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Lady Elizabeth Donkin – Then and Now – Featured Blog

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Today’s posts from our featured Port Elizabeth Blogger:

Lady Elizabeth Donkin – Then and Now by Port Elizabeth Daily Photo:



I wonder how many people who have seen the mosaic art piece on the Donkin Reserve next to the pyramid have noticed that the only known portrait of Lady Elizabeth Donkin has been incorporated into it.

Elizabeth Frances néeMarkham was the young wife of Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin and died of fever shortly after child birth while Donkin was stationed in the East.  Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of the Very Rev Dr George Markham, dean of York, and the grand-daughter of the then late Archbishop of York.  After her death Sir Rufane came to the Cape where he was the acting Governor from 1820 to 1821.  While in Algoa Bay to oversee the landing of the British Settlers in 1820, he named the town in memory of his wife and in August of that year he erected a memorial to her on a hill overlooking Algoa Bay.  This hill is what is known as the Donkin Reserve today and the memorial is the pyramid next to the lighthouse. Sir Rufane committed suicide on 1 May 1841 on what would have been their 26th wedding anniversary.

Read more here: Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Facing my fear of heights on the Pine Lodge high ropes course by Port Elizabeth Daily Photo:

I got to face my fear of heights at Pine Lodge the other day and walked away a better man for it.  Pine Lodge not only introduced a zipline to the public, but also a new high ropes course.  The high ropes course consist of two levels with four challenges per level.. We only had time to do the bottom level which is about five meters off the ground.  To get to it you warm up on a little rickety bridge followed by a cable walk, and then the fun starts. 
 
That’s me in the shorts busy with the “Elvis Walk”.  Believe me, it looks a lot easier than it really is and having a fear of heights didn’t make it any easier.  I nearly turned around after my first try to cross from the first to the second hanging pole, but I persevered.  Your hips and legs truly emulate Elvis while trying to do it and I’m sure I didn’t breath for most of it.  Although I must have cause between the lot of us the age restriction for language was pretty high.
 
That is me again coming down the last cable walk after the tyre climb.  If you have a bit of time on your hands this summer holiday you have to go and do the zipline and high ropes.  It’s worth it.

Read more here: Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.