1933: Aerial Photograph - Thesen & Co. Ltd., Knysna - Saw Mills & Furniture Factory  

Dated 1933, this is the oldest aerial photograph that I have seen. Taken 11 years after sawmilling activities were concentrated on Thesen Island in 1922.

What is certain is that the Saw Tooth building, now housing shops and offices, is likely the oldest building currently on Thesen Island. 

At the top right, there appears to be a short sea wall. The whole of the island would be virtually encirled by a sea wall which was built over many years. This sea wall defined the perimeter of what would be come Thesen Islands.

In the middle of the island there seems to be some houses, one of them fancy with a big garden. They were the first of a number of houses that were built for employees.    

The narrow gauge railwy line that was in operation from 1907 to 1949 is not easy to see, but is still visible. It started at Diepwalle and ended at the Thesen Jetty.  Read about the railway here 

This photograph belongs to Trevor Johnson and I thank him for sharing it and the other photographs posted on the blog in November, 2025. Trevor was a longtime employee of Thesen & Co, from 1970 until the closure of the operations on Thesen Island on 29 June, 2001. 

During the gradual handover, beginning in 1999, of the island from Thesen & Co to the Thesen Islands Development Company (TIDC) he made an invaluable contribution to the sucessful redevelopment of the island with his encyclopedic knowledge the factory infrastructure. 

When Thesen & Co finally closed down, he was still too valuable to lose. So he was employed TIDC, then the TIHOA for many more years. Early owners in Thesen Islands remember his willingness to help where ever and when ever he could. He still lives in Upper Town Knysna.