Sarah Ockhuis – Onthouers | Rememberers
Sarah Ockhuis was born and raised in Algeria and attended school in Clanwilliam until grade 7. She describes the past as being difficult and very different, and her parents telling of tougher times working hard to earn a living.
Sarah Ockhuis speaks about how life was in Algeria when she was growing up, her parents living in a thatch-roof house that got very cold in winter, the games they played as children, and New Year’s celebrations.
Sarah Ockhuis is married with four children – three boys and a girl. She was born and raised in Algeria and attended school there. She went to Clanwilliam to complete school until grade 7, after which her parents could not afford for her to attend any longer. These were difficult years, as her father was retrenched from working for Forestry and her mother worked on the farms. The forestry department did not allow children to live with their parents if the children did not work, so Sarah moved to Cape Town to work. They lived in a thatch-roofed house that got very cold in Algeria. The shops were far away and it was difficult to buy groceries, but Sarah says God was there for them. Her childhood was fun – they played games such as hockey, jump rope and hide and seek. The times were very different from today and a lot tougher. Her parents also told her stories of their difficult years growing up and working. Over New Year’s they would dance until the sun came up.
I give permission, I give permission that I can speak on the radio. My name is Sarah Ockhuis, I am married, four children have been born out of my marriage, one girl and three boys. I grew up in Algeria, I was born here, I went to school here. Later I was transferred to Clanwilliam to the secondary school, where I advanced up to Grade seven, After that I couldn’t go and study further, because it was difficult years. My father, he didn’t work, he was ill, he was discharged from Forestry, those years it was Forestry, not Nature Conservation and my mother, then had to go work amongst the farmers. Those years. They couldn’t let me go and study. And I had to go work, because those years we couldn’t live with our parents. Those years were in the apartheid years, it was difficult years. I had to go work, I went to work in the Cape, I wasn’t allowed to sit with my parents without working. There I went to work for a certain time and then came back again. Then I lived with my parents, I couldn’t live with them for long, then the current forester that was here those years came to say that we may not live with our parents, we have to go and work. Then my father went to look for another place where we could live, but during that time my brother-in-law was working here and he intervened and went to speak to Gordon (?? 02:01), he gave permission that my father and my mother can remain again.
We lived in a reed roofed house. It was quite cold and it was difficult. We had to walk far to the nearest shop. They had to walk far to the nearest shop to buy food for themselves to put on the table for us, but the Lord carried us through.
Interviewer: Say now, tell us a bit how tant Sarah played, which games at the schools, and so forth.
We went to school nicely here in Algeria. We played hide-and-seek, we jumped rope and we played, uhh, hockey and rotten egg, as it was called those years. Those kind of games we played at school.
Interviewer: Tant Sarah, tell us about tant Sarah’s father and mother and then, where did they live, became?
My father and them also lived here in Algeria, the name of the place was Withoogte. There they lived. We could, they couldn’t live there any longer, because there were other houses here into which they had to move. My son, ag, my father’s son took over, he got a house from Forestry and he, later we went to live with him, my parents.
Interviewer: How does that time differ from today’s life?
The life of that time differs a lot from today’s life, I could see, those years it was very difficult, it was not like today, like today’s children grow up. It was difficult years. It differs a lot from today’s life.
Interviewer: Can Ant Sarah maybe remember stories that they told in that time? Ant Sarah’s mother and them, or so….? Remember any stories?
Yes, my mother and them always told us, how difficult it was for them. They told us how they suffered and how far they had to walk. They couldn’t go to school, because they lived too far away from the school. My parents couldn’t read and write, and we just also, uhh, they made fire flat on the ground and baked bread in pots. It was not like today, that we have stoves. They had outside ovens in which they baked bread.
Interviewer: How was it that time over New Year and Christmas?
That time’s New Years, what I can remember, was not like the one’s of today. The people danced through until the morning and they, Christmas they sang songs, carols, but the old, the New-, the Old Years Day they danced into the New Year into. Those years. That I can remember.
Sarah Ockhuis is op Algeria gebore en getoë en het graad 7 op Clanwilliam voltooi. Sy beskryf die verlede as moeilik en baie anders. Haar ouers het haar vertel hoe swaar hulle gekry het en hoe hard hulle moes werk om ’n lewe te maak.
Sarah vertel hoe dit was om op Algeria groot te word. Haar ouers het in ’n rietdakhuis gewoon wat in die winter verskriklik koud was. Sy vertel ook van die speletjies wat hulle as kinders gespeel het, en hoe hulle Nuwejaar gevier het.
Sarah Ockhuis is getroud met vier kinders – drie seuns en ’n dogter. Sy is op Algeria gebore en getoë en het ook daar skoolgegaan. Later is sy Clanwilliam toe, maar na graad 7 moes sy skool verlaat omdat haar ouers nie langer haar skoolgeld kon bekostig nie. Dit was moeilike jare – haar pa het sy werk by Bosbou verloor toe hulle personeel ingekort het en haar ma het op die plase gewerk. Die Departement van Bosbou het nie kinders toegelaat om by hulle ouers te woon as die kinders nie werk nie, dus is Sarah Kaapstad toe om te gaan werk. Op Algeria het hulle in ’n rietdakhuis gebly wat baie koud was. Die winkels was baie ver en dit was moeilik om kruideniersware te bekom, maar Sarah sê die Here het vir hulle gesorg. Haar kinderjare was lekker – hulle het speletjies soos hokkie en wegkruipertjie gespeel en tou gespring. Dit was heeltemal anders as vandag en mense het baie swaarder gekry. Haar ouers het haar ook vertel van hulle eie moeilike kinderjare en hoe hard hulle moes werk. Op Oujaarsaand het hulle deur gedans tot dagbreek toe.
My naam is Sarah Ockhuis, ek is getroud, uit my huwelik is vier kinders gebore, een meisie en drie seuns. Ek het op Algeria grootgeword, ek is hier gebore, ek het hier skoolgegaan. Later is ek na Clanwilliam geverplaas na die hoërskool, waar ek gevorder het tot graad sewe, na daai kon ek nie verder gaan studeer nie, want dit was moeilike jare. My pa, hy’t nie gewerk nie, hy was siek, hy was ontslaan uit Bosbou, daai jare was dit Bosbou, nie Natuurbewaring nie, en my ma moet toe onder die boere gewerk het. Daai jare. Hulle kon my nie laat leer het nie. En ek het moet gaan werk, want ons kon daai jare nie by my ouers gebly het nie. Daai jare was in die apartheidjare, dit was maar moeilike jare gewees. Ek het moet gaan werk, ek’t gaan werk in die Kaap, ek mag nie by my ouers gesit het sonder werk nie. Daar het ek gaan werk vir ‘n sekere tyd en toe weer teruggekom. Toe het ek by my ouers gebly, ek kon nie lank by hulle bly nie, toe het die huidige bosbouer wat daardie jare hier was gekom sê ons mag nie by ons ouers bly nie, ons moet gaan werk. Toe het my pa moet ‘n ander plek gaat soek waar ons kan bly, maar daai tyd het my swaer hier gewerk en hy het weer ingegryp en gaan praat met Gordon (?? 02:01), hy’t toestemming gegee lat my pa en my ma kan maar weer aanbly.
Ons het in ‘n rietdakhuisie gewoon. Dit was maar koud en dit was maar ook moeilik. Ons moes ver gestap het na die naaste winkel. Hulle moes ver gestap het na die naaste winkel om kos vir ons op die tafel te sit, maar die Here het vir ons deurgedra.
Vertel vir ons bietjie hoe tant Sarah-goed gespeel het, watter speletjies by die skole, en so aan.
Ons het lekker skoolgegaan hier op Algeria. Ons het wegkruipertjie gespeel, ons het toe gespring en ons het, uhh, hokkie gespeel en vroteier, daai jare genoem. Daai soort speltjies het ons gespeel by die skool.
Tant Sarah, vertel vir ons van tant Sarah se pa- en ma-hulle, waar’t hulle gebly?
My pa-hulle het ook hier in Algeria gebly, maar die plekkie se naam was Withoogte. Daar het hulle gebly. Ons kon, hulle kon nie langer daar bly nie, want hier was ander huise wat hulle moet ingetrek het. My seun het, ag, my pa se seun het oorgeneem, hy’t ‘n huis gekry by Bosbou en hy’t, ons het toe later by hom gaan woon, my ouers.
Hoe verskil daai tyd se lewe van vandag se lewe?
Daai tyd se lewe verskil vreeslik van vandag se lewe, ek kon sien, daai jare was dit baie moeilik, dit was nie soos vandag, soos vandag se kinders opgroot nie. Dit was moeilike jare gewees. Dit verskil baie van vandag se lewe af.
Kan ant Sarah miskien stories onthou wat hulle daai tyd vertel het? Ant Sarah se ma-hulle, of so?
Ja, my ma-hulle het altyd vir ons gevertel hoe moeilik was dit vir hulle. Hulle’t vir ons gevertel hoe swaar het hulle gekry en hoe ver het hulle moes stap. Hulle’t nie kon skoolgaan nie, deurlat hulle te ver van die skool af gebly het. My ouers het nie kon lees en skryf nie, en ons het maar ook, uhh, hulle’t ook maar plat op die grond vuur gemaak en brood in die potte gebak. Dit was nie soos vandag nie, wat ons stowe het nie. Hulle het buite-oonde gehad wat hulle die brood in gaargemaak het.
Hoe was dit daai tyd se Nuwejaar en Kersfees gewees?
Daai tyd se Nuwejare, wat ek kan onthou, was nie soos vandag s’nne nie. Die mense het gedans tot die oggend en hulle het, Kersfees het hulle liedere gesing, Kersfeesliedere, maar die Ou-, die Nuwe-, die Oujaarsdag het hulle so ingedans in die Nuwejaar in. Daai jare. Wat ek kan onthou.
Cederberg Algeria Campsite, West Coast DC, South Africa
Bosbou | Forestry