Within Simon’s Town stands a seemingly unassuming residence, containing one of the region’s most extensive private assortments of memorabilia. The custodian of this vast trove is a retired rear admiral with a heart as big as his collection.
Rather than soliciting entrance fees, he warmly invites visitors to contribute to the noble causes of cancer and bone marrow research.
Since 2011, this retired seafarer, Rear Admiral Arne Söderlund, has raised over R100 000 for the Sunflower Fund.
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Talking to News24, Söderlund explained that his journey as a collector began at the age of 9, in the town of Kimberley. Over the course of 65 years, Söderlund has accumulated an array of rare artefacts, including an ANC flag from the momentous signing of the Freedom Charter, a relic from a darker past in the form of a Nazi swastika flag, a Purple Heart medal and even an assortment of airsick bags.
‘I’ve got some interesting stuff, some unique stuff,’ he proudly declares before teasing the arrival of a new addition to his ever-expanding repertoire – a meticulously constructed model ship.
While military memorabilia is his cornerstone, Söderlund’s eclectic tastes extend to shaving equipment, pots, flags and even gazunders (chamber pots) – anything that piques his curiosity.
Every nook and cranny of Söderlund’s treasure trove is filled with naval uniforms, vintage gramophones, bottles, badges and an assortment of curiosities.
He affectionately dubs this space ‘The Den of Antiquity – Junk and Disorderly,’ a moniker that perfectly captures its charming chaos. To add to the allure, he’s even opened his very own ‘pub,’ called the Cock and Bull.
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Amid the collections stands a raised platform adorned with a colourful photograph of his three daughters. Surrounded by a sea of black-and-white images, this spot is imbued with special significance.
His daughter’s leukaemia diagnosis in 2011, a rare and challenging case, shook the family to its core. South Africa had only 63 000 bone marrow donors, and none matched her needs. A global quest led them to three potential donors, hailing from Brazil, the United States and Germany.
The road to hope proved challenging: one donor was pregnant, another never responded and the last had a debilitating illness. Chemotherapy had taken its toll on her, and the prognosis was grim.
Against all odds, a glimmer of hope emerged. After exhaustive searches and extensive testing within the family, a lifesaving stem cell donation was found.
Christy, Söderlund’s daughter, received the treatment she so desperately needed.
Söderlund reflects, ‘I thought to myself that, now, this was a good reason to raise funds for the Sunflower Fund. The basic idea was to get more donors in South Africa to increase the number of people donating (for cancer patients).’
With the rebranding of the Sunflower Fund to DKMS Africa, Söderlund redirected his philanthropic efforts towards supporting the South African Bone Marrow Registry.
Instead of charging entry to The Den of Antiquity, he humbly requests that visitors contribute whatever they can spare. He resolutely refuses to sell any of his precious items, even duplicates, preferring that those who wish to acquire a piece from his collection do so through donations.
Each item in Söderlund’s collection is a repository of stories, and he is a gifted storyteller, regaling visitors with anecdotes behind every artefact.
When queried about his seemingly photographic memory, he demurred, saying, ‘Oh god, no. I just live it all.’
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