John Annandale is a well-known member of the Onrus and Hermanus community, earning wide respect for his involvement in local affairs. As an amateur historian and author, he has done much dedicated work in and around Onrus, researching and documenting the history of the village.

John and his late wife Nicky moved from the Transvaal, now Gauteng, and settled in Onrus River in 1988.  John had been in the employment of Stewarts and Lloyds for 29 years and held the post of export administrator on his retirement. During this time, he and his family lived in a number of towns and cities in South Africa, from Bloemfontein, to Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, Vereeniging and finally Johannesburg.

Apart from a successful career, John maintained a lively interest in community affairs and continued to develop his personal interests and hobbies. He was involved as police reservist, Free Mason, Scout leader and as a member of the Gideons. He continued his studies in marketing and accounting, as well as pursuing flying and photography as hobbies.

Since settling in Onrus John has been active in local affairs, serving as councillor of the Onrus River Municipality. He served for six years as chairman of works and traffic control. John gained good experience in water purification and reticulation while he was working for Scottish Tube and Stewarts and Lloyds and could help in upgrading the mountain water resources for Onrus. He was also the councillor in charge of the Onrus lagoon dredging.

John’s expertise in photography led to his involvement with historians such as the late José Burman and the late Prof Arthur Davey, who eventually became John’s mentor and guide, encouraging him to become an historian himself.

John’s work includes Onrus River (in ten volumes), The Leper Colony of the Hemel-en-Aarde, The Royal Air Force at the Bot River Lagoon and The Home Accountant. He was also involved in two joint projects, assisting Doris Marais, Gladys Gillion and Pamela February with their book Hawston tussen Berg en See, and, with his wife Margaret, compiling the story of Ella Gordon and her Trick Horses at Karwyderskraal.

John has many other interests. He is a member of the Leprosy Mission, and of Hermanus and Genadendal Museums. He served on the Hermanus Aesthetics and Heritage Conservation Committee for ten years. He was also a founder member, together with Dinkie Marais, of Hermanus Photographic Society. For his unstinting service to the Onrus Community, a street was named after him in a new development at Bosplasie, Onrus River – John Annandale Crescent.