BERNA, ANNO 1353

PLEASE CLICK PREVIEW FOR OLD MAP OF BERN IN SWITZERLAND

This map shows the bear insignia of the De Beer family crest. It does not mean that the De Beer off spring is from Bern, however, it may relate to the roots of the De Berna branch. On another map that we copied from a photograph of Ms Steynberg, former staff of the SA Embassy in Bern, it clearly shows the same map with the prefix De.

When I refer to the De Beer insignia or crest, it is also not correct according to the heraldic registration of a general or universal family "badge". Every individual De Beer family member could have his or her own specific heraldic crest which is specifically designed for that person with the family name "de Beer".

However, in layman's terms, we stick to the common image of the bear insignia on all key holders and other popular commercial items for the De Beer family. After all, it is fun to purchase it and to use it on general utensals in the household. For example sand blasted cut glasses and water jugs.

CANTOR AND POLLUX

Still about my birthday month, 26 May 1946, I also have to mention my interest in space and solar systems. However, not in the astrological sense but in astrnomical terms. We had the privelage in Bloemfontein where we grew up within sight of the La Mont Hussey Observatory on Naval Hill. {Navil Hill is a hill in the city so named by the British troups who installed naval guns to protect their military basis and horses. They also painted a huge horse on the side of the hill It use to be "Kruitberg", literaly meaning "Gunpowder Mountain". The former Boer Republic also used the ciliff to hang criminals and called it Hangmanskloof (read cliff). } Today it is a game reserve right in the middle of the city. A United States university build the observatory before Bloemfontein grew into a city and when street light pollution became too much for scientific quality.

The other wellknown observatory is Boyden, about 15 kiliometers from where I grew up. My uncle Willie van der Berg had a farm in the vicinity and I also took notice of what was going on at that observatory. We followed the first moonlanding of USA astronauts and are regular guests of Boyden up to this very day. Our first South African astronaut and billionaire, Mr Mark Shuttleworth donated funds for a virtual planetarium with an outside stair case view.

As director for Open and Distance E-Learning, I am also responsible for the adjacent Northern Cape provinvice wher the South African Large Telescope was opened in 2005 at Sutherland. I was invited by the Department for Future Studies of the University of Stellenbosch to read a paper at the African Astronomical History Symposium which co-incided with the offical SALT opening. Subsequently I was very fortunate to attend this great scientific hallmark in South African astronomical history. I still follow the plans how the USA, South Africa, Russia, Germany and the UK want to construct the worlds largest Square Kilometer Array Radio Telescope in that province.

This brings me to the twin stars Gemini : Cantor and Pollux, just underneath Mars. Our very clear winter skies in May are excellent for star gazing. Even with the naked eye. Mars the red planet and Cantor and Pollux stimulated many tales that are told by our natural Black inhabitants. For more information on this topic I refer readers to the studies of Dr Mathole Motshekga of his interpretation of the Solar Wheel. (Tel 27 12 320 7760 Universty of South Africa , UNISA, Pretoria, South Africa).

For further reading about Bloemfontein's Lamont-Hussey and Boyden observatories, I refer readers to: { Website: http://www.aasabfn.co.za/historygroup }