Dorothy Boyack

Dorothy was christened in Lichtenburg on the 1st April 1923 - her godparents are listed as Elizabeth Alice Louisa Steyn and Douw Gerbrant Steyn.

Written by Dot in Dec 2000 - Shortly after writing this she bought a Unit at Newlands Park Retirement Center in Pretoria and moved back to be nearer her family and friends. She died there in November 2008 and her much loved brother died exactly a year later in December 2009.

I was born in Lichtenburg, Transvaal, in the early hours of the 22nd February, 1923. The rain was pelting down, so I have been told, and my poor Father had to run in the rain to call the Doctor and the midwife. My parents had no transport. In 1925 when I was 3 we moved to Warmbaths where my Father bought a legal practise, which kept us in shoes and socks for 45 years until he retired.

My brother Lore was born in 1925. We lived in the town in a small rented house called "Casa Cara", we later moved to the outskirts of Warmbarths to a larger house, called "Johanna Hoeva" from where I started school. I was 6 years old. My father took me to school on the front of his bicycle. My school was a small room, that at one time served as a mortuary, so we called it "The Coffin House". Together with my best friend Joyce Sadler, her brother Mike, and a couple of other children, we spent a happy time together, eventually moving to the big school which housed both English and Afrikaans pupils. Some of us wore shoes to school and some of us did not, as not everyone could afford them. Lore arrived at school the first day, took off his shoes, and lost them, so my parents were not prepared to buy any more, under those circumstances, so, Lore was one of the "kaal voet" boys!! One day he arrived home to tell us that he was chosen fo the rugby team, and he needed a pair of boots. We went down to the rugby to find Lore sitting in the sand at the side of the field, polishing his boots, he was only a reserve!!! We moved to "Bonavista" which my father bought from an Italian by the name of Givenoni. This home is well over a hundred years old with yellowwood beams, a loft, and a very strong smelling wine cupboard under the stairs, where he stored his wine. Lore still lives there. It is what Stella and I wanted, as it would have been too painful to sell it after my parents passed away.

Stella was born in 1932 (10 years after me) so she did not really grow up with us.

Warmbaths had few entertainment facilities for children, so my mother started a children's lending library in our house. She also appointed herself A-Kay-la for the cubs and scouts, and Brown Owl for the Brownies and Guides. I was both a Brownie and a Cub, and on Cub days played Bok-Bok with the boys. One day a tiny Cub joined, but he was very nervous, so one on the bigger boys took him by the hand to A-kay-la and said "I think Billy Ingold has cried in his pants!!!

I was sent to St. Mary's and Lore to Kearsney. D.S.G. had three terms and Kearsney had four, so we did not see much of each other. I was 11 years old and a very immature child (we were never allowed to be near grown up conversation in case we heard something we should not have). I was miserable at school and cried bitterly for my parents, I did settle after about 2 terms, and then cried bitterly when my school days came to an end and I had to go out into the big world. I took a commercial course which stood me in good stead for the rest of mY life. I might not have been able to cope with my life, and support Gordon, with his, had I not had the experience I gained working in my Father's legal office. Later when I was married, and lived in Pretoria, I got a job at the Standard Bank Head office on Church Square, where they gave me a table in a corner and I was handed all the English correspondence to translate into Afrikaans. Lore was a naughty kid, always up to some mischief. He had a cat and I had a doll, so we decided to dress the cat in some of my doll's clothes, so we could play together. We put a nappy, long dress and bonnet on the cat, and while we were admiring it the dogs gave it a fright and it took off into a tree and sat looking down at us with the bonnet on!!! I do not remember what happened to the nappy, but the dress was in shreds!!! I consider I was quite a good kid in comparison to my brother, we could hardly have had two of him in one family!! My mother told him to call in at the Indian shop on the way to school and buy a ruler, rubber and pencil, and to put them on the account. On the way home from school, he again dropped into the shop, this time to change the pencil, rubber and ruler for a tin of condensed milk. Mr Bham called Mum to ask whether it was OK??? You may well imagine what she did to his bottom when he arrived home!!

My maternal grandparents lived in the part of the house which Lore and Brenda now occupy. They were very special to me and I to them. Being the eldest I was the "apple of Oupa's eye" and was spoilt with finely cut biltong and the first peach of the season. He enjoyed his drink, I think it was Mampoer he drank, because a man arrived one night after dark, so my father would not see, but the dogs tackled him, and he ran into the bush, only finding his way home at day break the next morning. He was delivering Mampoer to Oupa! My father was dead against drink, so I never told him when I went to the Pub in the Warmbaths Hotel at the age of 4!! I stood on a brass bar, and was given a lemonade. In those days it was a criminal offence for ladies to frequent Bars!! He told me not to tell my Father, and I kept that secret all my life!!

My father decided that Oupa needed transport so bought him a second hand car. He told him to go to the garage for driving lessons. After one hour he thought he knew everything about a motor car, got in and drove home. As he took the turn into the front gate he hit a huge bolder, and then right through the wood and iron garage he had built for the new car. My Father took one look at this and decided that as he had to have transport, (only 2 miles from Bona Vista to the Village), he sent the car back and bought Oupa a green cart with red wheels, lovely reins, and two fat donkeys and that was his transport.

We used the cart to take us to school. Carel the "coachman" drove, and Lore and I sat on the back with the Nanny!!!

My father organised a Military Camp at a farm called "Boskop" It was a coloured camp with white officers. They were allowed to use our tennis court, billiard table and pool. Sometimes they invited me to play tennis. The best was that they taught me to ride horses and I rode in gymkhanas. This stood me in good stead for later on in my life when I was able to keep on the pillion of a motorbike with my knees!!!

I worked in my Father's office for 7 years until my marriage to Gordon, when he came back from 5 years as a P.O.W. We moved to Pretoria and had a short time at the South African Broadcasting Corporation transmitters at Florida, and then back to Pretoria. Jenny was born in Pretoria and Owen was born in Florida. We owned a Morris Minor which we acquired after selling a Fleetline Chev. which was Gordon's pride and joy. We had to buy a fridge so the Chev paid for the Morris Minor and the fridge.

We were on our way to Warmbaths for a short holiday, Jenny 2 years old and Owen a new baby. We passed a Malt factory, dead silence, and then Jenny said "there is that terrible smell that Owen makes"!!! Poor Owen.

We bought a house in Brooklyn Road, the bond repayments were four pound 17 shillings and 6 pence per month. We were very happy there until Owen was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Our lives were turned upside down. Jenny was growing up along side all the tension and heartache. I had to leave her when she needed me and took Owen to the Florence Nightingale in Johannesburg for the first brain op when he was 5 and again when he turned 7. We were advised to send Owen to St. Elmo's school on the South Coast, which was for brain damaged children and run by Nuns. Owen was a well behaved little boy, but after the ops became hyperactive, and Vouna du Toit felt that he caused a disruption in the family. We tried to shield Jenny from as many disruptions as possible, but life went on at a pace, and she was just one of us and had to adjust and cope. He was willing to go to St Elmos but was unaware that he would be deprived of his loving family. He did air the view that he was prepared to go on condition that he had his own private bathroom, telephone and a full jug of milk, that only he would be in charge of!!! We took him down to St. Elmo's with broken hearts, left him, and then Gordon, Jenny and I boarded the Windsor Castle for a trip around the coast to Cape Town. It may have helped but I cried "buckets" into the sea. There must have been tidal waves all along the coast. Gordon strong as ever, kept his hand on my shoulder for support. Owen was there for 6 months when a 6 a.m. call came from Sister Carmel to give us the news that he had passed away in his sleep. We knew it was the best for him, but we had suffered a great loss. We took Jenny with us and left for Umzumbe and arrangements were made and he was laid to rest in Pretoria.

Charles and Jenny were married and Liesle, Greg, Gillian and Lynette were born.

Life went on, we moved from Brooklyn Road to Valley Mews, a lovely townhouse complex developed by Ovland and lived there for 9 years.

Charles built an ocean going ferro cement yacht which they called Lodestone and when it was completed 12 years later they moved to Durban. We decided that as we only had a 2 bedroomed flat, there was no way that we could accommodate all 6 of them should they visit us, so rather than buy a bigger place in Pretoria we moved to Westville. We bought 1 Albezia Heights with a tenant who had a lease for another 6 months, this suited us very well, as we had to sell Valley Mews. We had 3 buyers by the name of du Toit who wanted to buy it and as the one family only wanted it in six months, their occupation dovetailed very well with our move.

We spent a happy few extra years in the motor home, taking the children on holiday with us. We loved those children with heart and soul.

Gordon's health started failing, and he was confined to the flat. It has been lovely living here with attractive surroundings and magnificient view. He missed his sport, but enjoyed watching it on telly. We had travelled a lot overseas, the continent, England and Scotland. We "did" the landing beaches of Cherbourg, Dunkirk, and saw the famous Ponte Hok where the Germans scaled those cliffs. Also endless graves, in those American Cemeteries where hundreds and thousands of the fallen were laid to rest. A very moving experience, and I shed tears of gratitude that Gordon had returned safely after his 5 years as a prisoner of war. We shared many memories of the fun times we spent together, and were now prepared to settle for "quality" time.

It was on the 24th June 1996 while Gordon was confined to bed that a call came from Linda Carstens from ABSA, wanting to speak to him. I asked her to hold while I fetched the portable phone from downstairs, when I came to hand it to him, he had had a heart attack and passed away. I did not believe it was possible to have happened so quickly and I thanked God for taking him so peacefully, but I did have to have the last work and said "Gordon, you stop out, you have gone and left me behind. I know that he would not have minded me saying that.

David Browne from Deloitte's came to help me with the Estate. I appointed him myself even though I had not met him before. I could never have chosen a kinder more caring person and I only knew him by repute. We spent many hours at the dining room table and became good friends. He did pay me a compliment and said that it was one of the easiest Estates he had worked with. Gordon had everything in order and I knew exactly where the investments were, and I could fill him in on all the details. Barry Kraut assisted with the Pretoria properties, he was a good friend when we were neighbours.

Charles and Jenny have a friend, David Dominy, who had been working in New Zealand and wanted to specialise in Anaesthetics in Durban and was looking for suitable accommodation. She asked me whether he could use my downstairs flat. I did not know him, and was not sure how I could cope with a complete stranger in the house. I gave it much thought and decided "it was meant to be" and I met him in New Zealand when I went over for a visit.

He moved in on the 1st of January 1997 and started work at King Edward Hospital on the 6th of January. He was venturing out on a new career, with four years ahead of him, and not knowing anyone in Durban, except me. I was in no fit state to be of much support to him, but my heart went out to him and I helped where I could in our day to day lives. I enjoyed having him around. He passed his first exam and I must admit I was very anxious during exam times but "we" passed!! He stayed for 2 and a half years and then moved into a flat of his own on the Berea. The time has passed, four years have come and gone, and he passed his finals and will be looking for a permanent position in the New Year. We have become good friends, he even taught me to ride pillion on his BMW motorbike which I thoroughly enjoyed. If I had been younger, I would have bought one of my own. Imagine the "feed back" from the family.

I will miss him, but being "like family" we will keep in touch. As with Jenny, the fax machine is always there. I know he has a stable future ahead of him, and wish him luck!

I have many good friends in Westville, who have been very kind and supportive to me. I enjoyed my best meals when I broke my leg and they brought me delicious dinners. I enjoy living here.

My future at this moment is "in the lap of hte Gods", so I shall wait patiently for direction.

I look forward to my visit to the family, leaving her on the 25th January 2001.