The Pumamouse Website: South African Old-Time Radio: No Bull: SA OTR Preservation

Here is a question that may have teased your mind: There are many OTR collectors in the world who claim to be preserving recordings for future generations, so why should you consider sharing your cherished South African OTR recordings with The Pumamouse?

Here is my candid answer:

It is true, The Pumamouse is an American by birth and residence, and I collect all genres of OTR from all countries. However, regarding South African OTR, my goal is not simply to build my personal collection. Instead, my mission is the proper preservation of South African OTR. Why? Because the preservation of all forms of OTR is something that I feel very strongly should be done whenever possible, and I have been given a unique opportunity to assist in the preservation of South African OTR, so why not do the right thing? I must add, whenever able, I am equally delighted to assist in the preservation of any other country's OTR. It is always a thrill to know that something of the past has been saved for the future, and that knowledge is very rewarding for my efforts.

So, what exactly is it that The Pumamouse does to preserve South African OTR, aside from owning, designing, creating, and maintaining The Pumamouse Website, in which a large section is devoted to this interest? More importantly, what makes The Pumamouse different from any other OTR collector who claims to be preserving South African OTR for future generations? Well, I will not comment on the practices of any other collectors. I can only speak for myself. To better explain my thoughts and my routine practices, I will state them plainly here with the definitions of a few terms. (All definitions according to Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language.)

DEFINITION OF TERMS...ARCHIVE VS COLLECTION:

archive: a place where public records or other historical documents are kept.

collection: a group of objects or an amount of material accumulated in one location.

Pumamouse Logical Deduction: Based upon these standard definitions, a collection (a group of objects) may be included in an archive (a place of preservation), but an archive may not be included in a collection.

DEFINITION OF TERMS...ARCHIVIST VS COLLECTOR:

archivist: a person responsible for preserving, organizing, or servicing archival material.

collector: a person who collects things (books, stamps, shells, etc.), especially as a hobby.

Pumamouse Logical Deduction: Based upon these standard definitions, a collector may amass a collection as a hobby with no responsibility to the proper preservation of it, whereas an archivist has a responsibility to preserve any collections that are contributed or donated to an archive.

DEFINITION OF TERMS...CONTRIBUTION VS DONATION:

contribution: something given to a common fund.

donation: something given or presented as a gift.

Pumamouse Logical Deduction: Based upon these standard definitions, a contribution may be made with the possible expectation of something received in return, as in exchange or trade, whereas a donation is given freely as a gift, without the condition of any reciprocation.

Therefore, by definition, The Pumamouse is a South African OTR collector AND a South African OTR archivist.

All of the South African OTR recordings that I acquire through purchase, contribution, and donation are included in The Pumamouse's personal collection. However, they are also returned to South Africa for inclusion in one or both of the following archives:

The SABC Radio Sound Archive: A public national archive established and maintained by the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

The Springbok Radio Preservation Society Sound Archive: A private society archive, established and maintained by Frans Erasmus.
(In case you are wondering, this is not Frans' personal OTR collection, it is a genuine archive. The Springbok Radio Preservation Society is registered with the International Sound And Film Archive Association.)

All of the South African OTR recordings that I acquire through purchase, contribution (trade), and donation (gift), are included in BOTH archives unless I am instructed otherwise by the individual from whom the recordings are received. (In some rare instances, an individual may request that their recordings not be sent to the SABC for whatever their personal reasons, and then their wishes are respected.)

Also, please note, all of the South African OTR recordings that I acquire through purchase are subsequently made available for trade. However, those recordings acquired though contribution (trade) or donation (gift) are made available for trade only with the permission of the individual from whom those recordings are received.

In other words, if I buy it, I conclude that am at liberty to send it to South Africa for inclusion in both archives and also share it in trade to acquire more material for the archives, whereas if a recording is acquired through trade or donated as a gift, I adamantly respect the wishes of the kind individual who shared it with me regarding its further dissemination.

Two more points to ponder that should be mentioned.
1) The Pumamouse does not sell any OTR recordings.
2) The Pumamouse does not contribute (trade) any OTR recordings to any archive. Instead, I routinely DONATE (as a gift) South African OTR to either or both of the two reputable South African OTR archives mentioned above. My ethics and philosophy as an OTR archivist may be archaic, but in my opinion, doing the right thing is still its own best reward. And that, my dear friends, is NO BULL.

I hope my candid explanation of my objective and my routine procedures will encourage you to share your South African OTR recordings with me, so that I may return them to South Africa, where they originated, to be properly preserved there for future generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

The Pumamouse
(MaryAnne)
September 2003

The following NO BULL essay was
written by The Pumamouse.

EMAIL THE PUMAMOUSE

You can email The Pumamouse (MaryAnne)
to arrange contributions (trades) or donations (gifts) of your
South African OTR recordings:

THE PUMAMOUSE'S NO BULL DEFINITIONS,
LOGICAL DEDUCTIONS, AND BASIC GUIDELINES FOR
THE PROPER PRESERVATION OF OTR RECORDINGS

FOOTNOTE: The preceding essay is intended mainly for those who do not reside within South Africa. If you are in South Africa and you wish to share your South African OTR recordings with The Springbok Radio Preservation Society Sound Archive and/or The SABC Radio Sound Archive, you may do so by contacting them directly.

SPRINGBOK RADIO PRESERVATION SOCIETY
P.O. BOX 2987
PINEGOWRIE
2123
You may send copies of your South African OTR recordings to this address, or please write to arrange donation of your original recordings.

SABC RADIO SOUND ARCHIVE
(27) 11 714 9797
You may call to arrange donations. Within South Africa, you may also contact your nearest Regional SABC Office, and internationally, you may contact the various South African Embassies and Consulates.

BAFFLED, BEFUDDLED, AND BEMUSED BY NO BULL?

Okay, so you read my essay and the footnote above, at least once or maybe several times, and you are now wondering, where's the catch?
Surely, there must be a catch. Why would any admitted South African OTR collector encourage the general public to make donations of their South African OTR recordings to an archive located in South Africa, even if those donations of South African OTR recordings are never obtained or heard by the South African OTR collector, located in the USA, who is making the request?

The answer is simple.
Perhaps the average South African OTR Collector would not...
but a South African OTR Collector / South African OTR Archivist,
such as myself, certainly would. Therein lies the difference between.

I confess, there is one personal reward, aside from the knowledge that I am doing the right thing in preserving the past for the future, which causes me to maintain my directive regardless of the financial costs and occasional jeers involved in returning SA OTR to South Africa.
That is the delicious treat of being able to say, "I did it my way." Freedom...what a drug! Thank you again for your consideration.

The Pumamouse
(MaryAnne)

NOSTALGIC
OLD-TIME RADIO

SA BROADCASTING AND
"THE BACK ROOM BOYS"

JET JUNGLE GEMS

SOUTHERN (NOT SOUTH)
AFRICAN RADIO SERVICES

SPRINGBOK RADIO

LM RADIO

WHERE TO BUY OTR
RECORDINGS