Three Irish foresters of Knysna

Abstract

In 2002, The Society of Irish Foresters undertook their 59th Annual Study Tour to South Africa (18th to 31st May) and on Monday 27th May the SIF visited Knysna on the Indian Ocean. See the Tour Report article in Irish Forestry 59, 2002: 77 to 79. Philip Caveney is the Chairman of the Historical Society in Knysna, South Africa, and has published several books relating to the area of Knysna. These books describe the interesting history of the many settlements of the Knysna locality in the Western Cape province of South Africa and of the early inhabitants, mainly during the period 1874 to 1961. Topics covered included the early discovery of gold, the exploitation of the indigenous forests and the plantation forestry period of the last century.Philip Caveney and his wife Flora visited Cooperhill in Ireland in July 2019, as part of his research into James Cooper of Cooperhill in South Africa. This has led to this account of James Cooper’s short, but full life below. A short description of two other contemporary Irish foresters is also included.