Drift Post completed. Waai Plaats Post built.
1820	Bathurst established. Drostdy House at Bathurst commenced. Bathurst Post Military Barracks commenced. 25th April: First Settlers outspanned at Reed River Post.
1821	Fountain Rocks named by Joseph Dyason. Port Kowie became a harbour.
1822	Magistracy removed from Bathhurst to Grahamstown.
1824	Customs House built on East Beach.
1825	Harbour renamed Port Frances. Clumber Church first opened.
1827	Settlers Church completed.
1831	Trappes Valley Mill opened by Stephen Gradwell. Bathurst Methodist Church foundation stone laid - National Monument.
1832	St. John's Church, Bathurst, foundation stone laid - National Monument.
1835/46	Barville Park built between wars by Stephen Dell.
1839	Canalising of the Kowie River took place.
	Cuylerville Church foundation stone laid.
1841	River Mouth opened.
1844	Southwell School foundation stone laid.
	Richmond House (Cock's Castle) completed.
1846	Fort Dacres built by men of H.M.S. President.
	Cawood's Post Inn built before 1846.
1847	Port Jessie established at Kleinemond by Cawood Bros.
1850	Steam Mill for corn built. (Old Mill near Langdon Hotel).
1859	Bathurst Beacon erected by Capt. W. Bailey, R.E.
1860	6th Aug: Port Frances renamed to Port Alfred.
1863	Shaw Park Methodist Church foundation stone laid.
1865	Wesley Church foundation stone laid by Mrs. William Cock on 1st July.
1867	Clumber Church built. (First one built in 1825).
1870	St. James' Church, Southwell, built.
	First pines from Natal planted at Mansfield by Mr. Joseph Wood, also by Mr. Charles Purdon in Bathurst Dist.
1874	Lodge of Good Templars established.
1876	First Steamer arrived in Port Alfred. The Basuto - Union Line Coaster.
1877	Pont was erected on site of old bridge.
1881	Sept: Municipality established. Standard Bank opened but closed 3 years later. First and only newpaper "The P.A. Budget" printed. Glendower Navigation Beacon erected. Private railway line commenced.
1882	Baptist Church opened.
1884	Railway line completed.
1887	Market established.
1889	Asylum established. 20th. Dec. 1 p.m.: Great Flood - 5' water on the flats
1890	May: Public Library opened.
1894	Port Alfred was granted Municipal Status.
	Pines re-introduced from Natal. Lagoon Building - 4 rooms built.
1897	Town Hall purchased for £1000. William Rose assumed post of Town Clerk at a salary of £2,10.0. p.m.
	Last vessel - small schooner - entered harbour.
1898	Market Building opened.
	Fish Point Light House Built.
1906	First School Board established. Foundation stone of Henry Putt Bridge laid.
1907	Henry Putt Bridge completed.
1911 or	1913 Telephone introduced.
1912	First Motor Car made its appearance.
	Railway purchased by Government at 1/8 of its cost.
	Blaauwkrantz Bridge Railway disaster.
1913	June - National Bank opened.
1915	Langholm Pinery Estates opened.
1916	Xmas. Golf Club opened.
1931	First electric lights.

Port Alfred, in addition to its turbulent nautical past has very much of an aeronautical present. A couple of kilometers out of town on the Grahamstown road is one of the finest natural aerodromes in the country which is used regularly by general aviation aircraft, including one executive Lear Jet. There are several well maintained grass runways, one of them just over 6,000 feet in length with approach zones free of obstructions, plus a large concrete parking area and two privately owned hangars.

In 1929 the site of the present aerodrome, at that time of course merely a flat area of Municipal commonage, was used by the legendary Major Miller to carry out the take off and landing tests for certification of the seven seater Fokker Universal, imported by Union Airways, the forerunner of S.A. Airways. Miller realised that the Fairview Aerodrome at Port Elizabeth (Union Airways Headquarters) was not suitable for testing the new aeroplane and hearing of the exceptionally good site at Port Alfred, moved all the necessary equipment to the village.

Bob Finn, the present roads foreman in the Kowie, remembers as a young man removing a few isolated ant heaps and thornbushes and also filling sand bags for test loading the aeroplanes. Two local gentlemen, Leo Strauch and Gerald Stocks, provided refuelling facilities and operated smoke generators that acted as wind indicators.

The airfield lies on the coastal airway about midway between Port Elizabeth and East London and a continuously operating radio navigational beacon is situated on the field adjacent to the old war time air school buildings now used as a SANTA Hospital.

THIS BOOKLET IS SPONSORED BY THE FOLLOWING WHO HOPE
YOU WILL FIND IT OF INTEREST :-

Stocks & Stocks (Pty.) Ltd.	-	Building, Electrical & Civil Engineering
		Contractors, 22nd Floor, Poynton Centre,
		Private Bag X317. Tel. 48-6100, Pretoria.

Port Alfred Pharmacy & Kay's Health & Beauty	-	Main Street, Box 1, Telephones 391 & 232, Port Alfred

H.A. Owsley (Pty.) Ltd.	-	Building Contractors, etc., North Street,
		Box 144, Telephone 138, Port Alfred.

Heny & Haller (Pty.) Ltd.	-	Main Street, Telephones 51 & 171, Port Alfred
		Caltex Boron Petrol & Ford Dealers.

East Cape Park Homes. (Pty.) Ltd.	-	Box 169, Telephone 4734, Grahamstown.
		Franchise holder for Valian Park Homes.

Kowie Estate & General Agencies	-	11 Main Street, Telephone 118, Port Alfred
		- THE Property Specialists.

Produced and Published in 1972 by the Port Alfred Publicity Association
Secretary: Mrs. B M Kruger
P.O. Box 63, Telephone 18, Port Alfred.

With grateful acknowledgement to Mrs. R. Hill and Mr. Martin Kruger
for their valuable assistance.

(Proud) Editor's note...That's my Mom and Dad
Thanks to Neal Bruton for sourcing this document and taking
the time and trouble to get it to us for inclusion herein.
Thanks to my wife Tracey for the computerisation of the booklet.

Neville Handley:	A Cob of 109 lbs. off the landing alongside the bridge.
Gavin Burls:	A Shark of 154 lbs. off the Pier.
Ronnie Samuel:	When aged 12 years hooked and played a Cob weighing 105 lbs. but it was too big for him and his companion to haul into the boat. He tied a rope around it and towed it home.
Brian Mould:	61 lb. Cob caught near the bridges.
Sid Hilpert:	131 lb. Cob. This is the second largest fish known to have been caught on rod and line in the Kowie River.