Gustav Preller
Encyclopedia
Gustav Schoeman Preller (4 October 1875 Klein Schoemansdal, Klipdrift, Pretoria
– 7 October 1943 Pelindaba
) is known as a journalist, historian, writer and literarary critic.
He fought for the recognition of Afrikaans
. Preller helped the Afrikaner
to awake to
the importance of the history of South Africa
. He made great contributions to the writing
of South African history, through his research and the literature. He also contributed
greatly to making South Africans aware of the legacy of the Voortrekkers
and also had a
share in the idea to build the Voortrekker Monument
.
Gustav was the son of Comdt. Robert Logie Preller and Stefina Schoeman (daughter of the Voortrekker Gen. Stefanus Schoeman). His parents farmed near Standerton where he attended school for only 3 years. Later he worked in Pretoria as a shop-assistant, an articled clerk and a civil servant, studying diligently when he found the time. When the Boer War
started, he was working as a clerk for the Department of Mines and was married to Johanna, the granddaughter of President M. W. Pretorius
and Deborah Retief.
The South African Academy of Science and Art (Afrikaans: Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns) gives out annually the Gustav Preller Award that has been awarded since 1909.
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
– 7 October 1943 Pelindaba
Pelindaba
Pelindaba is South Africa's main Nuclear Research Centre, run by The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, and was the location where South Africa's atomic bombs of the 1970s were developed, constructed and subsequently stored...
) is known as a journalist, historian, writer and literarary critic.
He fought for the recognition of Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
. Preller helped the Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
to awake to
the importance of the history of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He made great contributions to the writing
of South African history, through his research and the literature. He also contributed
greatly to making South Africans aware of the legacy of the Voortrekkers
Voortrekkers
The Voortrekkers were emigrants during the 1830s and 1840s who left the Cape Colony moving into the interior of what is now South Africa...
and also had a
share in the idea to build the Voortrekker Monument
Voortrekker Monument
The Voortrekker Monument is a monument in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. The massive granite structure, built to honour the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854, was designed by the architect Gerard Moerdijk who had the idea to design a "monument that would stand a...
.
Gustav was the son of Comdt. Robert Logie Preller and Stefina Schoeman (daughter of the Voortrekker Gen. Stefanus Schoeman). His parents farmed near Standerton where he attended school for only 3 years. Later he worked in Pretoria as a shop-assistant, an articled clerk and a civil servant, studying diligently when he found the time. When the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
started, he was working as a clerk for the Department of Mines and was married to Johanna, the granddaughter of President M. W. Pretorius
Marthinus Wessel Pretorius
The son of the famous Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius, Marthinus Wessel Pretorius was the first president of the South African Republic, and also compiled the constitution of the Republic....
and Deborah Retief.
The South African Academy of Science and Art (Afrikaans: Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns) gives out annually the Gustav Preller Award that has been awarded since 1909.