1947: Aerial views of Thesen's Island. Taken at the same time but from slightly different angles.   

The label on the above reads "Thesen Industrials (Pty) Ltd. Knysna 1947

2 slighty different stamps on the back of both pictures read "Aircraft Operating Co. of Africa Aerial Surveying" Both have a handwritten date, one "1947", the other "Apr 1947".  

Points of interest: The Boat Shed is visible, although the rounded roof was changed at a later date. The roof has "Thesen & Co Ltd" painted on it. As does another building where the first shops of Thesen Harbour Town are now.  It is interesting that this was done as with the lack of airplanes, there weren't many who would have seen the signs. 

The Boat Shed slipway is also visible.  

The narrow gauge railway on the jetty is visible. There was a railway line than ran from Diepwalle to the Thesen Jetty from 1907 to 1949.  Read more about this interesting bit of history here on the Knysna Woodworkers website. 

The Saw Tooth building is visible. This still exists, the South end now housing 'Scratch Golf' and other businesses. 

2 smokestacks are visible. There are a number still existing. 

Staff houses are visible on the right. These were still in use until the factory closed. The palm tree on Quill Island was in the garden of one of the houses. The tree had a small aluminium sign on it, with the names of the people who lived there and the date. It was stolen by an idiot a few years after the stands were sold.  

The sea wall that forms the edge of modern Thesen Islands is clearly visible along the edge of what is Crab Claw Island. Before you get to the sea wall there appears to be what is a large sawdust mound North of the entry road.  There is history that  makes this possible: There was a huge sawdust mound in the area of Crab Claw Island (C20 to C40 approx) in 1999. This was removed by mixing it in with the topsoil when the Islands were created.

What would become Costa Sarda is visible, as is what is now Lower & Upper Old Place. It is interesting to see what appear to be a number of scattered buildings, small farms perhaps, up the hill towards the Hornlee turnoff. What is Hornlee now, was a small forest. 

The white area just below the horizon in the right could be a quarry. 

Observations and comments welcome!

Both photographs are from the collection of Trevor Johnson, longtime employee of Thesen & Co from 1970 until the closure of the factory on 29 June, 2001.