Day 8
12/07/23 22:22
July 5, 2023—
Post Eight:
Throughout our lives for quite a few times, we heard the story of Rhoda having been born to American parents in South Africa in 1917. Whether or not it was a “retell” to us kids, or if her place of birth was new to someone else, it immediately seemed to elicit interest in those who were hearing the story.
Most people probably know the sordid history of Apartheid in South Africa, the system of institutionalizing the separation of races in order to keep the minority group of racist whites in control of the country. Apartheid was in place from 1948 to the early 1990s.
Rhoda never believed that she would be able to return to her country of birth, mostly because she was a thinking person and, like many, was appalled at the policy of separation keeping racist whites in control of the South African government.
After South Africa evolved, overturned Apartheid and elected Nelson Mandela as President, a couple of good friends of mine told me that they were soon taking a trip there. I suggested that maybe they would be interested and willing to visit the area and the home where my mother was born and take a photo for her. All I knew was that the orchard estate managed by our grandfather, where our mother was born, was called “De Fortuin” and had been a Cecil Rhodes Fruit ranch near Wellington. They agreed to travel to the area and do a little snooping around to see if they could find it.
While they were gone on their trip, I was “surfing” the Internet and I came across a person from Wellington named Willie Koorts, an amateur astronomer who also seemed to have a special interest in the history of the area where he lived. I sent an email to him, and that started a lengthly series of emails to one another. I told him about my mother and sent him photos that I had of De Fortuin from 1915-1918. Willie came to the conclusion that the house where my mother was born might be the one just across the street from his own home. He sent a photo of it, to which I compared the old photos that my mother still had. It was a match! Willie introduced himself to the current owners of De Fortuin, a Mr. and Mrs. Behne. They were very excited to see such old photos of their home.
Meanwhile, my sisters Karen and Susie came up with a plan to take our mother on a trip to her native land. When Rhoda was 83, she traveled with them to South Africa. They were able to take the famous “Blue Train”, then visited Willie Koorts and his family, and, thanks to Willie and the Behnes, our mother was able to tour the home in which she was born. The three spent a lot of time exploring the area frequented by Rhoda’s parents when she was in her early childhood. With Willie, they also went to a local history museum where Rhoda was fêted by the historians there. Willie even contacted a journalist friend who wrote and published a story in Afrikaans about the "older American woman sho had come back to see her homeland". Rhoda later traveled with Karen and Susie to an enormous fruit tree estate that our Grandfather managed after the De Fortuin job ended—Lourensford Estate at Somerset West on The Western Cape. The manager named Mike Kreft gave them an extensive tour of the facilities, and even took them around in his four-wheel-drive vehicle so that Rhoda and her daughters could see how big the parcel of land and plantings were.
Karen, Rhoda, and Susie on the Blue Train
Karen and Rhoda on Blue Train
Entrance to De Fortuin Estate, the house in which Rhoda was born
Ferdinand, Rhoda, and Isabel at De Fortuin near Wellington, SA 1917
Karen, Rhoda, Susie, Willie Koorts at De Fortuin, ready to meet the Behnes and be shown around the home where Rhoda was born and lived
De Fortuin Estate
Dining room in De Fortuin home
Grounds at historic Dutch house nearby
Fireplace in the same house
Rhoda and Susie, wading in the Indian Ocean near Somerset West
Lourensford Estate now grows mostly wine grapes, but also a few fruit trees. In 1919-22, Ferdinand Bensberg (our grandfather) managed mostly the growing of fruit trees, like those that were on his great uncle's property in Santa Clara (the Abram Block fruit orchard).
Mike Kreft, manager of Lourensford Estate on Western Cape during their visit
Post Eight:
Throughout our lives for quite a few times, we heard the story of Rhoda having been born to American parents in South Africa in 1917. Whether or not it was a “retell” to us kids, or if her place of birth was new to someone else, it immediately seemed to elicit interest in those who were hearing the story.
Most people probably know the sordid history of Apartheid in South Africa, the system of institutionalizing the separation of races in order to keep the minority group of racist whites in control of the country. Apartheid was in place from 1948 to the early 1990s.
Rhoda never believed that she would be able to return to her country of birth, mostly because she was a thinking person and, like many, was appalled at the policy of separation keeping racist whites in control of the South African government.
After South Africa evolved, overturned Apartheid and elected Nelson Mandela as President, a couple of good friends of mine told me that they were soon taking a trip there. I suggested that maybe they would be interested and willing to visit the area and the home where my mother was born and take a photo for her. All I knew was that the orchard estate managed by our grandfather, where our mother was born, was called “De Fortuin” and had been a Cecil Rhodes Fruit ranch near Wellington. They agreed to travel to the area and do a little snooping around to see if they could find it.
While they were gone on their trip, I was “surfing” the Internet and I came across a person from Wellington named Willie Koorts, an amateur astronomer who also seemed to have a special interest in the history of the area where he lived. I sent an email to him, and that started a lengthly series of emails to one another. I told him about my mother and sent him photos that I had of De Fortuin from 1915-1918. Willie came to the conclusion that the house where my mother was born might be the one just across the street from his own home. He sent a photo of it, to which I compared the old photos that my mother still had. It was a match! Willie introduced himself to the current owners of De Fortuin, a Mr. and Mrs. Behne. They were very excited to see such old photos of their home.
Meanwhile, my sisters Karen and Susie came up with a plan to take our mother on a trip to her native land. When Rhoda was 83, she traveled with them to South Africa. They were able to take the famous “Blue Train”, then visited Willie Koorts and his family, and, thanks to Willie and the Behnes, our mother was able to tour the home in which she was born. The three spent a lot of time exploring the area frequented by Rhoda’s parents when she was in her early childhood. With Willie, they also went to a local history museum where Rhoda was fêted by the historians there. Willie even contacted a journalist friend who wrote and published a story in Afrikaans about the "older American woman sho had come back to see her homeland". Rhoda later traveled with Karen and Susie to an enormous fruit tree estate that our Grandfather managed after the De Fortuin job ended—Lourensford Estate at Somerset West on The Western Cape. The manager named Mike Kreft gave them an extensive tour of the facilities, and even took them around in his four-wheel-drive vehicle so that Rhoda and her daughters could see how big the parcel of land and plantings were.
Karen, Rhoda, and Susie on the Blue Train
Karen and Rhoda on Blue Train
Entrance to De Fortuin Estate, the house in which Rhoda was born
Ferdinand, Rhoda, and Isabel at De Fortuin near Wellington, SA 1917
Karen, Rhoda, Susie, Willie Koorts at De Fortuin, ready to meet the Behnes and be shown around the home where Rhoda was born and lived
De Fortuin Estate
Dining room in De Fortuin home
Grounds at historic Dutch house nearby
Fireplace in the same house
Rhoda and Susie, wading in the Indian Ocean near Somerset West
Lourensford Estate now grows mostly wine grapes, but also a few fruit trees. In 1919-22, Ferdinand Bensberg (our grandfather) managed mostly the growing of fruit trees, like those that were on his great uncle's property in Santa Clara (the Abram Block fruit orchard).
Mike Kreft, manager of Lourensford Estate on Western Cape during their visit
