We Will Never Forget.: 2007
Baie dankie vir jou E-pos. Dit was 'n groot en lekker verrassing. Dit het beelde wat nog baie duidelik in my kop is weer na vore gebring: 'n Baie oulike klein dogtertjie; jou ma voor die radios in die kombuis op Koedoesvlei ; jou ma in die dam (rok en al); jou pa en sy span besig op 'n Ratel....
Ek kan begryp hoe jy oor jou pa voel. Die oorlog het nie een van ons onaangeraak gelaat nie. Hy was 'n wonderlike, entoesiastiese en lojale persoon. 'n Man wat leierskap en toewyding in die ware sin van die woord verstaan en uitgeleef het. Hy was 'n held by wie ek baie geleer het. Iemand wat die lewe vir my baie makliker gemaak het daar bo, iemand wat jy ten alle tye kon vertrou. Ek kan nog presies onthou waar ek gesit het en hoe ek gevoel het toe ek sy sitaat vir die Honores Crux geskryf het.
Jou ma was 'self n vrou wat vele lewens gered het deur op kritiese oomblikke in die geveg, diep in Angola, deur te gee, as sy agterkom ons sukkel met komms. Sy het ook altyd geweet presies waar almal is en het ons dikwels aanmekaar gehou met haar radios.
Stuur asseblief groete aan almal. Ons moet beslis kontak hou, veral met 61 Meg se reunie, die boek wat ons wil skryf en die assosiasie wat ons wil stig. Ek het vir Ariel gevra om met jou te praat oor die moontlikheid om Augustus by ons in Caledon aan te sluit vir die beplanning.
As 'n nagedagte, jammer dat ek nou eers jou e-pos antwoord maar was uitstedig met 'n projek. Ek sal beslis sommer nou na die web blad kyk.
Meg groete - vertrou ons sal mekaar spoedig weer sien.
Posted by Riana at 4:24 PM No comments: Links to this post
61 Mech gaan reunie hou!
Ek het op jou Blog afgekom via Hubrecht van Dalsen. Hy was teenwoordig die
dag toe jou vader en swaer noodlottig gewond is en het blykbaar reeds met
jou kontak gehad. Ek en hy is tydgenote en was saam jong offisiere in 61. My
tyd het gestrek van November 1980 tot Desember 198 en syne tot in 1982.
In elke geval, min dinge roer ons verlede in dieselfde mate as juis die
trots en passie waarmee jongmense hierdie formidabele eenheid gedien het
nie. Die eenheid is amptelik in Januarie 1979 gestig - soos jy weet - en ons
(die leiergroep van 80/81) is besig om 'n reunie vir iewers in 2008
aanmekaar te slaan. Ons plan 'n hoë vlak affêre met al die oud bevelvoerders
betrokke. Generaal Roland de Vries (2 de bevelvoerder van die eenheid) is
deel van die komitee en doen tans skakelwerk met die "establishment". Een
van ons lede is besig om 'n amptelike 61 webblad te ontwikkel waarop alle
oud lede sal kan registreer en beslis iemand soos jy ook. Deur die medium
beoog ons om alle belanghebbendes dan bymekaar te trek vir ons reunie.
Gegewe die netwerk van 61 lede wat jy oor die jare ontwikkel het, wil ek
graag versoek of jy so gaaf sal wees om jou netwerk te begin aktiveer mbt
die reunie. Ons eerste beplanningsvergadering is op 10 + 11 Augustus naby
Kaapstad te Caledon, my tuisdorp. Sodra ek meer detail het sal ek dit vir
Al is dit 25 jaar en enkele dae later wat jy jou vader verloor het - hiermee
my innige meegevoel en ek hoop ons kan mekaar eendag in die oë kyk.
Baie sterkte en weet 61 was die beste!
Katope Fruit Exports (Pty) Ltd
Tel: 00 21 851 5272
Fax: 00 21 852 4676
Mobile: 00 83 700 5323
Vandag is 25 jaar nadat 61 Mech n massiewe verlies gely het op die grens. Nie net het ek en my familie n man, pa en swaer verloor nie, maar baie ander mense is ook geraak deur die gebeure van daardie dag.
Ek wil graag hier vra dat almal wat voel om eninge bydrae te maak tot die blog my asseblief sal mail by die addres wat julle by die blog sal vind.
Hulle se tyd heel alle wonde, dis korrek, maar op dae soos die 15 de April en ander spesiale dae in my lewe kom my besige lewe amper tot n stilstand en dan moet ek tyd neem om te dink aan 25 jaar terug.Ek is nie meer die kind wat ek daardie tyd was nie, maar tog op dae soos vandag is dit asof ek al die selfde emosies ervaar wat ek daardie tyd gevoel het.
My doel met die blog is nie net om die dag waarop ons ons mense verloor het te gedenk nie, vir my is dit meer om die lewens wat hulle gely het en die dade wat hulle gedoen het wat hulle vir altyd in ons herhinneringe sal laat voortleef te herdenk en te verewig.
Daarom wil ek n uitnodiging aan almal gee wat die blog besoek en voel dat hulle iets wil bydrae om my asseblief te kontak met hulle stories, of sommer onder "comments" ietse te los..
Aan almal wat al die blog besoek het en vir my gemail het, BAIE DANKIE!!Ek wil julle vra om my asseblief te help om die blog uit te brei, die wat my ouers geken het en wil bydraes lewer..asseblief doen so.Die ouens wat in 61 Mech was en stories het wat hulle graag wil vertel,asseblief stuur dit aan, ek sal dit opsit.Die blog is nie net my blog nie, maar almal wat iets het is vry om dit te vertel.Ons het n geleentheid en voorreg om ons geliefdes se nagedagtenis lewindig te hou..laat ons die beste daarvan maak.
Posted by Riana at 10:28 AM No comments: Links to this post
Posted by Riana at 6:36 PM No comments: Links to this post
I hope people will have patience with me and understand that I get flooded with memories of my childhood. I try to keep them all in the correct order in which they actually happened but its not always possible..
I don't remember how old I was when 61 Mech started sending guys to live with us. The boys they sent were more there for their own benefit than ours, since some guys just could not cope with the harsh army life so instead of sending them home they send them to live with us.
I remember Kleinjan the best. I don't know who would remember the letters "Kleinjan" sent home to mum and how we all laughed at them. In a way our Kleinjan was much the same...If I remember correctly he wasn't even issued with a rifle for his own safety and those around him. He fast became part of family and soon him and I had the most violent fights over the most trivial things. At one stage my mother complained that if my dad wouldn't do something about us, there would not be a working door handle in the house by the time were finished. What would take place is that a fight would break out between us and then there would usually be a door involved where one of us would try get to the other while trying to escape the impending attack.
I remember Kleinjan in his t-shirt and his "onsedelike broekie" as my mum liked to call it. In the 80' s there were these very shiny and very bright coloured shorts with a silky feeling to it. I think they were actually polyester shorts. That’s what klienjan wore...ALLWAYS, barefoot and too eager to help my mum with anything and everything...he was a good boy, but I hated him then!!! He once tried to kill me with a knife, yeah!!! The fights often got vicious and even bloody.
I also had an older brother and I learned at very early age that my teeth were my best weapon and Kleinjan wasn't quite as clued up about it as my brother was.
My parents felt a great responsibility towards the guys who were living with us and there was always someone there, at times more than one. I don’t remember most of their names, but I remember Kleinjan and Koos.
Koos, I think was not his real name but his surname was van der Merwe and because we thought that hes character very much resembled that of the Koos van der Merwe in the jokes we christened him with the name. Much can be said about us bunch of van der Westhuizen's but no one could ever accuse us of not seeing the humour of a situation and making the most of it, often at the expence of some unfortunate victim.
Koos was the opposite of Kleinjan, since he was extremely tidy on himself and he wore his browns every day, even though it was not required on the farm. They were only to wear it when they went into town or when their officers would come around to see how they are doing.
But Koos was adamant that he would wear his browns everyday, his boots polished to the extent where you could see your face in them.
Koos wore contacts and one day someone thought it would be a good joke to switch them around. Poor Koos came into the kitchen cross eyed and confused as to why he couldn't see today. My mum couldn't understand what was going on with Koos either and was the verge of radioing for help for Koos when we started giggling and spilled the beans.
Just the other day I opened my mums cook book and there was a recipe written down in Kleinjan's child like writing, and I wondered where he was today, would he have gotten married and have a family. Does he ever think of us? He was as much a kid in the house as I was and I think because of the person he was my mother often sided with him. She had such a kind heart. She would tell me to let him be since he is special.
Kleinjan and Koos today I remember you, I hope u r safe and happy.
Due to factors out of my control I will be doing the postings on the blog myself from now on. As im Afrikaans speaking, there is bound to be spelling mistakes, even though I do try to do my best. The way things get put across in writing may differ very much.
I hope to hear from all of you so please do feel free to send any contributions for my blog to me via e-mail or leave comments.
Posted by Riana at 3:11 PM No comments: Links to this post