DAD WITH BROTHERS AND SISTERS

From Left to Right: Aunt Dollie, uncle Flip, Dad, uncle Willem, uncle Karel and aunt Hannatjie De Beer (circa 1933)

Currently in 2008 we are experiencing serious economic down falls in the world stock markets. Japan and Germany economies are in recession while General Motors in the USA is down while the British government had to assist their banking sector to survive. Rumours are that we will soon experience a world economic depression like we did in 1933. My Dad told me how they made it through during those times as children. He remembered the ox wagons coming by with very poor people on their way to the towns and cities with the hope to find jobs and housing. They only had a little bit of mealy meal to cook up with no sugar or milk. No money and no bread. Because my grand father had a job on the SA Railways, they had a sink house next to the railway line and at least some money to make ends meet. The De Beer boys went out hunting hare and catching bush doves in the water wells to fill on the family's diet.

Unfortunately South Africa also experienced a serious drought that contributed to the economic depression. Most of the Afrikaner inhabitants were farmers and had to leave their farms. Cattle were starving and the hot winds swept up the red dust in Petrusburg where they lived and darkened the skies during the day in such a way that they had to light candles in the house...

My Dad told this story to us as young children and was very annoyed when we did not want to eat our vegetables. He reminded us about the 1933 economic depression and drought and of the people he saw had no food on the table on which my younger brother Ben asked my Dad: "Do you now stay nice with us?" (Ha...ha..) Little brother Ben thought it was still going bad in Petrusburg and that my Dad actually stay with us in Bloemfontein and not us with him ! ! !