Johannesburg – The Middelburg Observer and OH Frewin Printers recently launched the first ever Museum for Printing and Community Press in South Africa.
Located at the offices of OH Frewin Printers in Middelburg, the museum is expected to attract tourism in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality town.
It is divided into sections of vintage press equipment, the darkroom and the press section with old and new articles of news breaking stories published by the Middelburg Observer.
Established in 1903, the Middelburg Observer is one f the oldest newspapers in South Africa. The weekly newspaper is available in Middelburg, Belfast, Hendrina, Witbank and Groblersdal.
The museum will be an addition to the attractions and historical buildings that the town already has including the old Gholfsig Cemetery, the “White Church”, the beautiful old Middelburg Railway Station, the Memorial Church, the first building in Mhluzi (the N.G. Church) the old Mhluzi Cemetery, the first hospital built in 1918 in Mhluzi, as well as Sefoloshe House and Something Out of Nothing.
Tobie van den Bergh, editor of the Middleburg Observer, took Executive Mayor, Cllr Diphala Motsepe on a sight-seeing tour around the museum. An excited Motsepe congratulated both the Middelburg Observer and OH Frewin for “such a stunning initiative”.
“We envisage that the museum will attract hundreds of international and domestic visitors and deliver economic benefits to the local economy. The Museum will also make the history of our area come alive to everybody. It will also give young and old people an opportunity of viewing headlines and articles from times past,” he said.
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