Richmond family preserve 120-year legacy rooted in indenture, resilience and community

AT THE age of 55, retired Richmond resident Ricky Jugree is emerging as a custodian of his family’s history, that stretches back to indentured Indian migration to colonial Natal in 1897.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER [e-mail]

THE 120-year-old Jugree family home.

Through meticulous research and storytelling, this father of two is ensuring that his family’s journey, one deeply intertwined with the development of KwaZulu-Natal, will not be lost to time.

Jugree, a community and crime activist, created The Richmond Community Facebook page, which has about 40 000 members, and serves as the founder and executive member of the Richmond Neighborhood Watch.

He said in tracing his family roots, the availability of precise indenture numbers would allow descendants today to trace ship manifests, which often included village origins and physical descriptions.

“Digital archiving is essential. These records help us reclaim identities that were once reduced to numbers,” he said.

“My family’s journey, from the arrival of Gangadin and Gujratia Ahir in 1897 to the establishment of a generational home in Richmond, is a vital piece of KwaZulu-Natal heritage. I am honoured to carry the Jugree surname, and to share the story so that future generations never forget the strength that came,” said Jugree.

His great-grandparents arrived in Durban during a peak period of indentured migration.