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About Barbara Deirdre Versfeld
My mother, Barbara Versfeld, née Barry, was born in Pilgrim's Rest and spent her early childhood there. She was the youngest of her parents' family, and was particularly close to her brother Nat (Nathaniel), who was the next up the line. This made her a bit of a tom-boy; she broke her left (dominant) arm badly in a fall from a tree, and it was badly set, requiring it to be re-broken and re-set; she carried the scar all her life, and was never able to fully straighten that arm. The family moved to Fransch Hoek when Barbara was about seven. She was soon enrolled as a pupil at Herschel (Anglican school for girls in Claremont, Cape Town). When enrolling her, her parents gave very strict instructions to the school that they were NOT to try to change her from her natural left-handedness; this would have been done to most left-handed children at the time. Barbara learnt French and German at school, and went on to major in these at the University of Cape Town, where she was awarded a number of Class Medals as top student in her subjects. Her University studies were during World War 2; German literature was studied without discussion of the abhorrent political situation in Germany. On graduating from U.C.T. in December 1942, Barbara married Marthinus (Martin) Versfeld, who had been a climbing friend of her brothers, particularly Richard. Barbara and Martin were both received into the Catholic Church in 1943, shortly after my birth. Their parents were dismayed by this move; Barbara's parents thought the Jesuits were after their money, which my mother thought amusing since she knew no Jesuits and her parents had no money.
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Barbara Deirdre Versfeld's Timeline
| 1922 |
December 9, 1922
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Pilgrims Rest, South Africa
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| 1945 |
August 1, 1945
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Cape Town, WC, South Africa
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| 1948 |
August 18, 1948
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Cape Town, WC, South Africa
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| 1950 |
February 21, 1950
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Cape Town, WC, South Africa
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