File 2022-004 - Charles Leake Archive

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Identity area

Reference code

ZA ZAR STS 2024-010-2022-004

Title

Charles Leake Archive

Date(s)

  • 1896 (Accumulation)

Level of description

File

Extent and medium

1 x archival box, 1 x foolscap box (see Scope and content for further details)

Context area

Name of creator

Leake, Charles Hobson
(1869 - 1957)

Biographical history

Leake House, in the Boys' Prep is named after Charles Hobson Leake.
Charles Hobson Leake was one of the founding members of the St Stithians College Trust. He was a fellow Methodist of William Mountstephens and Albert Collins, the founding donors of the funds to purchase the Driefontein Farm portion and establish the College. Leake attended the Official Opening of the College and laid the Foundation Stone that is embedded in the wall of the Chapel facing the Chapel Quad. Leake served as Chairman of the Trust until his death in 1957.
Apart from all the work that he did for the College, Leake made a huge contribution to the welfare of the poorer citizens of Johannesburg. He established the Rand Aid Association to support the downtrodden and the aged and served as its Chairman for 30 years. This organisation is still extant today and serving the wider community. Boys in the College still visit Jordan House as part of their Community Engagement contribution. Details of his work with Rand Aid can be found in the documents in this online archive.
One of the Rand Aid buildings was named Mount Collins House in memory of his friends, our founders.

Leake's life and contribution is epitomised in one of the quotations included in his Album 1:
“He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.”
Bessie Anderson Stanley c.1905

Repository

St Stithians College

Archival history

Items donated by the family of the late CH Leake, founding Trustee College

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Items have been in the College archives since c1970.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The Charles Leake Archive consists of 2 albums, a box of correspondence and a few loose printed items and photographs. These include:
1) Printed items, particularly those relating to the Rand Aid Association of which Leake was a longstanding chairman and Methodist Churches in Johannesburg. Some brochures refer to Mountcollins House, which was named after Leake's association with the founding benefactors of the College;
2) Monochrome photographs including formal portraits, family photographs and incidental photographs;
3) Newspaper cuttings mostly related to the contribution that Leake made over his many years of involvement in the College, in the Rand Aid Association and the Methodist Church as well as a few social occasions;
4) Artefacts include Leake's passport and cards used to promote his candidacy in a Transvaal provincial election.
5) Correspondence acknowledging Leake's contribution to the development of Johannesburg and the Rand Aid Association.
6) Original certificates and licences issued to Leake and dating back to 1896.
7) Documents of the Wesleyan Church Trust.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Filed in series according to type;
All photographs and printed items have been digitised and are available through AtoM;

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright St Stithians College unless indicated otherwise.

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      Status

      Final

      Level of detail

      Dates of creation revision deletion

      Record created by MR 20220211

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          Digital object metadata

          Master file

          Filename

          20220308142853_001.jpg

          Media type

          Image

          Mime-type

          image/jpeg

          Filesize

          9.7 MiB

          Uploaded

          March 10, 2022 3:35 PM

          Reference copy

          Filename

          20220308142853_001_141.jpg

          Media type

          Image

          Mime-type

          image/jpeg

          Filesize

          17.2 KiB

          Uploaded

          October 9, 2024 11:22 PM

          Thumbnail copy

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          Image

          Mime-type

          image/jpeg

          Filesize

          10.7 KiB

          Uploaded

          October 9, 2024 11:22 PM

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