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floor and extended the front and changed the name to Innisfail Hotel. The name Innisfail is

believed to have derived from some ancestral Irish connection.

It was extremely popular with Rhodesian families who annually visited the False Bay coast.

Many of them before booking out after the Christmas holidays would immediately rebook for
the following Christmas insisting that they have the same bedroom and the same table in the

dining room.

Antony Donnelly took over the premises from his father in March 1942, and finally sold the

hotel out of the family in August 1968 to Ernest James Chasman. Thus the Donnelly family

had successfully run the Innisfail Hotel for nearly 50 years. Today Innisfail Guest House
remains one of the oldest boarding establishments along the False Bay coastline.

Rouxville House

Rouxville House, on Main Road opposite the N. G. Church, was one of the oldest boarding

houses. (Fig. 4.21.) In fact in 1905 it was one of only five places providing accommodation in
the area. The others were Dalebrook House, King’s Hotel, the Masonic Hotel, and Le Rivage

/ St James Hotel. It was evidently owned by Mr A. J. Roux who gave his name to both the

house and the adjacent road. In 1919 it passed to G. Black and in 1940 it was advertising as a
private hotel opposite the new pavilion and station under the supervision of Mrs D.

MacPherson. It apparently ceased operating as a private hotel sometime before 1945 for in

that year the right-hand side of the building (as seen from the Main Road) was named
Kingard House and was occupied by Mrs E. H. King, while the left-hand side was called

Rouxville and was occupied by J. H. W. Lotz who lived there until at least 1955.

The last owner was Mr M. G. W. Thiebert, a mining engineer who came originally from

Silesia. He arrived in Kalk Bay around 1934 and may have bought the whole building during
the 1940s. By 1950 he and his family were resident in the Kingard House portion, but in 1955

he died and by 1960 Kingard House was occupied by C. P. Whitfield while Rouxville was

vacant.