Andy Selfe: conservation is in his blood

16 November, 2024

ANNE KRUGER, GST Correspondent - How the Alwyn Vintcent, a historic steam tug, landed up in landlocked Villiersdorp, is quite a tale. The man who instigated the move, is Andy Selfe (73) of Grabouw: a man with a love for machines of all kinds, the older the better.

"I suppose fixing up old things started at school where a friend and I ran a repair team called Make & Break in our boarding house. We fixed lawnmowers and built a toolshed. During my national service in Armour at Tempe it was the same. I then went and studied Automotive Engineering in London and worked there for six years altogether."

On returning to South Africa in 1976, he and another friend starting renovating houses, but his love of engineering prevailed, and he opened a store selling parts for agricultural machinery in Grabouw. Then, in 1999, he was seriously bitten by the conservation bug and started collecting and restoring old stationary engines and the machines they used to drive. His articles and pictures about these exploits and restorations appeared in a UK magazine, Stationary Engine.

At around that time, Andy got to know the people at Sandstone Heritage Trust in the Eastern Free State near Ficksburg. It houses an amazing collection of steam trains, tractors, stationary engines, military vehicles and much more. The military vehicles particularly interested him and he restored a South African designed and built Marmon Herrington Mk4 for them.

"The collection and restoration of machinery which the engines used to drive, includes pumps, generators, saws, all kinds of things, including mills. So, when I was invited along on a tour of Compagnes Drift in Bot River in 2006, you can imagine how tickled I was by the old watermill which had been modified to work with an engine (long gone) when there was no water. I asked the owners if I could restore it, which led to four years of Saturdays, public holidays and a lot in between. We operate that about once a month, training farm staff to occasionally run it when I'm not available."

His expertise became widely known in that time, and he was called upon to help with problems at La Motte watermill in Franschhoek, and then the famous historic Mostert's windmill in Cape Town, which was in need of upgrading since its 1995 restoration. The mill dates from 1796 and is the only surviving complete windmill producing meal from wheat in Africa.

The restoration work at Mostert's mill was handled in stages according to urgency, with periods of milling in between to generate visitors and gate income. His in-depth research into the construction of mills has stood him in good stead.

Reports on the work have appeared in the Journal of the International Molinological Society of which Andy is the only South African member, and in the magazine of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in England.

The final upgrade of Mostert's mill, which had taken several months, was completed on the afternoon of 17 April 2021, the day before a wildfire hit which left only the walls standing. The roof, all the woodwork and sails were destroyed.

"We were left with a glowing stump," remembers Andy.

"It strikes me you can't get much more sustainable than windmilling," says Andy, proud of their handiwork.

Meanwhile Andy had collected many engines and other implements and had become a member of the West Cape Tractor & Engine Club. He was planning a museum of sorts for his collection when he heard that the Villiersdorp branch of the club was building such a museum. He decided it would be best to add his efforts to the initiative: "Here was a crowd who could tackle a project, pull strings, raise enough money and get things done!"

Many fundraisers were held, including auctions. The museum was built and filled with the tractors of the members and a space for engines. Then they heard of a big Crossley engine in Caledon which was about to be bulldozed over. A rescue mission was mounted, they dismantled it and club members rolled and carried sections out and loaded them. It was a real club project!

Always keeping an ear to the ground, Andy heard about the historic steam tug Alwyn Vintcent, the last remaining steam vessel in South Africa, which was likely to be scrapped. She was built in Venice in 1957 for the South African Railways and Harbours Administration and served in the port of Mossel Bay for 24 years, towing lighters to and from mail ships which were too big to enter harbour. Her longer rear deck was designed for transferring passengers between the vessels in a wicker basket when the Union-Castle mail ships called.

Named after Alwyn Vintcent, a past chairman of the harbour's advisory board, she arrived in Cape Town under tow on her maiden voyage in May 1959, but spent most her working life in and around Mossel Bay. In 1983, she was retired and moved to Cape Town where she was last steamed in 1994 carrying tourists around Table Bay.

Finally, the port fees became too costly and she was up for scrapping. An appeal was posted on the Sandstone Heritage Trust website, and as there was talk about saving the engines, Andy attended a meeting held on board in 2011.

"Present were people from the heavy lifting and moving business, and Stephen Bentley, the V&A's harbour captain. Somebody suggested saving the whole vessel. But what entity could handle a project of this magnitude?"

Andy suggested the enterprising Villiersdorp club and rang chairman Eniel Viljoen there and then, saying a tractor (albeit a sea tractor,) needed saving. Club members were keen to assist. A rough quote indicated it would cost R500 000 to move it.

"Johannes Uys from MME, who was also present, said he'd do all the lifting and lowering free. Steven Bentley said he'd waive the harbour fees, and so a plan was born," says Andy.

The Villiersdorp branch of the West Cape Tractor & Engine Club purchased the Alwyn Vintcent and spent the next year, during work parties, dismantling pipework so the superstructure could be cut off at deck level, then doing the cutting. The vessel was raised (also free) on the synchrolift.

Then came the big move! The tug was transported from Cape Town to Villiersdorp on a flatbed trailer, a journey of about 400 km. The journey, about four times greater than the normal distance, was longer because of the height of the load on the 88-wheel trailer, which was 47m long including the pulling and pushing vehicles.

Over four days a small group of members accompanied the vessel on the circuitous route via Vredenburg, Riebeek West, Riebeek Kasteel, Hermon, Gouda, Wolseley, Worcester and into Villiersdorp from the north. The trip was quite a spectacle, with the convoy being greeted by spectators along the way.

There was great fanfare on the day the vessel arrived in the main road of Villiersdorp accompanied by a phalanx of old tractors, veteran cars and crowds of people. Even the church bells rang for the occasion!

Once in Villiersdorp, the tug was set to receive further restoration and care, but the question was where to exhibit it? An opportunity arose when a derelict house at the south end of the town came on the market. The property was bought and over the next few years it was renovated into a pub, restaurant and farmstall.

Plans stalled when Covid hit, but after recovery, it was decided to move the vessel to the yard next to the Alwyn Vintcent farmstall. Foundations were laid using reclaimed pillars from the tank farm in Milnerton. Massive lumps of concrete were transported to Villiersdorp and laid in trenches dug by club members.

Johannes lived up to his original word and did all the lifting and lowering free. This involved days and whole nights operating massive hydraulic jacks to raise the hull to get a trailer in under it, then to raise it to get the trailer out, then to lower it to the right height and angle. At the same time, the superstructure was raised into position, followed by the funnel. The tug reached its final resting place only in April 2024.

"There's a huge amount still to do, welding, refitting the pipes, chipping and painting. The plans are to convert part of the internals into accommodation, to use the deck as a stage for concerts with public on the non-road side; there are many ideas. I doubt the engine will ever run on steam again, but it would be great for it to be able to turn, either with compressed air or with a slow-speed electric motor."

But for this enterprising initiative, the Alwyn Vintcent, the last steam vessel on the SA register of shipping, would have been scrapped long ago. Now it's an eye-catching draw-card for Villiersdorp tourism.

"It is a wonderful example of preserving maritime history and keeping the legacy of steam-powered vessels alive," says a satisfied Andy, who is already looking around for his next conservation project...