Lona, who began to teach the piano in 1965, gradually became involved in this kind of restoration after she found that pupils and their parents would often ask her to find them an instrument. Her first venture in the field was to buy a small number of second-hand pianos, take them to a restorer in Durban and then sell them. And they were all gone in a week.

Business grew and eventually Lona was travelling to Durban twice a week with pianos. "I was always on the road - it was just too much, so I decided to find a top technician and a team and open our own workshop here, in Lions River."

As well as buying pianos to restore and sell, Lona's Pianos restores instruments for clients. Sometimes, people simply cannot believe that what they are getting back is the tatty old piano they sent in.

Tastes change. In the 1950s, beautiful walnut wood pianos had their front panels turned round to hide the inlays, their brass candle holders thrown away, their carved legs changed for straight ones, and the final indignity, some were even painted white to give them a "modern Hollywood" look.

But with loving restoration pianos hidden under a layer of paint can be returned to their original appearance. And keys, hammers, felts, strings and pins can all be renewed.  Working on the pianos, inside and out, needs skilled craftsmen but Lona's Pianos also needs business skills, and to keep in the public eye.