Nr. 3: June 2014

From the editor:

Warm Greetings!

For those of us who live on the Highveld of South Africa winter tends to be very brown and dull and VERY chilly - especially early mornings!

With our 3rd edition of our Newsletter we hope to bring some warmth into your world by sharing two stories from the past that are bound to touch you. The stories are very different and offer an insight into the world that that was HS van der Walt. The stories are told by the girls themselves in their own words and have only been edited with regards spelling and punctuation - which makes the sharing experience all the more poignant.

Keep warm!

If you would like to submit your story for publication, send it to hsvanderwalthighschool@gmail.com.

DASSIELAND MEMOIRS:

Martie (Viljoen) Knoetze

Martie (Viljoen) Knoetze
Nerina 1980 - 1982

Goed, ek is in Vereeniging op 21 Januarie 1965 gebore. Ek het grootgeword op plotte buite Meyerton; dit is nou Riversdal plotte. My ouers is uitmekaar toe ek 10 jaar oud was. Ons (dis nou ek en my 4 broers) was in ‘n koshuis geplaas. Omdat nie een van my ouers kon betaal nie, was ons toe weer uitgehaal en is ons tussen familie rondgestuur. My pa het my broers by hom gehou, maar ek het geswerf van een familielid na 'n ander; van een van my ouers se vriende na 'n ander. Niemand het eintlik die finansies gehad om na my om te sien nie; daarom wat ek so rondgegooi was.

Vandat ek maar kan onthou het my ooms my gemolesteer! Dit was nie vir my snaaks nie, want dit het net altyd gebeur. Ek kan onthou dat ek wel een keer daaroor gepraat het, maar die grootmense het gesê dat ek te groot is vir my skoene, en nie sulke goed mag sê nie. Ek kan onthou hoe seer als was, maar het gedink dit hoort so omdat daar so baie van hulle was, en dat ek as kind maar net moes stilbly.

Die einde van my standerd 6 jaar het ek 'n outjie ontmoet wat toe in die weermag was. Ek het tot my ore toe verliefgeraak, en omdat seks vir my normaal was, het ek nie omgegee dat hy met my maak wat hy wou nie. Ek het wel toe besluit dat geeneen van die ooms weer aan my sal raak nie!

Ek het op daardie stadium by my tannie gebly; aan die begin van die jaar nog vir die eerste kwartaal. Dit is toe ek begin siek word het en die hele tyd opgegooi het. My ma is toe gevra om my te kom haal; sy het darem toe weer 'n plekkie gehad waar ek saam met haar en haar kêrel kon bly.

Dit was lekker by my ma, maar hulle het die hele tyd dwelms gebruik en dit was iets wat ek baie teen

was. Ek het siek gebly. Geld vir doktors was daar nie, so ek moes net aangaan sonder om ondersoek te word.

My ma was wel in die hospitaal opgeneem en het 'n operasie ondergaan. Ek moes by haar kêrel in die huis agterbly. Hy het my probeer verkrag en ek het weggehardloop na bure toe. Ek het wel vir my ma gaan se daarvan. Sy het haarself uit die hospitaal geboek en huistoe gegaan. Dié aand het sy my na die bure gestuur - ek weet net dat sy hom toe met 'n mes gewond het; nie ernstig nie want hy was nie eens hospitaal toe nie. Toe het hy gewyer dat ek verder daar bly.

Ek het die volgende oggend na die welsynkantoor om die hoek gegaan en vir hulp gevra want ek wou baie graag my skool loopbaan klaarmaak. Die hofsaak was vinnig verby; my pa en ma het toestemming gegee dat ek in pleegsorg geplaas word tot ek by H.S ingedeel sou word. Ek was in pleegsorg by ons bure waar drank ook maar prioriteit was.

Die 20ste Oktober 1979 het ek die Saterdagoggend wakker geword met vreeslike pyn in my rug en maag ek het die huismense probeer vra vir hulp, maar hulle was nogsteeds gedrink van hulle partytjie die vorige aand. Ek het na die winkel geloop oor die straat en die vrou het vir my ‘n ambulans gebel. Die Dr. By die hospitaal het my baie kortaf behandel, en toe ek vra wat verkeerd is, was sy woorde "As jy jou soos 'n grootmens gedra moet jy die gevolge van 'n groot mens dra. Jy weet jy kry n baba."

Die hospitaal welsyn het my ma probeer in die hande kry, maar niemand was beskikbaar nie. Die welsyn waaronder ek geval het, het gese ek moet daar by die hospitaal bly tot hulle daar opdaag. Ek het my ma en tannie die Maandag gesien voor die welsyn daar was. Almal wou toe my baba vir hulle hê en wou hom grootmaak.

Die welsyn het toe gesê dat ons nou 'n probleem het, want ek het geweier dat hulle die baba vat. Ek was weer in pleegsorg geplaas by ander pleegouers wat mooi na my en die baba gekyk het. Ek het my standerd 7 in Brakpan voltooi en steeds gewag om H.S toe te gaan.

Martie (16)
at HS van der Walt

Die welsyn moes my baba registreer en 'n plek vir hom kry terwyl ek my skool sou klaarmaak. Eers in Maart 1980 het hulle ons kom haal; vir my na H.S laat gaan en hy was in Andrew Murray kinderhuis geplaas.

Die skool was vir my 'n wonderlike plek; ek het by al die reels gehou omdat die belofte daar was dat ek my kind kon terugkry as ek matriek maak. Als was wonderlik!

Ek het my man einde 1981 ontmoet - Desember vakansie. Ek is Januarie (terug) skool toe. Met 'n skok het ek besef ons koshuismoeder was nou iemand anders (ek weet vandag nog nie wat haar naam of van was nie). Sy het geweier om my briewe vir my te gee; het gese "die man wat vir jou skryf is n krimineel."

In die Februarie moes ek hoor dat die welsyn en die hof besluit het dat my kind aangeneem kan word, en dat ek en my ouers geen sê het nie. Hy was klaar weg en ek mag nooit navraag gedoen het nie.

Ek was gebreek! Ek het nie sin gesien om verder te probeer nie; ek het toe weggeloop. Ek is nogsteeds met my man getroud. Nou al vir 31 jaar soek ek na my seun, maar ek glo dat ek hom op die regte tyd sal vind!

Edited by Billi du Preez

(VANDAG: Martie huisvrou wat baie lief is vir lees en puzzles bou. Sy het 4 kinders and 4 kleinkinders.)

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DASSIELAND MEMOIRS:

 Shandy Marcus Lowe

Shandy (Marcus) Lowe
Nerina 1974 -1976

15 years old. Arrived at AM on a freezing winter mourning. Up until that day I had known love, happiness, poverty hunger and violence. My world was tiny and so was I. The school was beautiful with a few faces peering through the bars on the windows at me. I was placed in Hostel 4. There were 5 hostels. Luckily for me, the School Head Girl, Bernadette Scott, took me under her wing. The first few months were hard. I was far from family, had no friends. My overriding emotion was fear but I hid that well, knowing I had to be strong.

Discipline was the order of the day and our Matron knew how to enforce that. I respected and feared her. Rules and order worked for me. They made me feel safe:-) Our "Juffrou" who cooked for us was our mother figure and she was dearly loved. We all had duties which were rotated. I will never forget the 1st time I had to apply polish to a loooong tiled passage, skivvy off the dry polish with steel wool, sweep up the dry polish then shine with an electric polisher that seemed to weigh 10 times more than me. Thought I would die!! Ha!

Our letters were read by Matron before being sent off. She soon got tired of reading mine because all I wrote home about was the food. My tummy was always full - couldn't believe it.

Our class numbers were small. Each girl received all the individual help she needed and our teachers were the best and always fair. Discipline could be harsh and swift for those who failed to follow the rules or were disrespectful. There were an assortment of punishments including having your hands beaten with a double ruler or a plank named 'MOSES'!!! You saw your "Moses"when you met "Moses":-) Also had the normal detention and the removal of privileges. LOCK-UP was reserved for serious offences like pupils who beat on the staff or pupils who ran away from school. That was a horrible punishment, affected everyone in a negative way and achieved nothing.

We were allowed to go into town twice a month. R5.00 was enough to buy all my toiletries ha-ha. Bioscope was allowed if you could afford to go on a Saturday. Church was a 'have to' on a Sunday. Full school uniforms had to be worn and we went out in groups. 

My love for the World of Theatre began at H.S. We were taken to the Nico Malan and outdoor theatres. Wonderful, fantastic!! One of my favorite outings was a hike up and down Table Mountain. The view??WOW !! Sports was very important and we did very well against other schools, some of whom, feared us. We were a little rough and a little crazy:-)  We were blessed to have beautiful sports facilities including a athletic track, tennis courts and a pool. 

Sadly, I remember the day we had a Open School Day and a small child wandered off and drowned in the pool. A very sad memory indeed. The staff did their best to keep us occupied. Many activities like disco parties, beauty competitions, variety concerts, beech outings and bazaars were arranged for us. We even created a haunted house which was really scary.

Foil-Art by Shandy

Failing was almost impossible because of all the study time which we had to do in the classrooms, outside of school hours.  My Matric Farewell Dance Party was a blast. I had a blind date who turned out to be a gay guy but he was a doll and we had a terrific evening. Looking back I think that we were a pretty nice group of girls. We faced more challenges than most but we persevered in spite of difficulties. Fights flared up now and again and we had our bullies. All pretty normal stuff:-)  To help to keep peace among us we wrote each other "Spookie" letters. You wouldn't know who the letter came from but it would always be uplifting. That was the objective of the "Spookie" letters.

H.S. and the girls who became my family, remain part of whom I am today. The lessons learned, the gratitude and love for my school, my "chommies" and my brave, patient teaches REMAIN!!!:-)

P.S. The first thing my 36 year old son did upon completing his education was to go from E.L. to Paarl to see H.S. for himself after listening to me speaking about it for 18 years. Upon his return he said 'don't  go back mom, it will break your heart'.
Confession: Mr Swarts :    His beautiful smile made my knees buckle:-)

Edited by Cher Manning

(TODAY: Shandy is a widow 7 years after being married for 30 years, has a son aged 36 and enjoys mosaic, crochet and foil-art)

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Dassies Gauteng Get-Together: Saturday 10th May 2014

From Left to right: Maryna (Coetzee) Ontong, Rina (Bredenhomm) Coetzee, Cathy (Prinsloo) de Jesus, Beverly (Botha)  James, Susan (Marais) Hammel, Cher (Manning) Cahn, Martie (Viljoen)  Knoetze

Did anyone else notice how they all seem to be dressed in shades of purple and pink?_________________________________________________________________

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