The Fransie Pienaar Museum

- Ailsa Tudhope -

Prince Albert's Museum is a companionable, homely place - it should be, for the collection arose from the dreams and magpie instincts of a generous woman: Fransie Pienaar.

Born on the farm Lammerkraal in 1897, Fransie was educated locally and then went to Cape Town to study at the Sullivan College of Music. She returned to the district to marry farmer Giddy Pienaar and started collecting antiques and objects of interest to the extent that when she and Giddy retired to Prince Albert in 1956 an entire room of their home was dedicated to her collection.

Terwyl sy in die dorp was, het Fransie geleentheid gehad om nog items te versamel, en die NG_Kerk her vir haar ‘n saal geleen. Teen 1972 was daar egter meer plek vir ’n muis nie. Teen dié tyd was Fransie se skoonseun, Frikkie Allers, burgemeester. Hy het die Raad oortuig om ‘n huis in Kerkstraat vir Fransie te leen. Op die dag van die amptelike opening het sy die hele versameling vir die mense van Prince Albert gegee. Sedertdien het dit net gegroei en is verskuif na die huidige perseel, voorheen die huis van die Haak-familie.

Fransie was vir etlike jare die ‘kurator’, en dit het vir haar eindelose plesier verskaf om besoekers rond te wys. Sy het hul ook vermaak met musiek op haar mondfluitjie en huisorrel. Sy sterf op die gryse ouderdom van 87.

There's more to the Fransie Pienaar Museum than meets the eye. Behind the building you will find a still where the local witblits is made – you can see it in action from 10.00am on Friday 27th April and there’s a witblits tasting at 2.00pm. You might even need a sip of witblits to give you courage to enter the Museum's haunted room. Ask curator, Jonathan Rolfe to tell you the tale of a ghostly guest in what used to be a parlour. Check the Town and Olive Festival programme for all the walks and talks that start at the Museum, which is open throughout the Festival.