Who were they?

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sophie Pienaar: 35

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19700604&id=eAkyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tpADAAAAIBAJ&pg=1888,591377 Sophie Pienaar (born Smit) - born on 5 dec 1927 in Morreesburg. Springbok Netball 1967. Husband - Louis, Son - Wessel. East London.
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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Survived: around 6 months on the Ascension Islands Leendert Hasenbosch was a Dutch soldier who went aboard a VOC-ship as the bookkeeper. After the ship made a stop at Cape Town in 1725 he was sentenced for sodomy and set ashore on Ascension Island. He was given a tent and the amount of water for about a month, some seeds, a bible, clothing and writing materials. Hasenbosch survived by eating sea turtles and seabirds as well as drinking his own urine. It is believed he probably died in a terrible condition after about six months. Leendert Hasenbosch wrote a diary that was found by British mariners in 1726 who brought the diary back to Britain. The diary was rewritten and published a number of times. from:http://listverse.com/2008/10/06/10-incredible-real-life-castaway-tales/

Monday, May 28, 2012

Mr Stratford of Waverly stores in Beach Road Nahoon 33

Mr Stratford of Waverly stores in Beach Road Nahoon East London. They stayed in a flat above the shop. Every second Wednesday I delivered flowers to them (1957). They were an old(?) English couple that ran the grocery store. They still measured out by weight the rice, sugar and other items. They ran a tab system for their clients and even had a home delivery system. They closed after a place called "Super Valu" opened a supermarket type shop and they in turn closed when "pick and pay" started trading on Main Reef road. Hugh Huggett had the pharmacy next door, Lorwins the habedashery, then there was Englers hardware store (they owned a plot with a dam just behind the shops) and the Fruit and veg shop (Fruitshop - remember the blind man that served one there?)and a cafe (for a short time there was a take away called the Golden Oriel. Salon petite was the hairdresser (Mrs Beaurain. The Van Heerdens lived in the corner of beach road and Drake Rd (after the Gurkeys) lived there. We stayed in no 47 Drake Rd on the corner of Stanmore RD - next to the Clelands (Joan and Elaine Cleland)First eard Elivi on Elaine's Teppaz Bambino record player!.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Anna Steenkamp 32

Anna Steenkamp, Retief's niece, made a statement that that slaves had been 'placed on an equal footing with Christians - and that is believed by many being the reason for the Great Trek. This view is however limited. The main reason for the Trek was Socio-political and economic.

A resonable (abbreviated history can be found here: www.voortrekker-history.co.za/early_history.php

One can say that The Great Trek was precipitated by a series of events and the fealing that "they were regarded as a subject and inferior race … [The] feeling of bitterness became so intense that about the year 1836 large numbers of individuals determined to leave forever the Colony and the homes which they had created.’

The causes of the trek were complex but can be summarised in a single sentence. The trekkers left because of a lack of land, labour and security, which they felt unable to address due to a lack of representation, giving rise to a profound sense of marginalisation. http://newhistory.co.za/part-1-chapter-3-the-great-trek-why-they-left/

> http://www.klipbokkop.co.za/logisticalsupport/groot-trek-175.html

A documentary on the epic 4x4 commemorative journey was aired on KykNet. The trip could also be followed online at www.fak.org.za, www.klipbokkop.co.za, as well as on www.kyknet.co.za, www.weg.co.za, www.wegry.co.za, www.rapportinrat.co.za en www.caravansa.co.za. For more information about the commemorative 4x4 “trek”, please contact Gerhard Groenewald at info@kbkm.co.za or on tel. 082 4116998.

Anna Steenkamp, die niggie van Pieter Retief, het in 1837 die Kaapkolonie verlaat. Voor haar dood het sy ’n dagboek vir haar kinders en kleinkinders gehou waarin sy die verhaal vertel het van die verskriklike ontberings wat hulle tydens die trek beleef het. In haar wakis was ’n sakkie met akkers. Na die trek het Anna Steenkamp haar op die plaas Groenvlei, naby Lindley in die Vrystaat, gevestig. Daar het sy die sakkie akkers geplant wat vanaf die Kaapkolonie saam met haar getrek het. Twee reusebome het opgekom. Van die een boom wat omgeval het, is ’n nagmaaltafel en stoele gemaak wat vandag in een van Lindley se kerke staan. Onder die skadu van Anna se akkerboom word die Gelofte al meer as ’n 100 jaar gevier. Die plaas Groenvlei is een van die oudste plase in die Vrystaat.

http://www.afrikanergeskiedenis.co.za/groot-trek/monumente-en-erfenisterreine/anna-steenkamp-se-akkerboom-en-graf-lindley/

Friday, November 18, 2011

Kallie Knoetze 31

Kallie Knoetze, legendary South African heavyweight boxer of a few decades back.

He was a sportswriter's dream because of his big mouth, spouting vociferous comment on how he was going to "maul" his opponent before the big fight.

Kallie was sitting next to the hospital bed of his close friend, big Mike Schutte, a heavyweight legend in his own right, in and out of the ring, but now in Pretoria Academic Hospital for a heart condition.

Mike Schutte 30

Mike Schutte dies...
Mike Schutte's final round
15/07/2008 10:33 - (SA)

Sonja van Buul, Beeld

Johannesburg - Shortly after his friend put him to bed and covered his feet, the legendary Mike (The Tank) Schutte, 57, breathed his last.

Jurg Basson was the last person who spoke with the boxing hero and funny man.

"With the words: 'Ek laaik jou style' (I like your style) and 'Sien jou m?re' (See you tomorrow) Mike said goodbye to me," said Basson just hours after Schutte's death.

Schutte died on Monday morning in the Emfuleni Medi-Clinic due to liver failure, thrombosis and an enlarged heart.

"Schutte was admitted to hospital on Saturday afternoon and he died at about 04:00 yesterday morning," confirmed Joe Sandows, the hospital manager.

Battled with his health

Schutte's brother, Pieter, 55, a businessman from Vanderbijlpark, told with tears in his eyes how Mike had battled with his health over the last five years.

"On Saturday, a friend, Susan Holloway, contacted me and said Michael (Mike) did not look well."

Pieter drove to the house of his other brother Ernst, 62, where the former boxing champ stayed in a flat.

"Michael sat like a boxer with a towel over his head and was too weak to stand up," said Pieter.

Pieter said Mike asked him to only take him to hospital the following day as he had not yet had time to take a bath. "Michael struggled to speak and we decided to rather take him immediately," he said.

Pieter helped Mike to put on his shoes and went outside to try and control his emotions. "Michael looked so terrible and I didn't want him to see that I was crying."

Pieter said people often commented on how alike the brothers looked. "Michael always said he looked like that because of the boxing and then he wanted to know what my excuse was," he laughed.

'Fought hard and partied just as hard'

The former SA heavyweight boxing champ on Saturday night said goodbye to his daughter Dalene Doubell, 33, of Randburg and thanked Pieter for his help.

"Our parents died during our childhood and Mike looked after me. Later in life it was my turn to look after him and to nag him relentlessly to look after his health better," said Pieter.

According to him, his brother "fought hard and partied just as hard".

Schutte will be remembered for his sometimes-fierce fights against opponents like Jimmy Richards and later Kallie Knoetze and Gerrie Coetzee.

Mike's son, Pieter, 35, was on his way to the Vaal Triangle from Kuruman in the Northern Cape.

Mike is survived by another brother John, 63, and a sister Edelweis, 53.

Until recently, Mike worked as a store man and buyer at Pieter's business. "It is sad that people so often saw the wrong side of Michael. He was a considerate and determined man and in his heart, he was a good person," said Pieter.

Mike will be buried on Wednesday at the NG Church Driehoek at 42 Macowen Street at 14:00.

Jimmy Abbott 29