| Collection | John Ellerman Foundation Collection |
| Description | Papers relating to support for the Rachel Swart Fund, including grant files from 1975 to 2019, correspondence, photographs, grant applications and reviews, and financial statements.
The fund was named for Rachel Swart (1923–1955), a South African woman, born without arms or legs. South African journalist Piet Beukes had met Swart by chance at an agricultural show, where Swart had encouraged him to try her homemade jams. Beukes was so impressed by Swart that he interviewed her for a profile in Die Landstem. John Ellerman II read the article, and resolved to help Swart. He subsequently provided her with a car and electricity for her home. On Swart’s unexpected death during childbirth in 1955, Ellerman was reportedly devastated. With the assistance of Beukes, he established the Rachel Swart Fund for the assistance of people with disabilities (from John Ellerman Foundation, Historical Review). |