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HISTORY OF DYER ISLAND
Dyer Island was named after a Polynesian seaman, Samson Dyer, who was the first to be stationed on the island, in the early
eighteenth century. At this time the island was used primarily by Dyer for seal harvesting (from the Cape Fur Seal colony
based on adjacent Geyser Rock), and the remnants of a few boiling pots and fireplaces still stand near the living area.
Following the guano-boom of the mid-nineteenth century, guano was scraped from Dyer Island regularly until 1983 (H. Fourie,
pers. comm.). African penguins had previously used burrows in the guano for nesting. However, with the removal of the guano,
they were forced to nest on the open ground, making them vulnerable to predators, most commonly the Kelp gull "
Larus dominicanus".
In the late nineteenth century, penguin eggs became a popular delicacy among the public, and penguin egg collection
continued until the 1960's. In 1902, the number of penguin eggs collected on Dyer Island was given as 26,400 (Cott, H.B.
1953). These activities have affected the composition of seabird populations.
Eastern white pelicans "Pelicanus onocrotalis" are known to have bred on the island. Keepers were reported
to have destroyed all pelican nests and eggs due to their fondness for the eggs and young of guano producing birds (Symons,
R.E. 1924).
Two ruins of crude stone buildings, possibly used as shelters during the early guano collecting days, stand adjacent to the
channel and along the northwestern coast of the island. The thick walled stone buildings near the living area were also
used for guano related purposes. The main house on the island was built in 1930, and the slipway was constructed in 1991.
Steel and wooden wreckage seen along the coast bears testimony to marine disasters caused by the notorious reefs encircling
the island. In 1989, the fishing trawler South West Seabird from nearby Hermanus was one of the luckier boats to run aground
without loss of life (Johnstone E. pers. comm.). A two meter high concrete spire, known only as "Power's Grave",
stands near the center of the island. Two other large graves are also found near the buildings, one with a headstone,
perhaps remains of the 6 people that are said to have been buried on the island, following the sinking of the Hektor in
1913.
Guano scrapers and Seal harvesters used the island in previous times,
a detailed account of which is given in Dagbreek oor Dyer eiland
(Fourie 1999).
© 2007 Dyer Island Conservation Trust
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Dyer Island |
Sampson Dyers Memorial |
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