Category: Family
Our Trekboer ancestors played a significant part in the ruin of ‘country’ – that of the San and Khoisan people[1], like the part colonists in the Australian colonies…
Dutch, and German views and attitudes, blended with Huguenot views of and attitudes towards society and religion defined our own Afrikaner culture and established a unique Afrikaner Cultural…
Our ancestors arrogantly believed that they were superior in most respects to other races. So, they had no qualms in the ownership of these people – as slaves…
‘The Longest Trek’ is the story of our family’s trek from South Africa to Australia and those that came before us. Those who came before us came from…
For a few years after arriving in Melbourne, a painful nostalgia, a feeling of terrible loss – loss of family, friends, community, and ‘country’, as the Aboriginal people…
One branch of my matriarchal family tree leads to the French Huguenot ship’s surgeon, Jean Prieur du Plessis. The Cape became a refuge for French Huguenots who fled…
I started to understand the Wurundjeri people’s love for ‘Country’ whilst my wife, Dedrie and our Chihuahua, Little B, walked along tracks by the Yarra River during late…
For a few years after arriving in Melbourne, a painful nostalgia, a feeling of terrible loss – loss of family, friends, community, and ‘Country’, as the Aboriginal people…
The origin of the carnival dates from the visit of the famous confederate raider, “Alabama”, to Cape Town in July 1863. As the vessel approached the harbour, a Union barque, the “Sea Bird”, which had desperately sought to avoid the confederate…
Mr. Knoops was a favourite in our town Messina (now Musina). He taught us all to ride horses. We took part in gymkhanas at the annual agricultural show…
POSTCARDS FROM AFRICA My interest in wildlife photography stems from: Experiences in childhood days growing up in small South African country towns, Once out of home always enjoying…
Miriet Madida sits quietly on a worn chair inside her neat, tiny shack as black dust billows in from her open window. The 68-year-old’s home looks spotless, but…
Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha, said “Better it is to live one day seeing the rise and fall of things than to live a hundred years without ever seeing…
The fortuitous discovery of some birth and death certificates, indicated that great grandmother, Maria Margaretha Smit, was the daughter of Phillipus Johannes Potgieter, the son of Veld Kornet…
Marvelous things on our own doorstep! We do not need to travel far to be transported into another world. Transportation was certainly uppermost in out thoughts when Dedrie…
A recent visit to the Victorian High Country yielded a most interesting and unexpected surprise! While walking around Lake Guy near Bogong Village I came across a sign…
“We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it – if it were not the earth where the same flowers…
I Googled the name of my cousin Stephanus Venter, or ‘Fanie’ as we knew him and the name of our family farm ‘Alexander’. I had been trying to…
As Spring approaches rapidly, we decided to visit friends at Monbulk and had a most delightful day. The chooks, alpacas, border collies), magpies, blackbirds, cockies, doves, ducks put on a special…
Defining, describing, modelling, deciphering – whatever means deployed Should fail – without tools, performance standards, where do we start? Programmed to add, subtract, linearise and build with zeroes and…
Our last day’s visit with Hilda to Arusha National Park made us thankful that we were shielded all round by the body of the Rav 4WD. We had…
After a full day’s driving from Dar-es-Salaam, arriving at the main gate at about 10 pm, we raised the ranger at the main gate who booked us into…
Blossoms out during the first week in August! Is this a climate change phenomenon, an El Nino effect or the very dry Winter we have just had? Stradbroke…
Don the ‘puffer jackets’, an essential requirement for heading outdoors this time of the year and head out to “The Briars” in Mt. Martha on the Mornington…
Our city has much to offer – all within easy reach. Discovered Black Rock again after visiting my sister Marge in the ’80s. The walks along Port Phillip…
Bullying – much is occupying our media at the moment regarding this ‘ever increasing in intensity’ social phenomena. My ex-Nababeepian friends have recently touched on this not so…
We set out from Townsville along the Bruce Highway. Another one of those North Queensland days, hot, humid but dry as the car bit into the asphalt along…
The risk manager speaks. On our first night in Maghoto – I “wisely” decided to rather sleep on the camp bed just outside the door of the tent…
As with the policemen in the Pirates of Penzance: “With Cat-Like Tread Upon our prey we steal In silence dread Our cautious way we feel No sound at…
Bless you Loxodanta Africana (Elephants)! We came to visit you in your paradise. And what a paradise it was! Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat,…
Little did we realise what we were getting ourselves into! We were advised in Maun that the road to Sunday Pan was a cinch. “No worries mate” (the…
We trekked down from Ghanzi (Botswana) to Hobas on the edge of the Fish River Canyon – a 10 hour drive (next time – if ever –…
Jessica’s wedding provided the incentive to visit the Magaliesberg after an absence of 45 years. The wedding venue was at De Hoek – just off the Magaliesburg –…
Must tell you about my experience in Coolangatta – the convicts prison converted into a winery near Nowra. During my consulting days I used to stay overnight in…
I am planning a trip to Nababeep in October. Why go there or do that, and, what is it, is it a place or an activity? Sounds like a…