Ouma Magdalena Lategan (geb Beneke) |
Dear Buddy and Friends,
Many a time I will end my letter with a photograph of a little boy sitting on a chair. I had some questions about this boy I'm including in my letters. Now for those who didn't recognize the dude, it's me when I was young, very young! Now there is a history concerning this photo. I've been at boarding school in the town of Oudtshoorn and attended the Primary school of Van Rheede. I had a Grandma living in Oudtshoorn, but she wasn't my real blood Grandma. She was the second wife of my Oupa Hans. His first wife died years back and he remarried a Scottish English speaking woman that was a nurse in town. She was Grace Hops and she lived there with her one sister and a brother that was a surveyor that had retired at that stage. So my real Ouma I never knew, I only knew this English speaking Ouma. In 1961 our country changed from a Union of the British Commonwealth to an independent Republic. Our currency also had to change from pounds shillings and pence to the new South African currency Rand and cents. After this change over of the currency, Pounds were still acceptable as a currency for a year or so. The old folk hardly used banks and they had a trunk in their homes where they kept some money. I guess they had big amounts in banks as fixed deposits, but the daily money was kept in boxes and trunks under the beds.
My Ouma's home was close to the school I attend and many a time I walked there to visit, before going back to the boarding school. One day my Ouma told me she still had a pound note in her possession and want to have it spent before it was no longer legal tender. She wants me to have it, but I must have a photograph taken of me that I can give to my parents as a present and she also wants a copy. Across the street from her home was a photo studio that was owned by another Scottish dude, a Mister Gibson. She organized everything with him, I must just go there for the picture and pay him the one pound for the photos. So, one day I came around, got the money from her and walked over the street for the photograph to be taken. He was a huge man with a belly that entered a room before he himself walked through. He made me sit, got his camera ready and took the photo. Now in those days, films had to be developed and then go through a couple of chemicals before the picture appeared. Then when it was dry enough it was stuck to a backboard and only then you could have it. So, I couldn't get it that same day, I had to come back another day to fetch it. That was 1961, I was in standard 3, there were no grades at that stage in school, but it would have been grade 5 in nowadays terms. I was 9 years old at that stage. I can still remember this whole episode to the finest detail, my Ouma, her sister Aunt Aggie and brother Uncle Herbert and Mister Arthur Gibson with his huge belly!
Many years ago when we were still on the move from this place to that place this old picture came out of a box. I grabbed it and treasured it and took a digital photo of it, so I can have it on my computer. I still have the original photo in some drawer in the house. Funny how certain things can stick in your mind. I love the photo and treasure it! So when you see the photo at the ending of a letter, remember there is a story behind it. My Ouma wanted to have her money's worth so it won't be rejected because a new currency was at the order of the day. It was a huge old dude that took the photo and in the end, it was a present for my parents. This photo costs only One Pound and if you must relay it to today's exchange rate it would have been R 17.00!
Love to Y'all,
Ole' Joe.
(Johann se brief aan vriende in die VSA waar hy vir 'n geruime tyd gewerk het)
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Met my dogter en haar aanstaande se gradeplegtigheid. Sy het die maatskaplike graad met Honeurs
gekry en Jaco sy Chemiese Ingenieurs graad.
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Baie lank gelede was ons twee op 'n "Fancy Dress" partytjie en die tema was die Gatsby era! |
Willem le Roux, Riana en Johann Mulder |
Ek en Riana in Amerika toe sy vir my kom kuier het! Kersfees van 2001! |
Daars 'n wyn genaamd Four cousins! Wel, hier is 'n foto van five Cousins! Agter: Johann Mulder, Burgert le Roux Voor: Pietie le Roux, Danie Lategan, Danie Grundling |
Die Foto noem ek "When the going gets tough, the tough get going"
Jurgens in Amerika toe hy met sy bakkie van die pad gegly het in die sneeu!
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As mens na die verskillende uitbeeldings in die wapen kyk sal mens seker kan sê die Byekorf verteenwoordig die fluksheid van die Mulders, hulle was soos bye altyd werksaam. Die stêr verteenwoordig seker dat hulle almal dromers was met stêrre in hul oë, en die kanon weerspieël seker die kort-van-draadgeid van die lot Mulders! Hulle het maklik oorlog gemaak! Dis hoe ek dit interpreteer, miskien beteken dit iets heeltemal anders!
Johann Mulder
7 Vrede Circle,
STRAND 7140,
Western Cape Province,
Rep of South Africa.
Telephone +27(0)21-8547441
Cell +27(0)833102020
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Johann en Riana Mulder op hulle troudag
Bietjie ander inligting:
Troudag was 18 Desember 1976 om 5 nm
in die NG Kerk Stellenbosch.
Ds. was Riana se broer Dr. Jurgens Hendriks.
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Die twee ouerpare |