Vic Bay's pier built with sweepstake payout

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Have you ever strolled along the jetty at Victoria Bay in George, across The Black Pearl beach house, while the see sneezes spray in your face and wondered... who was Bramwell Butler?

A bronze plaque with his name and the dates 1896 -1977 on the side of the pier honours this interesting man. Here is the story behind it all.

Sweepstake

The last Calcutta Sweepstake in 1923 was won by Bramwell Edmund Butler, who received a payout of 125 000 pounds. In today's equivalent it would have been R2,72m.

In those days it was a vast sum of money and it instantly made Butler a very rich man.

Bramwell Butler financed the building of the jetty, the harbour wall and the tidal pool. He also bought property stretching from Sea Cottage (near the jetty) along Lands End Road (the paved road along the beach houses at Victoria Bay) for 6 000 pounds.Bramwel Edmund Butler was born on 20 April 1896 as one of nine children of Frank (also called Francis) Butler and Maria Magdalena Ehlers. Photo: johannclaassen.wordpress.com

The ticket

Before his riches, Bramwell Butler was a young bookkeeper at Amalgamated Motors in Oudtshoorn, who struggled to buy a 10-shilling sweepstake ticket from a Jewish jeweller, by the name of Nathaniel Lipschitz.

He couldn't actually afford the ticket and wanted to sell half of it with the idea that if he wins, the other person would receive half of the winnings. No one was interested in his crazy idea.

But, against all odds, he drew a horse named "Tiga" (odds 22 to 1) and the horse won.

Butler offered the Dutch Reformed Church 10 000 pounds, but they refused the offer on the grounds that "it was gambling money".

The Methodist Church, however, maintained that "life's a gamble" and accepted the offer. He also reached out to his sister who had little money, but a special musical talent.

For her he built a complete music room equipped with everything she needed, including a beautiful piano.