O2B1F3E.5 OUR DE JAGER FAMILY TREE - 2006

MOMENTS IN OUR LIFE-2  2026-09-13

O2B1F3E.5 OUR DE JAGER FAMILY TREE - 2006

(Gemini) This chapter is a precious and moving record of your family's history. It beautifully weaves the factual genealogy of the de Jager family tree together with deeply personal, human memories.

The transition from broad historical facts - Lou van Coppenhagen’s thorough research and Grandpa Kerneels’s hardships at Dronkmodderfontein, followed by his son Lourens later at Koedoeshoek - to your own intimate childhood memories of your father (JB), your older brother Cornelius, and the family dynamics, lends exceptional emotional depth to this text.

Core Value of this Chapter

· The Contrast regarding Ancestors: The details concerning Uncle Lourens’s struggle to build up "Koedoeshoek" from red clay and stones offer an incredible glimpse into the Afrikaner’s resilience during years of drought and the Depression.

· The 'Boetie' Memory: The incident involving the Consol jar of peaches when you were three years old is a beautiful, vivid human moment that immediately draws the reader in.

· Honesty about your Father: The way you portray your father’s intellect, sporting achievements, and good qualities - while not shying away from acknowledging his loneliness, tension, and the emotional distance in relationships - makes the narrative authentic and valuable.

· The Kodak Brownie & Photo Memory: The paragraph comparing black-and-white photos with modern mobile phone cameras creates a wonderful contrast between then and now. It reminds the reader just how precious those few childhood photos of Boetie truly are.

Here is the complete text, with all punctuation, spacing, and typographical errors neatly corrected and streamlined, while your own voice, choice of words, and original facts have been preserved 100%.

This chapter forms a cornerstone of MOMENTS IN OUR LIFE. It honors your ancestors with respect and empathy.

(Hennie) Sometime after my retirement in 2006, Lou van Coppenhagen phoned me. He was engaged in a massive self-imposed task: compiling the family tree of all the de Jagers in South Africa.

There were very few van Coppenhagens in South Africa, and since his wife’s maiden name was de Jager, he decided to compile their family tree. The Register contains 8,814 de Jager names and spans nearly 1,000 pages of fine print, using a numbering system to indicate the connections between successive generations. This system works very simply by using alternating letters (in this case, h–k) for generations, and numbers (1–8) for the children’s birth order. In this system, the progenitor is “a,” and his children are numbered chronologically as “b1,” “b2,” “b3,” etc. His grandchildren constitute the “c” generation, his great-grandchildren the “d” generation, and so on. He also uses a variety of symbols for brevity: * = born; x = first marriage; xx = second marriage; ÷ = divorced; ≈ = baptized; † = deceased; and numerous other signs.

He had to make many personal calls and undertake extensive travel: visiting cemeteries and the National Archives; consulting South African genealogical records, existing de Jager registers, Voortrekker Progenitors, and church registers; and visiting the Department of Home Affairs - which is officially responsible for the National Population Register - as well as exploring all other possible sources. He did all of this at his own expense, out of a love for the project. From each contact, he expanded his search to that person's family, thereby gaining access to further networks. Various de Jager family members and acquaintances kindly made contributions; some devoted a great deal of time to their specific branches, and lasting friendships were formed. Lou personally told me that the de Jagers with whom he came into contact were invariably friendly people who went out of their way to assist him in his search for other de Jagers known to them.

DE JAGER FAMILY TREE (Lou van Coppenhagen)

· Register Progenitor a1 – Pieter Christiaan de Jager (p. 9 - 702 - dominant), born in the Netherlands 1665/69; arrived at the Cape in 1686 aboard the ship "Bantam", in the service of the VOC. Later a burgher of Paarl. Died 1715 (age 47/50).

· Register Progenitor a2 – Jan de Jager (p. 703), born 1725.

· Register Progenitor a3 – Christiaan de Jager (p. 705), born in Hanover, Germany 1758. Shopkeeper. Died 1821 (age 63).

· Register Progenitor a4 – Johannes de Jager (pp. 707–709), born in Haarlem, Netherlands, on 25 September 1824. Arrived in South Africa in 1890. Died in Johannesburg on 20 January 1891 (age 66).

· Register Progenitor a5 – Jacobus de Jager (p. 711), born in the Netherlands in 1714; arrived in South Africa in 1742.

I found our family listed from pages 521 to 529 - specifically our direct ancestors:

g8 - My grandfather, Cornelius Janse de Jager (known as Kerneels), born in the Hopetown district on 17 June 1866. He moved to Strydenburg in 1893 and farmed in the Niekerkshoop district. Later they farmed at Dronkmodderfontein near Vosburg in the Northern Cape. He passed away in Paarl in 1937 (age 71). On 27 February 1893, he married Anna Susanna Badenhorst (he was 26, she was 18); she was born in the Hopetown district on 18 April 1874 and passed away at Dronkmodderfontein on 29 August 1926 (age 52). They had eight children:

1. Lourens, born 1 January 1894

2. Nicolaas, born 29 June 1895

3. Cornelis Janse, born 15 May 1897

4. Petrus Johannes, born 2 May 1899

5. Susara Johanna, born 1 August 1902

6. Pieter Charl de Bruyn, born 31 May 1904

7. Jurgens Bernardus, born 8 April 1907 – my father

8. Susanna de Bruyn, born 19 November 1912

A rare little family photograph of Grandpa Cornelius and their eight children - with Aunt Susanna on Grandma’s lap when she was likely less than two years old (meaning it was taken around 1914) - has survived, and it is a cherished keepsake for me. Dad would have been seven years old at the time.

In those days, large families were the norm among Afrikaners. Grandma de Jager was born a Badenhorst and was apparently a stern woman, as one can see in the group photo of their family. Mom used to say, based on her own experience, that one should never marry a Badenhorst. Grandpa de Jager was a very gentle-natured man.

He was a wealthy farmer. During the Great Drought of 1915–1920, he purchased a second farm in the Niekerkshoop district for his livestock because locusts had stripped Dronkmodderfontein bare. However, due to the prolonged drought, Grandpa de Jager - like many Afrikaners - was forced out of farming. He faced liquidation and lost all his assets, later living in a humble little cottage in Niekerkshoop. In his later years, he suffered great pain due to bladder cancer. His son Petrus took him by train to Paarl, where Grandpa’s brother, Dr. Andries Lourens de Jager, practiced medicine. He treated him, but Grandpa passed away there two years later, in 1937, at the age of 71.

My father’s brothers were all much older than him and farmed in the Northern Cape (Prieska and Upington areas):

h1 – Lourens de Jager, born 01.01.1894, baptized at the Strydenburg Dutch Reformed Church. Farmed in the Hay district; later owner of the farm "Koedoeshoek," Northern Cape. Died in Upington, 28.03.1965 (age 71). Married in Marydale, 28.06.1920 (he was 26, she was 21) to Helena Margaretha, born 22.04.1899. 7 grandchildren. Died in Upington.

From the pen of their son, Kerneels (16 June 2007):

Lourens purchased "Nota Bene" for £962 from his mother's brother, Nicolaas Johannes Janse Badenhorst. This land is situated in the arid north-west of the Gordonia district, 120 km west of Upington and 15 km east of the Namibian border at Nakop.

At the age of approximately 31, on 11 December 1925, he arrived at the farm on a donkey wagon with his wife, two very young children, and his livestock. Finding a few kudus on the land, he named the farm "Koedoeshoek". While his two children stayed under the wagon's canvas and his wife cooked and prepared meals in a makeshift shelter, he used the wagon and donkeys to haul angular stones from a ravine that was given the fitting name "Klipbreekkloof".

Lacking the funds for cement, he used the farm's red clay as mortar to bind the stones for a house built at the foot of a high, rocky outcrop. He dug a well himself using a pick and shovel, having to use dynamite to blast through the bedrock to reach the necessary depth. They frequently had to trek with their livestock in search of grazing during the dry months. Some of their children - Retha and Susara - were born during these treks. Over time, he divided the farm into 15 livestock camps of varying sizes. There were camps for rams, ewes with udders (nursing ewes), ewes with lambs, ewes with weak lambs, general flocks, dairy cows, horses, and rest camps. Goats were not kept in camps; they do not abide by rules and regulations - much like many children today.

About ten years later, during the Depression years, he received only 4/6 (4 shillings and 6 pence, or approximately 45 cents) per sheep from the Johannesburg abattoirs after the deduction of commission and transport costs. Due to these low prices, he began farming karakul sheep in 1934.

Initially, he had to transport his children by donkey- and horse-drawn cart the 115 km to the nearest school hostel in Keimoes. Despite hardships, droughts, and numerous farming and other challenges, Lourens ensured that his children received a school education, followed by college and university training. During yet another severe drought - a year before his death in 1965 - he wrote to his daughter Retha: "Things look pretty grim, and there’s no sign of rain... this farm has become a prison to me; I sit here cooped up every day. I’ve even tried to work out a plan to slip away quietly... but every animal needs to be fed every day..."

Kerneels writes: I grew up on "Koedoeshoek." Behind my parents' house stands a high, rocky hill. As children, we often scrambled up its slopes. From the shade high beneath the cliff face, we could watch the trains coming and going to and from Upington and S.W.A. That was where we discussed and solved our problems.

During his matric year, his parents reluctantly gave permission for him to take the "Red Oath" (for service within Africa), and as an 18-year-old, he joined the SA Air Force on 4 April 1942. After the African campaign in 1943, his parents refused to approve the "Blue Oath" for overseas service; his father declared: "I cannot bring myself to offer up my only son as cannon fodder for the German Luftwaffe." He completed his military service at air training schools and was discharged after the war in 1945.

After matriculating, he obtained his B.A. degree in 1949 and his B.Ed. in 1965. He became a teacher in Pofadder, married Chris, and built a home there while serving as a teacher and hostel parent (1954); he later held posts at Albertinia High School as a teacher and hostel parent (1956), and at Martin Oosthuizen High School in Kakamas (1962). Principal of Ysterplaat, Cape Town (1964); Principal of Hanover High School (1968); Principal of Garies High School, Namaqualand (1970); Principal of Otto du Plessis High School, Port Elizabeth. He was promoted to Inspector of Education (July 1977) in S.W.A. and lived in Keetmanshoop. In April 1981, he became an Inspector for the Western Cape and lived in Hermanus. He retired in June 1984 and worked as an examination invigilator, census enumerator, and correspondent for "Die Burger" and "Rapport".

In 1973, he inherited the farm "Koedoeshoek" from his mother. He was also a diligent and enthusiastic co-compiler of this section of the de Jager Register. He died in Hermanus before going to church of a heart attack.

His wife, Chris, worked in the Civil Service in Pretoria after matriculating. After her marriage, she held substitute teaching posts in Keetmanshoop. Once the last child had left home, she studied through UNISA and, at the age of 58, obtained a B.A. degree in Biblical Studies and Afrikaans-Dutch.

h2 – Nicolaas de Jager (known as Niklaas), born 29 June 1895, baptized in the Strydenburg Dutch Reformed Church. Farmer at Vollgraaffsicht, Gordonia district - a settlement approximately 90 km from Upington along the Orange River. Died and buried there. Married to Elizabeth Slabbert (known as Lysa), born 1900. 4 grandchildren. Died and buried at Vollgraaffsicht.

h3 – Cornelius Janse de Jager, known as Kerneels, born in Prieska on 15 May 1897, baptized in the Strydenburg Dutch Reformed Church. Farmer on the farm "Swartkop", Gordonia district, and the farm "Albanie", Upington district. Died in Upington on 24 June 1967 (age 70). Married in Prieska in 1932 (he was 35, she was 18) to Francisca Johanna Wilhelmina Kuun, born in Niekerkshoop on 30 July 1914. 4 grandchildren. Died and buried in Upington on 16 July 1990 (age 75).

h4 – Petrus Johannes de Jager, born on the farm "Dronkmodderfontein", between Prieska and Vosburg, on 2 May 1899. Owner of the farm "Retreat", Prieska district. Died of thrombosis in Prieska on 9 September 1979 (age 80) and buried there. Married to Susanna Magdalena Koen, known as Sannie, born on 17 April 1905. 6 grandchildren. Died on 15 May 2007 (age 102).

h5 – Susara Johanna de Jager, born in the Hay district on 1 August 1902. After her husband's death, she lived with her daughter in Port Elizabeth. She passed away there in 1998 (age 96). Married to Willem Francois Maritz, born in the Sutherland district on 22 May 1896. 3 grandchildren. They farmed on the farm "Welgemeend" in the Hay district. He died of double pneumonia at Kimberley Hospital in 1938 (age 42).

h6 – Pieter Charl De Bruyn de Jager, born 31 May 1904. Farmed in the Campbell district. Died in Odendaalsrus on 16 March 1977 (age 72). Married in Kuruman on 7 April 1930 to Johanna Dorethea Sutherland (known as Joey), born in the Kuruman district on 22 February 1905. 4 grandchildren.

h7 – Jurgens Bernardus de Jager, born in Vosburg on 8 April 1907. His uncle, Dr. A.L. de Jager, said my father was too bright to become a farmer. He sent him to Boishaai (Paarl Boys' High School) from Standard 6 to matric, where he was the Dux pupil. He also paid for my father's education at Victoria College (later Stellenbosch University), where he successfully completed two degrees simultaneously over three years: a B.Sc. and a B.Ed. Dad repaid all the money his uncle had lent him.

I believe his first teaching post in Mathematics was in Colesberg, where he met my mother (there was a 10-year age difference between them). He taught her Mathematics. In later years, people said it was not good for a marriage if a teacher married one of his pupils, because it almost inevitably created a teacher-child dynamic that was difficult to unlearn. Dad was apparently a catch among the young women, as he was handsome and an active sportsman with a very strong personality.

After Colesberg, he became a Mathematics teacher at Paarl Boys' High School; in 1943, principal of Darling Secondary School; in 1949, principal of Goudini High School in Rawsonville; and in 1954, a school inspector for the Cape Education Department. He passed away from emphysema in Colesberg on 20 April 1983 (age 76). He married Esther Aletta du Plessis - born in Colesberg on 11 February 1917 - in Stellenbosch in 1938. They had four children. She passed away in Pretoria on 7 June 2002 (age 85).

Timeline of Jurgens Bernardus de Jager (commonly known as JB):

Born 8 April 1907

Sub A (Grade 1) at Vosburg, 1914

Matric at Boishaai, 1922–1926 (Dux pupil)

B.Sc. + B.Ed. Stellenbosch University 1929

Colesberg 1930–1932

Boishaai 1933–1943 (Mathematics teacher)

Boland Tennis Singles Champion 1934

Married 1938 (he was 31, Mom was 21)

Boetie (Cornelius) born 07.10.1939 (died of kidney disease 1946 – age 7)

Boland Tennis Men's Doubles Champion 1941

Hennie born 11.12.1942

Louis born 12.01.1948

Joanie born 19.10.1952

Dad passed away 20.04.1983 (age 76)

· i1 – Cornelius Janse de Jager, known as Boetie, born in Paarl, 07.10.1939. Died of kidney disease in Darling and buried there on 23.12.1946 (age 7).

· i2 – Hendrik Jacob de Jager, known as Hennie, born in Paarl, 11.12.1942. Computer programmer in Stellenbosch, Brackenfell, and Wellington. Retired in 2005; has lived in Wellington since 1989. Married in Caledon on 02.01.1965 (he 22, she 19) to Helena Jacomina du Toit, known as Heléne, born in Caledon, 06.04.1945. Divorced 1974. Second marriage at "Uitkyk", Wolmaranstad district, on 08.04.1978 (he 35, she 30) to Catharina Maria Coertze, known as Rinie, born 15.02.1948, daughter of Stephanus Francois Coertze, born Wolmaranstad 02.07.1909, died of stomach cancer in Wolmaranstad 28.01.1986 (age 76) and Hendrika Christina Roos, born Rustenburg, 25.06.1915. Rinie's 1st marriage was to Mauritius Arnoldus Myburgh; daughter Hendrika Christina Myburgh, known as Tania, born 24.08.1972, died of a heart attack 01.02.2017 (age 44).

From the first marriage of Hendrik Jacob de Jager to Helena du Toit:

j1 – Jurgen Heine de Jager, born Pretoria, 26.05.1967; living in Johannesburg in 2017. Married in Stellenbosch on 23.12.2009          to Verna du Plooy, born Cape Town 06.07.1959. Marriage childless.

From the second marriage of Hendrik Jacob de Jager to Catharina Coertze:

j2 – Christiaan Francois de Jager, born Bellville, 20.01.1980. Married on 16.12.2009 to Alida Rheeders, born 07.03.1988.

k1 – Daniël Hendrik de Jager, born 11.03.2015, Johannesburg.

k2 – Lisa de Jager, born 04.10.2018, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

j3 – Marinus Louis de Jager, born Bellville, 08.01.1982; married to Frieda-Marie Theron, born in Windhoek.

k1 – Bernhard Francois de Jager, born Kuils River,                   21.12.2016.

• i3 – Jurgens Louis de Jager, known as Louis, born Darling, 12.01.1948. Owner of Car Electric Centre in Cape Town, motor racing driver; later managed a night shelter in Elsies River, Cape Town. Married in Cape Town, 01.12.1972, to Moira Floris Stephan, born Claremont, Cape Town, 12.09.1933. Secretary, daughter of Frank Stephan & Mary Rudolph. The marriage is childless.

• i4 – Johanna Christina de Jager, known as Joanie, born Rawsonville, 19.10.1952. Married in Bloemfontein, 11.11.1975, to Dr Cornelius Johannes Bongers, born Johannesburg, 22.12.1949. Anaesthetist in Pretoria. Son of Eldert Bongers (born Netherlands, 13.08.1918, arrived in S.A. 11.11.1937; married in Johannesburg on 16.10.1948 to Florence Beala de Flamingh, born 05.02.1920).

• j1 – Estea Bongers, born Klerksdorp, 16.10.1977. Dentist; married Johan Volschenk (born 13.02.1975) in Clarens on 30.11.2002. j2 – Ilse Bongers, born in Klerksdorp on 26.02.1979. ICU nurse. j3 – Karin Bongers, born in Pretoria on 24.06.1982. Actuary.

h8 – Susanna de Bruyn de Jager, born in the Prieska district on 19.11.1912; died in Georginia, Roodepoort, in August 1976 (age 63). Married Salomon van Rooyen (born 12.12.1904). One grandchild. Died at Ontdekkers Hospital, Roodepoort, in 1957 (age 53).

i1 – Cornelius Janse de Jager (Boetie), and myself - i2 - Hendrik Jacob de Jager (Hennie) - were both born in Paarl. Dad was a mathematics teacher at Boishaai. In 1943, when I was six months old, Dad accepted the position of principal at Darling Secondary School. He was 36 years old at the time. Throughout his life, he believed that one should use one’s potential to always strive for something better. Boetie suffered from an incurable kidney ailment. Mom later told me that he always had to carry a small bottle in his pocket because he had no control over his bladder.

All I have of him are a few small photographs (5x8 cm and 8x13 cm - the size commonly printed back then), mounted with corner tabs in a small album with black pages. They were taken with a Kodak Brownie camera. I gather that printing larger photos was expensive. There is one 15x20 cm studio portrait of our family - Dad, Mom, Boetie, and myself (I would have been about three or four years old at the time, around 1945 - 46). Everything was in black and white. From about 1970 onwards, standard "Jumbo" prints were 5x10 cm and in color. We amassed numerous photo albums; some photos were even quite large, approaching A4 size.

With the advent of mobile phones and the ability to store thousands of photos for free - viewable instantly with the swipe of a finger - standard cameras have slowly died out for everyone except enthusiasts. After all, given the incredible image clarity of today’s affordable phones that fit in your pocket, there is no longer any need to lug around heavy, bulky cameras - which also pose a theft risk when traveling.

Due to his illness, my little brother was often bedridden. One day, when Dad and Mom were away from home, he said he felt like having some bottled peaches. Back then, most women preserved fruit in Consol glass jars. I went to the pantry and must have stood on a chair to retrieve one of those small, squat jars from the shelf. I cannot recall any further details, but the jar didn't break, and my brother must have managed to unscrew the lid. I have no memory of actually eating them. I must have been three years old. It is likely the sheer boldness of the act secured it the permanent first spot in my memory. It is the earliest memory I have, and I think the reason it stuck in my mind was that I did it for someone else.

Boetie passed away on 23 December 1946, thirteen days after my fourth birthday. He was just over seven years and two months old. It was a terrible blow for Dad, and - being a man of deep feeling - he mourned the loss for a very long time. Eventually, Mom said to him one day: “One doesn’t live with the dead.” I can imagine how deeply that shocked him; it certainly caused great strain in their relationship. Many years later, Dad said to me: “If Boetie were alive today, the doctors could have cured him, but back then his condition was incurable.” Boetie was buried in the Darling cemetery, among the graves of other children. Dad had his headstone made of light-grey marble, with the top corner broken off - symbolizing a young life cut short. At the bottom were Dad’s words: “Until we meet again, Boetie.” Whenever we drove past, we would always stop and visit his grave. Generally, the municipality keeps the cemetery clear of weeds.

Dad was a mathematics teacher at Boishaai from 1933 to 1943. By nature, he was always someone who gave his best. During his years there, G.O. Neser was the science teacher, who authored the Physical Science and Chemistry textbooks that were the most widely used in South African high schools from the 1930s through the 1970s. Dad used to say they often competed to see who could achieve the best results for their students.

Dad had a knack for explaining complex concepts simply. I remember one day when Louis - who could be a difficult person at times - was about sixteen and told Dad in frustration that he simply could not grasp a particular math problem. Dad, who was already nearly sixty at the time, told Louis to bring his books. Louis said that within moments the problem became crystal clear to him; that is how clearly Dad could still explain things after all those years. It was in his nature, and that is why he was such a good teacher.

Dad loved sport. He was a member of Boishaai’s first hockey team in 1934 and 1936, the year they won the Keyter Cup. He also played rugby and tennis and coached senior school teams. He was the Boland singles tennis champion in 1934 and the Boland men’s doubles champion in 1941 - achievements to be proud of. Yet, I cannot recall him ever boasting about his accomplishments. Before television arrived in South Africa in 1976, I often watched him - while listening to radio broadcasts of rugby matches - sketch a rugby field on an A4 sheet of paper, complete with touchlines, the halfway line, the 22-metre lines, and the goal lines. As Gerhard Viviers ("Spiekeries") described the flow of the game during the 1950s and 1960s, Dad would move his pencil back and forth across the field to better track where the action was taking place. It was fascinating to watch him, completely engrossed in the game, as if he were right there.

He served as an Inspector of Schools in various regions of the Cape Province: Barkly West (9 months), Umtata (6 months), Cradock (6 years), Hermanus (2 years), De Aar (4 years), and Worcester (3 years), where he retired at the age of 64, due to ill health. Because he had to visit every school in his circuit - often spanning more than 250 km - he was inevitably away from home for long periods. I recall that during my high school years in Cradock, he would take a nap after Sunday lunch and then, around 3:30 p.m. (after tea), drive to the school he was scheduled to visit the following Monday morning. He would regularly walk in with the principal at eight o'clock. His inspections lasted until Friday; he would then drive home, arriving around five o'clock, and first listen to the stock market prices on the car radio. On Saturdays, he would type up a lengthy report from his handwritten notes and mail it to the Department of Education in Wale Street, Cape Town. Distances in the Karoo are vast: from Cradock to Middelburg is 100 km; Tarkastad 80 km; Graaff-Reinet 137 km; Burgersdorp 176 km; Somerset East 106 km; Bedford 85 km; Hofmeyr 64 km; Steynsburg 109 km - all towns where he had to inspect schools. Consequently, he spent a great deal of time on the road - much of which consisted of dirt roads back then. He was a strict man, yet one capable of compassion. Mom told me that some teachers worshipped the very ground he walked on (those who performed their duties conscientiously), while others were terrified of him, specifically those who did their work sluggishly. He would give the latter a thorough dressing-down.

As I write this today, I feel deeply sorry that his work required him to be away from his family for such long periods. This inevitably affected the closeness of our relationship, as he noted in a long letter dated 23 August 1977: “I often had to be away from home for extended periods... all of this gradually led to a growing distance between me and those closest to my heart.”

He struggled for many years with asthma, and later emphysema - the condition that claimed his life in Colesberg, where he and my mother spent his final years. I believe the root cause was that he was a man who lived under constant tension. Even when he was younger and serving as a school principal, he smoked up to 60 cigarettes a day, because it was believed at the time that doing so had a calming effect (something now considered an illusion).

Because the relationship between him and Mom was often strained - something I find tragic today - they moved from Colesberg, where he had retired, to Parys so that Mom could be near Joanie (who was living in Klerksdorp at the time). He was very lonely there. In our regular correspondence - I cherish all his letters like precious keepsakes - he wrote: “Please don’t let me be buried here in Parys; I don’t know anyone here. I long to be buried in Colesberg, where I spent some of the happiest years of my long career in education.”

Later, they moved back to Colesberg and settled at 9 D’Urban Row. He wrote that it was sometimes truly quiet there at night. His hearing had always been exceptionally sharp - a fact that led to a stinging slap he gave me when, during my Standard 9 year, I was very defiant towards him one Sunday while he was taking his afternoon nap.

He passed away in the Colesberg Hospital on 20 April 1983, twelve days after turning 76, and was buried in the local cemetery. His and Mom’s graves are lined with brickwork, and their headstones are flat slabs of black marble, just as he had requested. Two years after his death, Mom moved to Huis Herfsblaar, a retirement village in Queenswood, Pretoria, to be close to Joanie (who had meanwhile also moved to Waterkloof, Pretoria). Mom passed away there seventeen years later, on 7 June 2002, at the age of 85. She was cremated, and her ashes were buried next to Dad’s grave. Avbob inscribed the date of her passing on her headstone.

Oh, for what might have been…