Vivienne van der Westhuizen

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Vivienne van der Westhuizen was born 1 July 1959 on Noordhoek farm near Citrusdal. She is now the principal at the local school, like her father before her.

Vivienne van der Westhuizen tells of how her father started the school in February 1959. He made do with very little equipment and resources, but emphasised teaching the schoolchildren values and self-respect. She explains in great detail how the school operated in those years.

Vivienne van der Westhuizen was born on 1 July 1959 on Noordhoek Farm, where she is now the principal of the primary school. Her father was the headmaster at Klawervlei. At that time they had to collect wood in the mountains next to the river to make fire and collected water in buckets. The school started in February 1959 and had only two rooms. Children from different ages joined. There was no furniture, and the children had to bring something they found in the veld or from home to sit on. They later got slates and pencils from the Education Department. The kids walked to school in all kinds of weather. They were not used to having school pride or being neat, and so the headmaster heated a barrel of water over the fire for them to wash in. They had small basins and soap and cloths at the school for the children, and they also got haircuts at the school. A third classroom was later built and another teacher joined as the school grew. The kids collected stones and sticks from outside to help them learn to count and went to school either in the morning or afternoon. Smoking was a problem among the children. They found that hoenderbos smelled similar to tobacco and smoked that.

As with house floors, the school terrain was very dusty and so was covered in cow dung to keep it clean. Every Friday or every second Friday the children collected dung from the kraals, mixed it with water and spread it over the dusty terrain with a broom. The desks were scrubbed clean and dried with soap and polish that were ordered from the education department. The girls scrubbed the wooden classroom floors. Emphasis was placed on teaching the children to take care of their school, their environment and themselves. They were taught to take pride in themselves and to have manners.

Vivienne explains that the curricula of today do not allow time for teaching the children the values of those earlier days. The toilet system when her father taught was the baliestelsel, which involved digging a hole with a barrel inside. Certain boys and girls were given the task of cleaning the barrels and floors of the toilets. Her father then used the soil into which the barrels were emptied to plant a vegetable garden. It flourished as he built a small dam and added a water system. The school taught children until grade 6, after which they went to work on the farms. Vivienne’s father started a rugby team for the boys to keep them out of trouble. They were called the “Young Blues” and still exist today. Netball teams were started for the girls, and the kids were transported to other farms on tractors to compete.

In the second recording of Vivienne’s interview, she shares her experiences of being the school principal.

I’m Vivienne Patricia, born Karolus, married Van der Westhuizen. I was born on 1 July 1959 at Noordhoek farm where I’m presently the school principal. My father was school principal on Klawervlei, where he had to overcome a number of obstacles, and from there he started the school on Noordhoek farm as school principal.

I was born here. My mother came as pregnant mommy from Klawervlei to Noordhoek and I was born here on the farm itself and brought into the world with the help of a midwife. I grew up here and it was still in the time when there wasn’t any electricity. My elder sisters and my father and them had to fetch wood, in the mountains next to the river. They still had to carry water in buckets, basins with water, and that was how I grew up.

My father started the school here. It was February 1959 and the school consisted of only two classes. In those years, children who were registered didn’t have to be a certain age. Children from five years, six years, up to children who were as old as 10 years attended the school. There were only the two classrooms, there was no furniture, so each child had to bring something from home or the veld to sit on. Some brought a tin, others brought a rock. The fathers of some children sawed through a tree trunk and gave the stump to the child and that is what they sat on while in class. My father put together a table for himself and brought a chair from home on which he then sat.

And so they taught the children, at first only orally, spelling. Loose pages were given to the children to write on and eventually they had slate pencils and slates which they got from the Department of Education to write on. So each one then sat with this board and the, it was the slate, that was the board, and the slate pencil was a type of pen they wrote with. And everyone had to bring a cloth from home, because they used the cloth to rub out when they made a writing mistake. And in this way he and Miss Anderson, the two of them, started the school. Miss Anderson boarded somewhere on the farm with one of the farm workers, in that simple little house. And she then walked past the farm people’s houses to school in the morning.

Eventually the Department of Education supplied benches and installed the old-fashioned blackboards and thus the quality of teaching at the time improved. And then later on they received (inaudible 03:39) from the Department of Education and the children could really start learning. My father told me many children would simply go home during school time, would go and play at home, or joined their parents there at the fire. Then he had to go look for them and bring them back. Many of them simply walked away from school when it became too hot and went to swim in the river, or they made friends and walked into the mountain and collected wood for the afternoon because they weren’t yet in an educational or schooling frame of mind.

Because in those years people still had to heat water on the fire, the children were not that set on lesson time and school pride, and my father often had to wash them here at the school itself. He would take a big drum and place the drum on rocks and make fire under the drum. And then the children had to take turns to go and stoke the fire until the water was warm enough and then they had to wash the basins at the school, cloths, soap, and they had to wash themselves at school. Many children’s hair was cut at the school itself to encourage that neatness and school pride.

The school eventually expanded and the owner of the school built a third classroom and so they could appoint a third educator, because the number of children had started increasing. While they only had the two classrooms the number of children increased because the parents started realising that the children were learning, they were beginning to learn. The starting point is to write your name, isn’t it, write your surname and to do simple sums. I know they did sums. They had to go pick up stones outside and then they had to use the stones to do their sums. They had to go look for twigs outside and then they had to use the twigs to do their sums.

Then the, as the school eventually expanded – the number of children increased, more farms were developed, the school, the school also had to phase in an afternoon shift. Then some children attended school in the morning and some of them attended in the afternoon, up to late afternoon. In those years, the children still had to walk to school, you know, barefoot, without a jersey. They would put on anything that provided warmth; through wind, rain, storm they came to school, they were very trustworthy, and loyal.

Parents… and sometimes the parents had to accompany the children; they had made paths, as I understood it, they had made paths through the bush for themselves. They took shortcuts to get home faster, or to get to school faster.

Those children, they were exposed a lot to smoking. I know the biggest problem that developed at the school was the children who smoked. Because they could easily lay their hands on tobacco and they then discovered that the tobacco looked like leaves. Then they started experimenting with the bushes and stuff, plucked leaves and crushed and smelled them, and somehow they discovered that the hoenderbos [chicken bush] – those leaves smelled the most like tobacco. And so they took these leaves and dried and crushed them, and made their own tobacco in this way. And they smoked terribly. It was a problem that the teahers struggled with a lot, to get it out of the children, and to make them realise that smoking was not acceptable for a learner or a child in school.

The area around the school was very sandy. The farmers still had cattle kraals*, didn’t they, where they, where the cattle were kept, where the cattle were milked. So the parents smeared the insides of their houses with cattle dung. And it was then also a way in which they could keep the school grounds neat, by smearing them with cattle dung. So the children had to bring from home, for example, a tin, or a bucket, and they were then sent to the cattle kraals. So they went there to pick up cattle dung, brought it back to school and this dung was then thrown into a big drum, water was added, and then the dung was stirred with a broomstick until it was mixed. Children then had to, especially the children from Noordhoek, had to go home and get a reed broom, and so they smeared the dung.

There were also specific tins, biggish tins, with which they scooped the dung out of the drums and dumped it on the ground. Then a little water was added again and the others then used the brooms to paint the grounds in front of the school with the dung so that it wouldn’t be so dusty and sandy. That was the children’s task, every Friday, or every second Friday – depending on what the grounds looked like, they had to paint the front of the school with dung.

The benches they also, at the end of the quarter – as soon as school adjourned, each class had to take the benches outside. They had… That time the Department of Education supplied the schools with cleaning agents and materials. The schools ordered these and they specifically had polish, scrubbing brushes, green soap – these they had on their order lists. So the teachers could order it so that the benches – the children had to soap the benches, then they scrubbed the benches with the scrubbing brushes and dried them nicely. I know yellow dustcloths could also be ordered by the schools from the Department of Education. They then took these tins of polish, furniture polish, and polished the benches. The benches then had to stand in the sun for a while. And the sun then burnt this polish soft, burnt it soft, nice and warm, and then they took cloths – they also had to bring old cloths from home, or the teachers had to supply the old cloths, bring them to school. And the children then took these cloths and polished the benches to a shine. Then they had to stand back a bit and look again – does the bench shine?, come closer – and thus they were taught to ensure that the benches were in a good condition. Now, the benches were outside, they were washed nicely, and cleaned, polished. But the benches had to go back inside, to the classroom, out of this sandy outside into the classroom.

But in the meantime the classrooms were also cleaned. The floors of the classrooms were made of wood. Those floors were scrubbed in a similar manner. The children – it was the girls’ job – had to tuck in their skirts, then they had to go down on their knees and, they were taught, they took the soap and they smeared the brush and then they scrubbed the wooden floors. The boys brought water. Then a little bit of water was again poured over the floor, and the floor was wiped; the classrooms were scrubbed clean neatly. Now, when they had to bring the benches back into the classrooms, they had to stand one behind the other. The boys, it was the boys’ job, they had to get the benches back into the classrooms. So they had to stand in a row, one behind the other, in a row.

Two rocks were placed on the edge of the stoep. Then the front pipe frame, the front edge of the bench, was placed on these two rocks. Now two boys had to stand, one on each side, and they now had to bend down – underneath the benches, on the edges, there were these round ehhh, these rings, which were part of the frame. Then they first had to blow out the sand and take a twig and rub out all that sand. Then the front part of the bench was placed on the stoep. Then the back part was also placed on the rocks. And so the benches first had to be completely clean, without a grain of sand sticking to those benches. Then the boys had to take the benches into the classroom. But there were two boys who were specifically responsible for this. They hadn’t had any contact with the sand on the terrain. They had only stood on the stoep. So they only moved from the edge of the stoep to the classroom, then the girls took the benches further into the classroom.

The children were taught well, especially concerning neatness and the ways in which things should be done. In that they were well instructed. The educational curriculum of those years actually allowed time to devote to other things like school pride and value systems, neatness, to really engage the children in keeping something clean and keeping their surroundings neat. These days, they mess because there are cleaners who come after them, who come to clean. Those days, if they messed, they had to clean up themselves, they had to sweep the classes themselves, sweep the grounds themselves. They were, had to go into the bush, then they had to get branches and those branches they had to collect together in a bundle and then they swept the whole terrain, that sandy terrain, they swept it with those branches, bent over, bent over they walked.

So nowadays the curriculum is packed, so packed that you don’t feel like, cannot give attention to other things. I think in those days the curriculum was simple, basic stuff had to be taught to the children. There was enough time for other things, like, for example, having the children sweep the classes themselves, clean the terrain themselves, walk around and pick up papers. There were specific rosters for every class, every educator, telling them which day it was their turn to clean the terrain.

Yes, the toilets. The toilets were still the bucket system. It was also the work of the learners themselves to clean those toilets. At the back of the school, specific spots were indicated where the boys had to dig holes, with spades. They then had to take the buckets, with a pole – two boys, one takes the one end of the pole and one takes the other end of the pole – and then they had to go empty the buckets. Then they again had to go get water with buckets, pour the clean water into the buckets and wash the buckets out and pour that water into that hole as well. So there were holes and holes and holes, because when the one hole was full, then the boys had to dig another hole. And so my father also discovered that this was a way to make the ground fertile, and on that specific piece of ground he developed a vegetable garden. You just went into the mountain, or into the veld, and sawed off branches and thus he made a garden for himself, fenced, and that garden produced some of the loveliest vegetables.

He had a small dam built for him. He started by asking for pipes, fitted them together, laid on water, and then he stood there with the spade, making furrows. I know the water flowed to the first row, then a little wall was made, then the water flowed down there, then that furrow was opened again and so the whole garden was irrigated, all afternoon. He had specific stuff in his vegetable garden.

Apart from the boys having to clean the buckets, there was also a roster where each class had a turn – when the boys were cleaning toilets, there were specific girls who had to clean and scrub the floors of the toilets. And thus the learners worked together with the teachers and they themselves kept the school grounds, classes, toilets neat.

We got vegetables out of the garden. So we grew up there, got vegetables, fruit, trees that were planted and looked after. Meat I know they bought on the farm from the owner. Milk was also bought on the farm from the owner. We had this white milk pail and it was my my eldest sister’s job to go buy milk in the evening. And then when the milk got back, the milk first had to be boiled. Then the milk was sieved, through a white cloth, a specific white cloth that my mother used to sieve the milk, and eventually she bought herself a sieve.

And so the school expanded. More teachers came. The afternoon shift went on until the Department of Education phased in the mobile classes and the afternoon shift was discarded.

The principal was involved in supervision at the school all day, from the morning shift up to where the afternoon shift ended, five o’ clock in the afternoon. However, the principal received an allowance for supervising the afternoon shift, because it was part of the duties of the principal. The teachers themselves coached netball, next to the netball field, next to the rugby field. I know my father had an outside – he loved rugby a lot, because he was himself a rugby player – he founded an ouside rugby team as well. After the… The children only attended school up to Grade 4 at that time, today Grade 6. Or Standard 4, today Grade 6. Went to school and then all of them had to go work on farms. And they became bored, did mischief and so on. Young men started sliding into drinking, and so he decided he was going to start an outside rugby team. He asked some of the boys who played rugby, played rugby well at school, don’t you want to come and I will coach you and we start an outside rugbyteam? So in this area he was the first to start an outside rugby team. Their name was Young Blues, they still exist today. Luckily. They still exist, although the, the motive to win isn’t that strong any more because the guys stay up drinking a little late on Friday evenings and then they’re not fit enough to play rugby on Saturday. At the time there wasn’t… Eventually an outside netball team was also started and they asked the farm owner for his lorry to transport them. Sometimes they were on a tractor, an open tractor trailer, but they were keen to play rugby and netball on other farms. Should I stop? Because I can continue…

Then, the schools. There were many small farm schools hereabouts. In those days they were called farm schools, weren’t they, today they are rural schools. They were under the authority of the Dutch Reformed Church. The DRC dominee was the manager of the schools. He was responsible for the appointments of teachers and school principals. He was involved with interviews that had to be conducted. You had to ask him for permission if you wanted to leave school early. Anything to do with the school. You even had to ask him for permission to order things for a certain amount.

So the dominee of the DRC schools was compeltely in charge of the schools and that is why the schools of those times were… It was, like, Noordhoek DRC Primary School.

And eventually, as this was phased out, the parent governing body took the place of the – no, first it was the farm owner. The farm owner, the dominee, the farm owner took over that position that was involved in the appointments, placing orders, if you wanted to adjourn earlier. But the Department of Education then realised that the farm owner wasn’t really interested in what happened in the schools. They also didn’t have that much insight and knowledge about educational issues and they focused more on their farming. On their farms, whatever was happening on their farms.

And then the Department of Education decided they were going to set up school governing bodies that consisted of… for the most part the school governing body had to consist of the parent component because it was actually also a way in which they wanted the parents to take ownership of the schools and be more involved with the schools.

Now, when the schools were still managed by the dominee, when they were still DRC schools, it was the responsibility of the principal to, he also had to give catechism classes. And the female teachers had to teach Sunday school. It was customary that the first, the first September Sunday of every year, all the DRC schools went to town, on the back of open lorries, as they were transported in those days, and then each farm school had a choir which performed.

The DRC council… Everyone decided together on – they called it a prescribed hymn, every school choir had to learn the prescribed hymn and sing it and then the school choir could also sing its own choice. And in this way it, it helped the children to, as they were growing up in the Dutch Reformed Church, to get to know the DRC hymns and they could sing along in church because they knew the hymns.

So the principals who were responsible for the training of the choirs – the choirs sang in voices, I know, it was always soh-me-doh, they started that way and each voice had to sing in its own voice. The principal was naturally showing off, he stood in front of the choir and acted as the conductor and each child received a thanksgiving offering envelope. And the parents had to put money in the envelope and the school children, all the learners of the school actually had a vacation that day because everyone was involved, had to sing in the choir. But the bigger children, and also the smaller ones, only went along to give their thanksgiving offering. And so, after all the choirs had sung, each school was given the opportunity for their children to give their thanksgiving offerings. The female teachers were involved in that. Each school had to make a thanksgiving offering box. We always took a shoe box and covered it nicely and made a slit in the top and then the teacher involved – because they had few personnel, only two or three – stood behind the table and then the children from each school came, from the little ones in Sub A, and threw their envelopes into the box, the thanksgiving offering box, went to sit down again and at the end the staff of the school counted the money in the vestry.

And later on it got so, so… People were so motivated that the one school wanted to collect more money for the church than the other school. And thus the parents were motivated and the children were motivated that they had to give money to the church, because it’s your thanksgiving offering, isn’t it, it also contributes to your blessings.

Elder. It was also compulsory for the principal to serve on the church council. First as deacon, and later on they became elders. So they also did home visits, visiting old people in particular, people in homes where there were problems. They had to conduct prayer meetings. They were involved in burials, they had to bury people, and apart from this they had many other roles to play. They were doctors, they were policemen, advocates, attorneys, psychologists. Apart from being principal, they had many other roles, because the parent community always believed that the school principal was the one they looked up to.

The school principal was the one with the knowledge and it was his advice and leadership they sought. In those years the school principal was also, apart from the farm owner, the only person with a vehicle on the farm. Should someone fall ill in the night, it didn’t matter what time of the night, they came knocking at the principal’s door. And in those years the school principal, no matter the time, got up and took that sick person to the hospital or to the doctor.

That was the relationship that existed in those years between the… The school principal in particular played an important role in the parent community. And so Mr Karolus – the school expanded a bit, and 9… August, 1 August 1983 he then retired, settled in Worcester, where the youngest daughter was. Then [I] took over as school principal.

Personal history

Look, I can now start at the beginning, the growing-up years, because when I get to the time I took over, I’ll be repeating many things, like how things were in those days and how they gradually changed.

I’m Vivienne Patricia, born Karolus, married Van der Westhuisen, born 1 July 1959 at Noordhoek farm itself. I was brought into life by a midwife, born in the house on the farm itself. My father started the school. I grew up here and as child… I was a true farm child. Ran about barefoot, played barefoot, liked to play in the rain, made doll’s houses under the bushes – we always chose a nice bush, then we broke off some of the branches and we took a bag, it was a, those days they used hessian bags, took the hessian bag, spread it out there in the doll’s house. That was always the sleeping place. We looked for a tin, a tin was the table, smaller tins were the chairs, sometimes stones were the chairs.

We also got clay out of the river. Then we made tea sets with the clay and exhibited them there. We made small flower pots from the clay. The mud clay. Picked flowers and put them in the pots. I loved playing doll’s house. I always had nice friends. We went to swim in the river. We collected wood, picked up wood, picked up thin twigs to make a fire.

Sometimes we felt up to collecting a bigger load of wood. Then you had to be manly enough, or lady enough, or girl enough, to – or the load of wood was fastened to your back, or you carried the load of wood on your head, because you’re going home now, aren’t you, you’re going to make nice tea.

We searched for various veld fruits, some veld plants, trees, the fruits of bushes. It used to be great fun. There was bessiebos [berry bush], that was a black one, I think; vlieëbos [fly bush]; then there was slangbos [snake bush]; there was the rooibessie [red berry]; then there were garras, these had these yellow pips, it was the garra bush; there was wood sorrel, the long, sour one with the yellow flower. Then there were knikkels, that was a flat one that was in between the grass. We had to look for the knikkels in the grass. Then we went to the mountain, in the mountain there was pitjiebos [grey conebush] and we went to pick up pips. The, our parents always warned us about pitjiebos, they always said that snakes liked lying under the pitjiebos.

Then we went further up into the mountain, we got bulbs, poema-… poelemakranka [koekemakranka/Gethyllis]. Digging pollemakranka. That was now really a fine art, because you had to search amongst the rocks where there was a specific plant and then you had to dig and the root of that plant, that was the pollemakranka. Then we ate the, the sap and the pips that were inside, and then the pollemakranka was put in a book to dry, because when the pollemakranka, when the root itself, when it was dry, it smelled nice. So then it smelled nice in your book, or your – wherever you put it.

My father – when he came from Klawervlei, he brought an old wooden boat that he had used those years. When the river had been very full, he had rowed with this boat and two oars across the river and collected the learners and took them back again. The boat came with him to Noordhoek, and on Noordhoek he didn’t need it any more and in the end the boat was my playground. That was then my doll’s house where my friends had fun playing. But because the boat was lying outside in the wind and weather and rain, the boat gradually deteriorated and at some point it was chopped up. For firewood.

I went to school here, started in Sub A, up to Standard 4. For Standard 5 my three elder sisters and I went to school in Worcester. We boarded with my mother’s mother, with my grandmother. There we completed our secondary schooling in Esselen Park Senior Secondary School, to Standard 8.

When you got to Standard 8, it was only a question of – they looked at the marks. If you had below a certain mark, then you had to go stand in the row for the teachers and the (inaudible 13:41) training, because you had to study to become a teacher. When you had a certain number of marks, then you had to go stand in the row for the nurses because you were going to do nursing, and when you had a certain number of marks – these were always the minority – then you remained at Esselen Park, because then you could progress to matric.

And it happened on this day that when it was time to announce who had to go stand in which row, I was called out to progress to Standard 9 and Standard 10. But I also wanted to become a teacher. I felt I wanted to go stand in the row where (inaudible 14:26) students stood, because my father was a teacher. My mother was a teacher. My three sisters were teachers, and I also felt I wanted to become a teacher. I think it was because I grew up in a house like that, but I also think that I wanted to become a teacher because in those years the teachers were role models for the children.

We always looked, what was Miss wearing that morning, what shoes was Miss wearing, what did Miss’s hair look like? And the boys always looked at what Sir was wearing. And then Sir – when Sir had his grey suit on on Mondays, then they knew, Monday everyone had to toe the line. No stepping out of line or you got a hiding. On Tuesdays, Sir was maybe wearing a white shirt, with a blue tie, then they knew, today we would have fun doing art, we would have fun doing physical education. The children knew all the teachers through their clothing, but the teachers were also role models for the children.

When I was in school at Noordhoek Primary, we enjoyed going outside for physical education. Fridays after the second break, it was art class. Then we painted outside on the stoep, we had fun doing art. We were taught needlework, we learnt how to put in a hem, how to sew on a button. We learnt to knit, the only thing we didn’t learn was how to crochet. And the boys did crafts, were trained in crafts.

Those subjects have been taken away and actually these were good subjects that have been taken away, especially for girls, because nowadays girls can’t put in a hem. They can’t sew on a button and these are skills we learnt then. We boarded with our grandmother and I was – my sisters say it’s because I was the youngest – very naughty. I didn’t want to go from the farm to Worcester. And so the Dear Lord ordained that there was a family here on Noordhoek, their surname was Maandeville (??16:59), the daughter, their daughter, Sara, she was two years older than us other children in the class. And when she came to school, she was automatically cleverer than us because she was older and she was more independent. And so my father and my mother kept an eye on Sara and realised that Sara would go far in life, but finances were a problem. And because I was so naughty, and didn’t want to go from the farm to Worcester, my father and my mother asked Sara’s parents whether they won’t send Sara with me, to Worcester. She could board with my grandma, they would see to it that she got to Worcester, got there, as they would do for me. They would give her pocket money, they would buy what needed to be bought, what Sara needed. Sara would live with me at my grandma’s. They would pay, pay the board, and Sara’s parents agreed. And Sara and I went. To Worcester. We were going to do our schooling in Worcester. That was my salvation, that there was a friend, from the farm, from the farm, that could go with me. To Worcester. To the town.

That time we still had trains. Our closest station was Gouda. So on Sundays, at the end of the holidays, my father had to take Sara and me to Gouda. There we got the train to Worcester station. From Worcester station we had to take our suitcases and walk to Riverview, where my grandma lived. The routine in Worcester was school from Monday to Friday, but as soon as school was out, washing socks, washing shirt. Our clothing was the maroon skirt with a white shirt and then we had the blazer, didn’t we. So every second day you had to wash your white shirt, because the collar became dirty and the sweat under the arms…

Friday evenings we had to – it was Youth. Then we had to attend Youth. On Saturdays there was an arrangement between… you’d met a school friend. Now you wanted to go visit the friend on Saturday, but the next Saturday this school friend had to come visit you. There where you boarded at Grandma’s house, because Grandma wanted to know, who was the friend? Grandma wanted to see what kind of friend it was. Was it someone you should befriend, or not? And so this carried on. Up to the time that there was some disagreement between you and the friend, then you two would for a while, you won’t go visiting each other on Saturday afternoons. Then you would make peace and the visiting continued.

Sunday mornings, church. Definitely. Get up, go to church. After church, catechism class. Catechised. We were confirmed in Worcester, and when we went to the teachers college, not college, was training school, we went to live in the residence. I did, Sara and I did LPOS, Lower Primary Education Certificate, it was Standard 8 in two years. After we finished, when I started my first teaching year, the Department of Education phased in the JPOS course. Junior Primary Education Certificate, where you received training for three years.

And so I went back and did my JPOS, my third year. After this, I started doing my matric through the mail and got my matric certificate, and then I started with my education courses, OK, distance courses, through the mail, where I then did matric and three years, matric and four years, matric and further, Further Education. The Higher, the Further, and after this I did the degree in Mathematics, Languages, and Curriculum and the Foundation Phase at the University of Cape Town, We had to go, every holiday, it was a three year course, every holiday we had to go for lessons at the university itself, where they arranged accommodation. We travelled with the shuttle, to campus and back. It was always for a week. We had to do this for a week during every holiday, except for December.

The training, the years at the, at the residence at the training college differed a lot from the years as a boarder with my grandma, because at the residence there was a bit more freedom, although there were also rules and regulations that had to be obeyed. But there was more freedom of movement, more space, because many children from different places lived at the residence. We did, there was always a room for two friends, friends shared. And you were close to the, the residence was just opposite Sonia(??22:57) College, so it was, you didn’t have far to walk as you had to do when you were at secondary school. And the training we received there was very intensive. Our majors were Psychology and Methodology. Psychology to understand the child, to work with the child, and Methodology on how to present, how to present subjects, to work concretely, work semi-concretely, work abstractly. That was the focus.

We did… The most subjects we had were six in your first year, four subjects in your second year; in your final year Methodology and Psychology were your majors. Today one hears education college students speak about 14, 17 subjects. Now, where can, how can it now happen that the students are trained intensively to do the primary job, which is to teach children, the methodology, the teaching. There are so many subjects and fields that have to receive attention, that they have to learn and study, that they cannot give enough attention to the primary task, to teach the students how to teach the children. And we were trained intensively. When we did our practical, we were placed in schools in Worcester itself and the lecturers from the college, from Sonia (??) came and listened to our lessons. We called them critic lessons, crit lessons.

They came and sat and listened, and in the afternoon everyone had to gather in the hall at three o’ clock, gather in the hall, and then the common mistakes that you as a practical student had made, those mistakes were addressed and analysed and explained to all the students. When a child is struggling with minus, you do this; when a child is struggling with a word, you do this. That is how we were drilled.

And I’m still of the opinion – many people, even the inspectors, say, the teachers who trained in those years are still the best teachers. They know how to teach a child to read. How to teach a child to do sums. Because we were trained like that and that was the focus.

I myself was an athlete, I played netball from the time I left Noordhoek. When I started school in Worcester, I took part in athletics up to Sonia (??), at the teachers college. I still took part in athletics and I also played netball at the college, and with those skills and my love for it, I returned. And came to build upon it. Build further.

The school – 1 August 1983, when my father retired, there was a vacant position and dominee Orrie (?? 26:28) was at that time still the manager of the school and luckily I was the only female teacher who was, who had a matric certificate behind my name. Which automatically placed me in a better position to be acting principal.

We always, you were appointed on probation for a period of nine months. Then you got a date when you were then visited by the inspector and then you had to present crit lessons for the inspector. And they asked you, “Give my the files where your admission forms are. Give me your financial file. Give me your register. Give that to me.” And you just had to give them everything. So I was then on probation for nine months a a result of my matric certificate. And I was already registering to study further, after matric, to start with the TD, teacher’s diploma. And the day I was visited during my probation period, that day would determine whether you would be appointed permanently, or whether you had to apply again.

So it was also a period that, it was a nerve-wracking period; you were very tense because you only thought of that date. Because you wanted to make a success of your career. And the day I was visited, it was two inspectors because my father had been the principal. And as his substitute, I was visited by two inspectors who came to determine whether I was worthy to be appointed permanently. As principal.

It came to a successful end and I was appointed, my appointment was actually on 1 August 1983. So my father retired before that time, he retired. And I also lead the school, got skills and stuff from my father. Learnt a lot from him because I grew up in the house and here at the school I helped him a lot as well.

And even during our training as education students we had to make our teaching aids ourselves. Make them ourselves with our own hands. We were trained to, they called it a wish pen (??29:18). It was something that ehm… When you appl-, when we applied, you got a list: What the requirements are. What your parents had to buy for you. What was going to be part of your course. And on the list were those words: “wish pen”. It was a small box, a small box with five points, pen points, in it, from fine to broad. And then there was a stick. So depending on what you wanted to write and how big you wanted to write it, you inserted the point into the stick and dipped it in the ink and then you wrote. And that was how we made our teaching aids ourselves for the children, to teach them.

The school expanded. When I was principal it was still the era of the afternoon shifts. There was also the routine of classes cleaning the toilets, you sweep, you pick up papers. And at some point we were only women, we were five women here in the school. Five women. The men were a bit scarce, there weren’t many male teachers available. And it was still the time of physical education. The principal always had the Standard 4 class, the biggest class. It was my class and I was responsible for teaching the boys physical education. They still had to do physical education: handstands, rabbit jumps, rolling head over heels, all those things, and then I also coached them in rugby. Coaching them skills the best I could. When the children had a game, the only thing I didn’t do was to take the whistle and blow. The, the male teachers of the other schools we played against, they refereed the games, but I was next to the field as coach of the rugby team.

The female teachers were responsible for netball and the school expanded. Eventually the owner added an admin section. We got mobile classrooms to do away with the afternoon shift because the Department of Education actually lost a lot of money, because they had to pay the principal an allowance for supervising until five o’ clock when the afternoon shift ended. Then you also went home.

Mobile classes were set up and the school expanded until today we are a staff of ten, ten. We qualified for an administrative officer who works permanently and is paid by the Department of Education. We added the feeding scheme where two women are involved. Because of the learner numbers, the size of the school, we also qualified for a cleaner and a general foreman. We phased in Grade R. At the moment the school has a staff of four men and six women from Grade R to Grade 7 and we’re currently busy with a project about values where each teacher has to portray a word, a characteristic, every second month, communicating this to the children, like obedience, co-operation, perseverance, responsibility, loyalty. That is what we’re currently busy with.

Vivienne van der Westhuizen is op 1 Julie 1959 op die plaas Noordhoek naby Citrusdal gebore. Sy het in haar pa se voetspore gevolg en is nou ’n skoolhoof by ’n plaaslike skool.

Vivienne vertel hoe haar pa die skooltjie in Februarie 1959 begin het. Al het hy baie min toerusting en hulpbronne gehad, het hy vir die kinders waardes en selfrespek geleer. Sy verduidelik breedvoerig hoe die skool in daardie jare bedryf is.

Vivienne van der Westhuizen is op 1 Julie 1959 op die plaas Noordhoek gebore, waar sy nou skoolhoof by die laerskool is. Haar pa was die skoolhoof op Klawervlei. Destyds moes hulle in die berge langs die rivier vuurmaakhout gaan haal en water in emmers aandra. Die skooltjie is in Februarie 1959 begin en daar was net twee klaskamers. Kinders van verskillende ouderdomme het die skool bygewoon. Daar was nie meubels nie en die kinders moes iets van die huis af of uit die veld uit saambring om op te sit. Later het hulle griffies en lei van die Onderwysdepartement af gekry. Die kinders het winter en somer skool toe gestap. Hulle het nog nie skooltrots gehad nie en was ook nie gesteld op netheid nie. Die skoolhoof het dus ’n drom water op ’n vuur laat warm maak sodat hulle hulleself kon was. Daar was waskommetjies, seep en waslappe vir die kinders by die skool en hulle hare is ook by die skool gesny. Namate die skooltjie gegroei het, is ’n derde klaskamer aangebou en nog ’n onderwyser aangestel. Die kinders het klippe en stokkies buite opgetel om te leer somme maak. Sommige kinders het in die oggend skoolgegaan en ander in die middag. Rokery onder die kinders was ’n groot probleem. Hulle het uitgevind hoenderbos ruik net soos tabak en het dit gerook.

Die skoolterrein was baie sanderig en is net soos huisvloere met beesmis gesmeer om dit netjies te hou. Elke Vrydag of tweede Vrydag het die kinders beesmis by die krale gaan optel, met water gemeng en met besems oor die sanderige skoolgrond gesmeer. Die banke is met seep geskrop en met politoer wat deur die Onderwysdepartement voorsien is, gepoleer. Die dogters het die klaskamers se houtvloere geskrop. Dit was belangrik om die kinders te leer om na hulle skool en omgewing om te sien en hulleself te versorg. Hulle is geleer om trots te wees op hulle persoon en om goeie maniere te hê.

Vivienne verduidelik dat die kurrikulum van vandag so vol is dat daar nie tyd is om kinders die waardes van vroeër jare te leer nie. Die toilette by die skool waar haar pa skoolgehou het, het nog die baliestelsel gebruik – ’n gat met ’n balie binne-in. Van die seuns en dogters het die taak gekry om die balies uit te gooi en die toilet se vloere skoon te maak. Haar pa het die grond waar die balies uitgegooi is, gebruik om ’n groentetuin aan te plant. Die groente het welig gegroei en hy het ’n dammetjie laat bou en water aangelê. Die skool het kinders tot en met graad 6 onderrig; daarna het die kinders op die plase gaan werk. Vivienne se pa het ’n rugbyspan vir die seuns begin om hulle uit die kattekwaad te hou. Hulle is die Young Blues genoem en bestaan vandag nog. Daar was ook netbalspanne vir die dogters. Die kinders is met ’n trekker en sleepwa na ander plase vervoer om teen mekaar te speel.

In die tweede onderhoudopname vertel Vivienne meer van haar ervarings as skoolhoof.

Ek is Vivienne Patricia, gebore Karolus, getroud Van der Westhuizen. Ek is gebore op een Julie 1959 te Noordhoek-plaas huidig waar ek vandag skoolhoof is. My pa was skoolhoof op Klawervlei waar hy ook onder andere verskeie struikelblokke moes oorkom en van daar het hy die skool te Noordhoek-plaas begin as skoolhoof.

Ek is hier gebore. My ma het as swanger mamma van Klawervlei af Noordhoek gekom en ek is hier op die plaas self gebore en in die wêreld gebring deur middel van ’n vroedvrou. Ek het hier grootgeword en dit was mos nog in die tyd toe daar nie elektrisiteit was nie. Die ouer susters en my pa-hulle moes gaan hout haal, in die berge langs die rivier. Hulle moes nog water aandra, in die emmers, kommetjies water, en dit is maar hoe ek groot geword het.

My pa het die skool hier begin. Dit was Februarie 1959 en die skooltjie het maar bestaan uit twee klasse. Die kindertjies wat ingeskryf is daardie jare was nie verbind tot ’n sekere ouderdom nie. Dit was van vyf jaar, ses jaar tot op kinders wat so oud as tien jaar was, het toe die skool bygewoon. Dit was egter net die twee klaskamers, daar was nie meubels nie, so elke kind moes iets saambring van die huis af of uit die veld uit om op te sit. Sommige het ’n blik gebring, ander het ’n klip gebring. Sommige se pa het darem ’n boom deurgesaag en vir die kind die stomp gegee en dit is waarop hulle gesit het terwyl hulle in die klas besig was. My pa self het vir hom maar ’n tafeltjie aanmekaargeslaan en ’n stoel van die huis af gebring waarop hy dan gesit het.

En so het hulle maar vir die kinders skoolgehou, eers net mondeling, spel. Los blaaie het die kinders gekry om op te skryf en mettertyd het hulle gepraat van die griffie en lei wat hulle van Onderwysdepartement gekry het waarop die kinders geskryf het. So, elkeen het dan met hierdie bordjie gesit en die, dit was die lei, hy was die bordjie en die griffie was ’n tipe pen waarmee hulle geskryf het. En dan moes elkeen vir hom ’n lappie van die huis af bring, want die lappie het hulle dan gebruik om uit te vee wanneer hulle verkeerd geskryf het. En so het hy en juffrou Anderson, hulle twee het die skool begin. Juffrou Anderson het iewers op die plaas by een van die plaasbewoners het sy loseer, in daardie eenvoudige huisie. En dan het sy hier tussen die plaasmense se huisies maar deur kom stap soggens skool toe.

So mettertyd het Onderwysdepartement nou banke voorsien en die outydse swartborde kom opsit en so het die onderrig van die tyd het gehalte dan nou verbeter. En hulle het toe later (onhoorbaar 03:39) gekry van Onderwysdepartement af en die kinders kon toe regtig begin skoolgaan. Baie van die kinders het sommer so gedurende skooltyd, soos my pa nou vir my vertel het, sommer huis toe gestap en daar by die huis gaan sit en speel, of gaan aansluit daar by die ouers by die vuur. Dan moes hy gaan en vir hulle gaan soek en weer terugbring. Baie van hulle het sommer van die skool af geloop as dit te warm was en gaan swem in die rivier, of hulle het sommer maatjies gemaak en die berge ingestap en gaan houtjies haal vir die middag omdat hulle nog nie regtig in ’n opvoedkundige en ’n skoolpatroon was nie.

Omdat dit in daardie jare nog die tyd was wat die mense moes warm water maak op die vuur het die kinders was nie so gesteld op lestyd en skooltrots nie en my pa moes hulle baie keer was hier by die skool self. Dan het hy ’n groot drom gevat en die drom op klippe gesit en onder die drom vuur gemaak. En dan het die kinders beurte gekry om elke keer die vuur te gaan stook tot daar waar die water nou warm genoeg was en dan moes hulle, was die kommetjies by die skool, lappe, seep, en hulle moes vir hulle by die skool self was. Meeste van die kinders se hare was by die skool self gesny word om nou daardie netheid en skooltrots te bevorder.

Die skooltjie het toe so mettertyd uitgebrei en die eienaar van die skool het nog ’n derde klas bygebou en so kon hulle toe ’n derde opvoeder aanstel, want die kindertjies het toe ook begin vermeerder. Die tyd toe dit net die twee klasse was, het die kinders ook vermeerder want die ouers het begin agterkom dat die kinders leer nou, hulle begin leer mos nou, die begin is mos maar om jou naam te skryf, van te skryf en so eenvoudige sommetjies te maak. Ek weet hulle het die sommetjies gedoen. Hulle moes klippe buite gaan optel en dan moes hulle die klippe gebruik om hulle sommetjies te maak. Hulle moes stokkies buite gaan soek en dan moes hulle die stokkies gebruik om hulle sommetjies te maak.

Dan het die, soos die skool mettertyd uitgebrei het, kinders vermeerder het, daar het meer plase ontwikkel, het die skool, moes die skool ook ’n middagskof infaseer. Dan het sommige kinders in die oggend skoolgegaan en sommige van hulle het in die middag skoolgegaan tot laatnamiddag. Die kinders van daai jare het mos nog skool toe gestap, kaalvoete, sonder ’n trui. Enigiets wat warm was het hulle aangetrek deur wind, reën, storm het hulle skool toe gekom, hulle was baie betroubaar, en getrou.

Ouers, en sommige tye moes die ouers saam met die kinders stap, hulle het paadjies, het ek verstaan, het hulle deur die bosse het hulle vir hulleself paadjies uitgeloop. Soos hulle nou mos sê, hulle het kortpad gevat om gouer by die huis te kom, of gouer by die skool te kom.

Daardie kinders het, hulle was blootgestel aan baie aan rook. Ek weet dit was die grootste probleem wat by die skool ontstaan het was die kinders wat gerook het. Omdat hulle het maklik twak in die hande gekry en hulle het toe ontdek dat die twak lyk soos blaartjies. Toe het hulle begin eksperimenteer tussen die bosse en goed, het blaartjies afgepluk en gevryf en geruik en iewers het hulle toe ontdek dat die hoenderbos, daardie blaartjie ruik naasteby soos twak. En hulle het dan nou dié blare gevat en gedroog en gevryf en so het hulle vir hulleself twak gemaak. En hulle het verskriklik gerook. Dit was ’n probleem waarmee die onderwysers baie gesukkel het om dit uit die kinders uit te kry en vir hulle te laat besef dat rook nie geskik is vir ’n leerder of ’n skoolkind nie.

Die omgewing rondom die skool was baie sanderig. Die boere het mos nog beeskrale gehad waar hulle, waar die beeste aangehou was, waar die beeste gemelk was. Dan het die ouers in hulle huise die huise mos gesmeer met beesmis. En dit was toe nou ook ’n manier hoe hulle die skoolterrein buite netjies kon hou deur dit te besmeer met beesmis. Dan moes die kinders weer van die huis af elkeen byvoorbeeld ’n blik bring, of ’n emmer, en hulle was gestuur na die beeskrale toe. Dan het hulle daar gaan beesmis optel, teruggebring skool toe en dié beesmis was dan ook in ’n groot drom gegooi, water ingegooi en dan was die mis nou geroer met ’n besemstok tot dit nou gemeng was. Kinders moes dan, veral die kinders wat op Noordhoek gebly het, hulle moes dan huis toe gaan en dan by hulle huis ’n rietbesem gaan haal, en so het hulle dan die mis gesmeer.

Dan was daar ook spesifieke blikkies, groterige blikkies, waarmee hulle dan die mis geskep het uit die dromme uit en op die grond gegooi het. Dan was daar weer bietjie water bygegooi en die ander het dan met die besems die terrein voor die skool met die mis geverf dat dit nou nie so stowwerig en sanderig is nie. Dit was die werk van die kinders, elke Vrydag, of elke tweede Vrydag, afhangende hoe die terrein gelyk het moes hulle dan voor die skool verf met mis.

Die banke het hulle self ook, aan die einde van die kwartaal, net as die skool gesluit het, het elke klas moet die banke uitvat, buite. Hulle het, daai tyd het Onderwysdepartement self skoonmaakmiddels en hulpmiddels aan die skole voorsien. Die skole het dit daar bestel en hulle het spesifiek politoer, skropborsel, groen seep, het hulle op hulle bestellyste gehad. So, die onderwysers kon dit bestel om dan nou die banke, die kinders moes seep smeer aan die banke, dan het hulle die banke geskrop, met die skropborsel, lekker afgedroog. Ek weet geel stoflappe kon die skole ook bestel van die Onderwysdepartement. Dan het hulle dié blikkies politoer, meubelpolitoer, gevat, die banke gepolitoer, dan moes die banke vir ’n tyd in die son staan. En die son het dan dié politoer ’n bietjie sag, sag gebrand, lekker warm, en dan het hulle lappe gevat, dan moes hulle ook weer ou lappe van die huis af bring, of die onderwysers moes maar ou lappe gee, skool toe bring. En die kinders het dan nou dié lappe gevat en dan nou die banke opgevryf tot die banke blink. Dan moes hulle bietjie wegstaan en weer kyk, blink die bank?, nader kom en so was hulle ook geleer om self te sorg dat die banke in ’n goeie toestand is. Nou het die banke buite gestaan, dit was nou mooi gewas, en skoongemaak, gepolitoer. Maar die banke moet nou weer ingaan, klas toe, uit dié sanderige wêreld uit, ingaan klas toe.

Maar in die tussentyd was die klasse ook skoongemaak. Die klasse se vloere, dit was houtvloere. Daardie vloere was op dieselfde manier ook geskrop. Die kinders het die rompies, dit was die werk van die dogtertjies. Hulle moes hulle rompies insteek, dan moes hulle op hulle knieë gaan en die borsels, hulle was geleer, hulle vat die seep en hulle smeer die borsel en dan het hulle die houtvloere geskrop. Die seuns het water aangedra. Dan was daar weer so ’n bietjie water ingeskiet, en dit was gevee, die klasse was netjies skoongeskrop. Nou, wanneer hulle nou weer die banke moes terugbring klas toe, moes hulle nou agter mekaar staan. Die seuns, dit was die seuns se werk, hulle moes nou weer sorg dat die banke in die klas kom. Dan moes hulle nou agter mekaar staan, in ’n ry. En aan die punt van die stoep was daar nou twee klippe neergesit. Dan was die eerste raam, rand van die bank was nou op die twee klippe neergesit. Nou moes daar alkante moes nou ’n seun staan en hy moet nou buk, dan onder aan die banke by die rand van die banke was daar sulke ronde, uhh, sulke ringe, wat nou deel was van die raam. Dan moes hulle nou eers daardie sand uitblaas en ’n stokkie vat en al daardie sand uitvryf. Dan was die banke op die stoep gesit met die voorste gedeelte. Nou was die agterste gedeelte weer op die klippe gesit en so moes die banke nou eers heeltemal skoon wees, sonder dat daar nog ’n sandkrummeltjie aan daai banke sit. Dan moes die seuns die banke in die klas vat. Maar daar was twee spesifieke seuns verantwoordelik vir dit. So hulle het glad nie kontak gehad met die sand op die grond nie. Hulle het net op die stoep gestaan. So hulle het net beweeg van die begin van die stoep af tot by die klas, dan was daar die dogters wat die banke verder in die klas vat.

Die kinders was goed geleer, veral wat betref netheid en maniere hoe dinge gedoen moes word. Daarin was hulle goed vasgelê. Die onderwyskurrikulum van daardie jare egter was nie so gepas dat jy nie kans kry om aandag te skenk aan ander dinge soos skooltrots en waardestelsels, netheid, dat kinders regtig self betrokke raak om iets skoon en die omgewing netjies te hou nie. Deesdae, hulle mors, want daar is skoonmakers wat agterna kom, wat kom skoonmaak. Daardie tyd, as hulle gemors het, moes hulle self skoonmaak, hulle moes self die klasse vee, self die terrein vee. Hulle was, moes in die bosse gaan, dan moes hulle takke gaan pluk en daai takke moes hulle so bymekaarvat in ’n bondeltjie en dan het hulle die hele terrein, daai sanderige terrein, het hulle gevee met daai takkies, gebukkend, gebukkend het hulle geloop.

So, deesdae is die kurrikulum so gepak, so volgepak dat jy nie lus is, soveel aandag kan skenk aan ander dinge nie. Ek dink daardie tyd was die kurrikulum eenvoudig, basiese goed moes vir die kinders geleer word. Daar was genoeg tyd sodat jy nog ander dinge soos byvoorbeeld dat kinders self klasse uitvee, self die terrein skoonmaak, rondloop en papiere optel. Daar was spesifiek roosters vir elke klas, elke opvoeder, watter dag was dit hulle beurt om die terrein skoon te maak.

Ja, die toilette. Die toilette was mos nog die balie-stelsel. Dit was ook die werk van die leerders self om daardie toilette skoon te maak. Aan die agterkant van die skool was daar spesifieke plekke uitgewys waar die seuns nou eers moes ’n gat kan grawe, met die graaf. Dan moes hulle dié balies met, deur middel van ’n stok, twee seuns, een vat aan die een punt van die stok en een vat aan die ander punt van die stok en dan moes hulle die balies gaan leegmaak. Dan moes hulle daar weer emmers met water gaan haal, die skoon water in die balies gooi en die balies uitspoel en daardie water weer ook in daardie gat gooi. So was daar gate en gate en gate, want wanneer die een gat vol was, dan moes die seuns weer ’n ander gat grawe. En so het my pa toe ook ontdek, maar dit is ook mos ’n manier om grond vrugbaar te maak, en op daai spesifieke stuk grond het hy toe vir hom ’n groentetuin ontwikkel. Mense het mos maar sommer self in die berg gegaan, of in die veld gegaan en stokke gaan afsaag en so het hy vir hom ’n tuin gemaak, omhein en daardie tuin het van die pragtigste groente opgelewer.

Hy het vir hom ’n dammetjie laat bou. Hy het eers aan die begin pype gaan vra, gelas-las, water gelê, en dan het hy daar gestaan met die graaf, slootjies gemaak, eers. Ek weet die water het geloop tot by die eerste ry, dan was daar ’n walletjie gegooi, dan het die water daarin afgeloop, dan was daardie slootjie weer oopgemaak en so was die tuin natgelei, heel namiddag. Dit was spesifieke goed wat hy gehad het in sy groentetuin. Behalwe dat die seuns self die balies moes skoonmaak, daar was ook ’n rooster waar elke klas ook sy beurt gekry het – wanneer die seuns toilette skoonmaak, was daar ’n spesifieke dogtertjies wat hierdie toilette se vloere moes skoonmaak en skrop. En so het die leerders saamgewerk met die onderwysers wat self die skoolterrein, klasse, toilette netjies gehou het.

Uit die tuin uit het ons groente gekry. Toe het ons daar grootgeword, groente gekry, vrugte, bome wat self aangeplant, versorg. Vleis, weet ek, ja, het hulle maar gekoop op die plaas by die eienaar. Melk was ook op die plaas gekoop by die eienaar. Ons het so ’n wit melkemmertjie gehad waarin my oudste suster se werk was om saans melk te gaan koop, en dan as die melk teruggekom het, moes die melk dan eers gekook gewees het. Dan was die melk gesif, deur ’n wit lappie, ’n spesifieke wit lappie wat my ma gehad het om die melk te sif en mettertyd het sy mos vir haarself ’n sif aangekoop. En so het die skool uitgebrei. Meer onderwysers het ingekom. Die middagskof het aangegaan tot daar waar Onderwysdepartement toe die mobiele klasse infaseer het toe die middagskof heeltemal uitgeskakel was.

Egter die hoof was betrokke by die hele dag om toesig te hou by die skool, van die oggendskof tot waar die middagskof die middag vyfuur klaargemaak het. Die hoof was egter vergoed deur ’n toelae te kry om toesig te hou tot die middagskof, want dit was deel van die hoof se pligte. Die onderwysers het mos maar self netbal afgerig, langs die netbalveld, langs die rugbyveld. Ek weet my pa het ’n buite- – hy was baie lief vir rugby, want hy was self ’n rugbyspeler – het ’n buite-rugbyspan ook gestig. Nadat die, die kinders het moes nou net skoolgegaan tot by graad vier daardie tyd, vandag graad ses. Of standerd vier, vandag graad ses. Skoolgegaan en dan het hulle almal maar op die plase gaan werk. En, hulle het begin verveeld raak, kattekwaad en goed aangevang. Jong manne het begin verval, in drank, en so het hy toe besluit maar hy gaan ’n buite-rugbyspan gaan hy stig. Van die seuns wat rugby gespeel het, goed rugby gespeel het by die skool, het hy gevra, wil julle nie kom en ek rig vir julle af en ons stig ’n buite-rugbyspan nie? So in dié omgewing was hy die een wat die eerste buite-rugbyspan gestig het. Hulle naam was Young Blues, hulle bestaan vandag nog. Gelukkig. Dit gaan darem nog voort, alhoewel die, die wenmotief is nie meer so sterk nie omdat die manne kuier nog Vrydagaande ’n bietjies te laat en dan is hulle Saterdag nie fiks genoeg om rugby te speel nie. Daar was nog nie, mettertyd was daar ’n buite-netbalspan ook gestig en hulle het dan nou maar so vir die plaaseienaar die lorrie gevra om vir hulle te vervoer. Sommige kere was hulle maar op ’n trekker, ’n oop trekkerwa, maar hulle was bereid om rugby en netbal op ander plase te gaan speel. Hierso stop? Want ek kan nog aangaan …

Dan, die skole. Hier was baie plaasskooltjies. Daai tyd was dit mos plaasskooltjies genoem, vandag is dit ’n landelike skool. Was, hulle was onderhewig aan die NG Kerk. Die dominee van die NG Kerk was die bestuurder van die skole. Hy was verantwoordelik vir die aanstellings, onderwysers en skoolhoofde. Hy was betrokke by onderhoude wat gevoer moet word. Jy moet vir hom toestemming vra, sou jy vroeër van die skool af wou gaan. Enigiets wat betrekking gehad het op die skool. Jy moes selfs vir hom toestemming gevra het om vir ’n sekere bedrag sekere goed te kon bestel.

So die dominee van die … die NG Kerk was totaal en al in beheer van die skole en daarom was die skole daardie tyd ook, dit was soos Noordhoek, NG Kerk Primêre Skool.

En mettertyd, soos dit uitfaseer het, het die ouerbeheerliggaam die plek ingeneem van die … nee, dit was toe eers die plaaseienaar. Die plaaseienaar, die dominee, die plaaseienaar het daai plek oorgeneem wat betrokke was by die aanstellings, bestellings, as jy vroeër wil verdaag. Maar Onderwysdepartement het toe agtergekom dat die plaaseienaar stel nie eintlik belang nie in wat by die skole aangaan nie. Hulle het ook nie eintlik soveel insae en kennis rondom onderwyskwessies nie en hulle aandag is mos maar meer op hulle boerdery. Op hulle plase, wat oo kal op hulle plase aangaan.

En toe het Onderwysdepartement besluit, maar hulle gaan nou die skoolbeheerliggame gaan hulle nou daarstel wat bestaan uit die, die grootste gedeelte van die skoolbeheerliggaam moet bestaan uit die ouerkomponent omdat dit is ook eintlik meer ’n manier waarop hulle wil hê die ouers moet eienaarskap aanvaar van die skole en meer betrokke wees by die skole.

Nou, die tyd toe die skole nog in die bestuur van die dominee was, dit nog die NG Kerk-skole was, was dit die skoolhoof se verantwoordelikheid om, hy moet katkisasieklasse ook gee. Dan, die juffrouens moes Sondagskool hou. Daar was ’n instelling dat die eerste, die eerste September Sondag van elke jaar het al die NG Kerk-skole dorp toe gegaan, agterop die oop lorries, soos hulle maar vervoer was, en dan het elke plaasskool het ’n koor wat optree.

Die NG Kerk het die kerkraad, het almal saam besluit om een, hulle het dit genoem ’n voorgeskrewe gesang, dan moet elke skoolkoor moet die voorgeskrewe aanleer en dit sing en dan kon die skoolkoor ook sy eie keuse sing. En so het dit, het dit daartoe bygedra dat soos die kinders grootgeraak het in die NG Kerk self, het hulle die NG Kerk-gesange leer ken en hulle kon lekker in die kerk die gesange saamsing want hulle het die gesange geken.

Dan het die hoofde wat verantwoordelik was vir die afrigting van die kore, die kore het in stemme gesing, ek weet, dit was altyd sou, mie, dou, so was dit ingesit en elke stem moet in sy stem sing. Die hoof was natuurlik spoggerig, het daar voor die koor gestaan en opgetree as dirigent en elke kind het ’n dankoffer gekry. En dan moes die ouers nog geld in die dankoffertjie sit en die skoolkinders, die hele skool se leerders het eintlik daardie dag vakansie, want almal was ook maar betrokke, het ook maar in die koor gesing. Maar die groter kinders, en dan nou die kleintjies, het net saamgegaan om hulle dankoffertjies te gaan ingooi. En dan nadat die kore almal gesing het, het elke skool geleentheid gekry dat hulle kinders nou hulle dankoffertjies kan gaan ingooi. Dan was die onderwyseresse nou weer daarby betrokke. Elke skool moes self ’n dankofferboksie maak. Maar ons het altyd ’n skoenboksie gevat en mooi oorgetrek en bo-in ’n slootjie gemaak en dan het die betrokke juffrou, omdat hulle maar min personeel gehad het – dit was maar twee of drie – het dan agter die tafel gestaan en so het elke skool se kinders het nou gekom, van die kleintjies af van Sub A af gekom, en hulle koevertjies in die boksie, dankofferboks gegooi, weer gaan sit en aan die einde het die personeel van die skool nou die geld gaan tel in die konsistorie.

En toe het dit later so, so, mense was so gemotiveerd dat die een skool wou meer geld insamel vir die kerk as die ander skool. En so was die ouers gemotiveer en die kinders was gemotiveer dat hulle moet geld gee vir die kerk, want dit is mos jou dankoffer, dit dra ook by tot jou seëninge.

Ouderling. Dit was ook verpligtend dat die skoolhoof moes dien op die kerkraad. Eers as diaken, en dan later was hulle ouderlinge. So het hulle dan nou mos huisbesoeke gaan doen, veral by die oumense, mense by huise waar daar probleme was. Hulle moes biduur hou. Hulle was betrokke by begrafnisse, hulle moet mense begrawe, en, behalwe dit het hulle mos ook vele ander rolle gehad om te speel. Hulle was dokters, hulle was polisiemanne, advokate, prokureurs, sielkundiges. Behalwe dat hulle skoolhoof was, het hulle nog verskeie ander rolle gehad, omdat die ouer gemeenskap het altyd geglo dat die skoolhoof is die een na wie hulle opkyk.

Die skoolhoof is die een met die kennis en dit is die een by wie hulle gaan raad en leiding vra. Daardie jare was die skoolhoof ook, behalwe die plaaseienaar, die enigste persoon met ’n voertuig op die plaas. Sou iemand in die nag siek raak, ongeag watter tyd van die nag, het hulle aan die skoolhoof se deur kom klop. En die skoolhoof het daardie tyd, ongeag watter tyd ook al, opgestaan en daardie siek mens na die hospitaal of na die dokter toe geneem.

Dit was die verhouding wat daar was daardie jare tussen die … veral die skoolhoof het ’n baie belangrike rol gespeel in die ouergemeenskap. En so het meneer Karolus dan, die skool het so ’n bietjie uitgebrei, en nege … Augustus, een Augustus 1983 het hy dan toe afgetree, hom gaan vestig in Worcester, waar die jongste dogter gewees het, toe oorgeneem het as skoolhoof.

Kyk hier, ek kan nou begin met die begin, die grootwordjare, want wanneer ek gaan kom by waar ek oorgeneem het, is daar baie van die goedjies wat ek sal herhaal, wat gewees het soos daai tyd en dan nou mettertyd hoe dit toe nou verander het.

Ek is Vivien Patricia, gebore Karolus, getroud Van der Westhuisen, gebore een Julie 1959 te Noordhoek-plaas self. Ek was in die lewe gebring deur middel van ’n vroedvrou, waar ek in die huis op die plaas self gebore was. My pa het die skool begin. Ek het hier grootgeword en as kind, ’n egte, regte plaaskind was ek. Kaalvoetjies buite rondgehardloop, kaalvoete gespeel, gehou daarvan om in die reën te speel, pophuisies gemaak, onder die bosse, ons het altyd vir ons ’n lekker bos uitgesoek, dan het ons so van die takke afgebreek en vir ons ’n sak, dit was ’n, goiingsakke het hulle daardie tyd gebruik, goiingsak gevat, dit was daar in die pophuisie gegooi. Dit was altyd die slaapplek. ’n Blik was gesoek, ’n blik was die tafel, kleiner blikkies was die stoele, soms was klippe die stoele.

Ons het ook in die rivier vir ons klei gaan haal. Dan het ons met die klei vir ons teestelletjies gemaak en dit was daar uitgestal. Ons het blompotjies gemaak met die klei. Die modderklei. Blommetjies gepluk en in die blompotjies gesit. Ek het baie lekker pophuis gespeel. Ek het altyd lekker maatjies gehad. Ons het gaan swem in die rivier. Ons het houtjies gaan haal, houtjies gaan optel, dun houtjies gaan optel om ’n vuurtjie mee te maak.

Soms het ons kans gesien ’n groter drag hout bymekaar te maak. Dan moes jy nou mans genoeg wees, of dame genoeg, of meisie genoeg om, of die drag hout was nou agter jou rug vasgemaak, of jy het nou die drag hout op jou kop gedra, want jy gaan mos nou na jou huis toe, jy gaan nou lekker tee maak.

Ons het verskeie veldvrugte, van die veldplante, bome, bossies se vrugte het ons gaan soek. Dit was altyd so lekker. Dit was bessiebos, dit was ’n swart ene, dit was, ek dink, die vlieëbos, dan was dit die slangbos, dit was die rooibessie, dan was dit garras, dié’t so ’n geel pitjie, dit was die garrabos, dit was serings, was die lang, suur enetjie met die geel blommetjie. Dan was dit knikkels, dit was weer ’n plat een wat tussen die gras was. Ons moes tussen die gras soek vir die knikkels. Dan het ons berg toe gegaan, in die berg was dit die pitjiebos, waar ons pitjies gaan optel het. Die, ons ouers het ons altyd gewaarsku teen die pitjiebos, hulle het altyd gesê die slange is lief om onder die pitjiebos te lê.

Dan het ons verder in die berg in opgegaan het, het ons knolle, poema- … poelemakranka. Dit was pollemakranka gaan grawe. Dit was nou regtig ’n fyn kuns, want jy moes soek tussen die rotse waar daar ’n spesifieke plantjie was en dan moet jy grawe en die wortel van daardie plant, dit was die pollemakranka. Dan het ons die, die sap en die pitjies wat binne-in was, het ons geëet en dan was die pollemakranka in ’n boek gesit om droog te word, want die pollemakranka het wanner dit, die worteltjie self, wanner dit droog geraak het, het dit lekker geruik. So dan het dit in jou boek, of jou, waar jy dit ook al gesit het, het dit lekker geruik.

My pa het, toe hy van Klawervlei af kom, het hy gekom met so ’n ou houtboot wat hy daai jare gebruik het om, wanneer die rivier baie vol was, het hy met dié boot en twee spane oor die rivier geroei en die leerders gaan haal en weer terug. Die boot het saam met hom Noordhoek toe gekom, en op Noordhoek het hy nie meer die boot nodig gehad nie en die boot was toe op die ou einde my speelplek. Dat was toe my pophuis waar ek en my maatjies lekker gespeel het. Maar omdat die boot buite gelê het in die wind en weer en reën, het die boot mettertyd verniel en was dit op ’n stadium later maar opgekap. Vir vuurmaakhout.

Ek het hier skoolgegaan, begin in sub A tot standerd vier. Vir standerd vyf het ek en my drie ouer susters het ons in Worcester verder skoolgegaan. Ons het daar by my ma se ma, by my ouma, daar het ons loseer. Dan het ons ons hoërskoolloopbaan het ons voltooi in Esselen Park Senior Sekondêre skool tot standerd ag.

Wanneer jy in standerd ag gekom het, was dit net ’n kwessie van, daar was gekyk na die punte. Wanneer jy onder ’n sekere hoeveelheid punte gehad het, dan moes jy in die ry gaan staan vir die onderwyseresse en vir (onhoorbaar 13:41) opleiding, want jy moet gaan leer vir ’n juffrou. Wanneer jy ’n sekere hoeveelheid punte behaal het, dan moes jy gaan staan het in die ry van die verpleegsters want jy moet nou verpleging gaan doen en wanneer jy nou ’n sekere hoeveelheid punte behaal het, dit was altyd in die minderheid, dan het jy gebly by Esselen Park, want dan kon jy deurgaan tot matriek.

En, toevallig dié dag, toe dit nou tyd is dat ons moet aangekondig word wie moet in watter ry gaan staan, was ek uitgeroep om aan te gaan tot standerd nege, en standerd tien. Maar ek wou ook ’n juffrou word. Ek het gevoel, ek wil in die ry gaan staan waar (onhoorbaar 14:26) se studente staan, want my pa was ’n onderwyser. My ma was ’n onderwyseres. Die drie susters was onderwyseresse, en ek het ook gevoel ek wil onderwyseres word. Ek dink, omdat ek in so ’n huis grootgeword het, maar glo ek ook, dat ek wou graag ’n juffrou word, want daardie jare was die juffrouens, die onderwysers, was rolmodelle vir die kinders.

Ons het altyd gekyk, wat het Juffrou môreoggend aan, watter skoene het Juffrou aan, hoe lyk Juffrou se hare? En die seuns het altyd gekyk na wat het Meneer weer aan? En dan het Meneer, as Meneer Maandag so ’n grys suit aangehad het, dan het hulle geweet, Maandag moet almal in gelid wees. Jy kan nie uit die lyne trap nie, want dan kry jy pak. Dinsdae is Meneer weer ’n wit hemp aangehad het miskien, met ’n blou blokkies-tie, het hulle geweet vandag gaan ons lekker kuns doen, ons gaan lekker liggaamlike opvoeding doen. Die kinders het al die onderwysers geken aan hulle kleredrag, maar die onderwysers was ook vir ons as kinders rolmodelle.

Toe ek by Noordhoek Primêre Skool skoolgegaan het, was dit vir ons lekker, ons het uitgegaan vir die liggaamlike opvoeding. Ons het Vrydae na tweede pouse, was dit kunsperiode. Dan het ons buite op die stoep geverf, ons het lekker kuns gedoen. Ons was onderrig in naaldwerk, ons het geleer hoe om ’n soom in te sit, hoe om ’n knoop aan te werk. Ons het geleer brei, ons het net nie geleer hekel nie en dan, die seuns het handwerk, was opgelei in handwerk.

Daardie vakke was weggevat en eintlik is dit goeie vakke wat weggevat word, veral vir dogtertjies, want deesdae kan dogters nie ’n soom insit nie. Hulle kan nie ’n knoop aanwerk nie en dit is vaardighede wat ons daardie tyd geleer het. By onse ouma het ons loseer en ek was, omdat ek die jongste was, sê my susters, was ek baie stout. Ek wou nie van die plaas af Worcester toe gaan nie. En so het die Liewe Vader dit beskik dat hier ’n gesin op Noordhoek gewoon het, hulle van was Maandeville (??16:59), die dogter, hulle dogter, Sara, sy was twee jaar ouer as ons ander kinders in die klas. En toe sy kom skoolgaan, was sy outomaties slimmer as ons omdat sy was ouer as ons en sy was meer selfstandig. En so het my pa en my ma nou vir Sara dopgehou en agtergekom, maar Sara sal dit ver kan bring in die wêreld, maar finansies is die probleem. En omdat ek so stout was, en nie van die plaas af Worcester toe wou gaan nie, het my pa en my ma vir Sara se ouers gevra of hulle nie vir Sara saam met my sal stuur, Worcester toe nie. By my ouma gaan loseer, hulle sal sorg dat sy in Worcester kom, tot daar kom, soos wat hulle nou met my sal doen. Hulle sal vir haar sakgeld gee, hulle sal koop wat daar te koop is, wat Sara nodig het. Sara gaan saam met my by my ouma bly. Hulle sal betaal, die losies betaal, en Sara se ouers het ingestem. En ek en Sara is toe weg. Worcester toe. Ons gaan nou ons skoolloopbaan in Worcester gaan loop. Dit was my toevlug, dat daar ’n maatjie, van die plaasomgewing, van die plaas, saam met my kan gaan. Worcester toe. Na die dorp toe.

Daardie tyd was dit nog treine. Ons naaste stasie was Gouda. So Sondae, na die vakansie moes my pa vir my en Sara vat tot op Gouda. Daar’t ons die trein gekry, tot op Worcesterstasie. Van Worcesterstasie af moes ons twee maar ons tassies vat en stap tot in Riverview, daar waar my ouma gewoon het. Die roetine in Worcester was maar van Maandag tot Vrydag skool, maar sodra jy uit die skool uitkom, sokkies was, hemp was. Ons kleredrag was die maroon rompie met ’n wit hempie en dan het ons mos die blazer gehad. So elke tweede dag moes jy jou wit hemp uitwas, want die kraag raak vuil en die sweet onder die blaaie.

Vrydae-aande moes ons, was dit Jeug. Dan moet ons Jeug bywoon. Saterdae was dit ’n reëling tussen, jy’t nou ’n skoolmaatjie ontmoet. Nou wil jy Saterdag vir die skoolmaatjie bietjie gaan kuier, maar die volgende Saterdag moet dié skoolmaatjie weer vir jou kom kuier. Daar waar jy loseer by Ouma se huis, want Ouma wou weet, wie is die maatjie? Ouma wou self agterkom watter tipe maatjie is dit. Is dit ’n maatjie met wie jy bevrind kan wees, of nie.

En so het die roetine maar aangegaan. Tot wanneer daar nou so ’n verskilletjie tussen jou en die maatjie is, nou gaan julle vir ’n tydjie, gaan julle nou nie meer Saterdagmiddae vir mekaar kuier nie. Nou maak julle weer vrede en nou gaan die kuiery maar weer aan.

Sondae-oggende, kerk. Definitief. Opstaan, kerk toe gaan. Ná kerk, katkisasieklas. Gekatkiseer. Ons was in Worcester voorgestel, en toe ons nou na die onderwyskollege toe gaan, nie kollege nie, was opleidingskool, het ons op die hostel gaan bly. Ek het, ek en Sara het LPOS gedoen, dit was Laer Primêre Onderwyssertifikaat, dit was die standerd agt in twee jaar. Nadat ons klaar was, toe ek my eerste jaar begin onderwys gee het, het Onderwysdepartement die JPOS-kursus infaseer. Dit was Junior Primêre Onderwyssertifikaat waar jy dan drie jaar opleiding gekry het.

En ek het toe teruggegaan en ek het my JPOS, my derde jaar, gaan doen. Na dit het ek begin om my matriek deur middel van die pos te doen en matrieksertifikaat behaal, en toe het ek begin met my onderwyskursusse, oukei, afstandkursusse, deur die pos, waar ek toe die matriek en drie jaar gedoen het, matriek en vier jaar, matriek en verdere, Further Education, gedoen het. Die Higher, die Further, en na dit het ek aan die Universiteit van Kaapstad, die, de, die graad gedoen in Wiskunde, Tale en Kurrikulum en die Grondslagfase. Dit was, dit was weer waar ons elke vakansie, dit was ’n driejaarkursus, elke vakansie moes ons gaan vir lesse by die universiteit self, waar hulle gereël het vir ons verblyf. Ons het met die shuttle gery, kampus toe en terug. Dit was altyd vir ’n week. Elke vakansie vir ’n week moes ons dit doen, behalwe Desember.

Die opleiding, die jare by die, by die hostel by die opleidingskollege het baie verskil van die jare as loseerder by my ouma, omdat by die hostel, daar was ’n bietjie meer vryheid, alhoewel daar was ook reëls en regulasies wat nagekom is, maar daar was meer beweegruimte, meer spasie, omdat julle was ’n klomp kinders van verskillende plekke wat daar by die hostel tuis was. Ons het, daar was altyd ’n kamer vir twee maatjies, maatjies gedeel. En, jy was naby die, die hostel was net so oorkant van Sonia(??22:57)-kollege, so dit was, jy het nie nodig gehad om so ver te stap soos wat jy moes doen terwyl jy op hoërskool stap nie. En die opleiding wat ons daar gehad het, was baie intensief. Ons hoofvakke was Sielkunde en Metodiek, Sielkunde om die kind te verstaan, om met die kind te werk, en Metodiek, hoe om aan te bied, hoe om vakke aan te bied, werk konkreet, werk semi-konkreet, werk dan abstrak. Daarop was gefokus.

Ons het, die meeste vakke wat ons gehad het, was ses vakke in jou eerste jaar, vier vakke in jou tweede jaar, jou finale jaar, waarvan Metodiek en Sielkunde jou hoofvakke was. Vandag hoor ’n mens dat die onderwyskollege-studente praat van veertien, sewentien vakke. Nou, waar kan, hoe kan dit nou gebeur dat die studente intensief opgelei word deur die primêre taak te verrig, wat is hoe om kinders te onderrig, die metodiek, die onderrig. Daar’s so baie vakke en velde waaraan aandag geskenk moet word, wat hulle moet leer en studeer dat hulle nie die primêre taak met soveel aandag kan deurtrap, deur vir die studente te leer hóé om kinders te onderrig nie. En ons was intensief opgelei. Wanneer ons geproef het, dan was ons in skole in Worcester self geplaas en die dosente van die kollege, van Sonia (??), het self gekom en na ons lesse kom luister. Ons het dit genoem kritieklesse, krit-lesse.

Hulle’t kom sit en kom luister en die middag moes ons almal drieuur by, in die saal byeenkom en daar was dan algemene foute wat jy as proefstudent gedoen het, daai foute was dan aangespreek en dit was weer deurgetrap en verduidelik aan al die studente. Wanneer ’n kind sukkel met minus, dan maak julle so, wanneer ’n kind sukkel met ’n woord, dan doen julle dit. So was ons gedril.

En ek dink vandag nog, baie mense, en selfs die inspekteurs en so, sê nog, die juffrouens wat daai jare opgelei was, dit is maar nog die beste juffrouens. Hulle weet hoe om ’n kind te leer lees. Hoe om ’n kind te laat leer somme doen. Maar omdat ons was so opgelei en dit was waarop gekonsentreer was.

Ek self was ’n atleet, ek het netbal gespeel vandat ek van Noordhoek af weg is. Toe ek in Worcester begin skoolgaan het, het ek deelgeneem aan atletiek tot op Sonia (??), by die onderwyskollege. Daar’t ek nog self ook deelgeneem aan atletiek en daar het ek ook netbal gespeel en met daardie vaardighede en liefde vir dit het ek weer teruggekom. En maar weer verder kom bou. Aan dit.

Die skool, een Augustus 1983 toe my pa aftree, was daar mos nou ’n vakante betrekking en dominee Orrie (?? 26:28) was daardie tyd nog bestuurder van die skool en, gelukkig, was ek die een daardie wat die enigste een van die juffrouens was wat, wat toe die matrieksertifikaat agter my naam gehad het. Wat my outomaties in ’n beter posisie geplaas het om te kon waarneem as skoolhoof.

Ons het altyd, hier was vir ’n tydperk van nege maande was jy op proef aangestel. Dan het jy ’n datum gekry waarop jy dan besoek was deur die inspekteur en dan moes jy nou krit-lesse aanbied vir die inspekteur. En hulle het vir jou gevra: “Gee vir my die lêers waar jou toelatingsvorms is. Gee vir my jou finansiële lêer. Gee vir my jou register. Gee vir my dit.” En jy moes alles net vir hulle kon gee. En ek toe nege maande op proef na aanleiding toe van my matrieksertifikaat wat ek gehad het. En ek het toe al begin registreer om verder te studeer, na matriek, te begin met die OD, onderwysdiploma. En die dag toe ek besoek was op my proeftydperk, of daardie dag sou bepaal of jy word permanent aangestel, of jy moet weer aansoek doen.

So dit was ook ’n tydperk wat, dit was ’n baie senuweeagtige tydperk, want jy was baie gespanne want jy het net gedink aan daardie datum. Want jy wil darem nou ook ’n sukses maak van jou loopbaan. En die dag toe ek nou die besoek ontvang, was dit twee inspekteurs, omdat dit nou my pa was wat die hoof was. En ek het nou waargeneem, was ek besoek deur twee inspekteurs wat nou kon bepaal of ek waardig is om permanent aangestel te kan word. As skoolhoof.

Dit het toe suksesvol afgeloop, en ek is toe aangestel, eintlik my aanstelling was eintlik op een Augustus 1983. So my pa het voor daardie tyd het hy, het hy afgetree. En ek die skool maar gelei ook, maar vaardighede en goed opgedoen by my pa. By hom baie geleer omdat ek nou in die huis grootgeword het en hier op die skoolterrein het ek hom ook baie gehelp.

En selfs met ons opleiding as onderwysstudente moes ons leermiddels moes ons maak. Met die hand self maak. Ons was opgelei om, hulle’t dit genoem a wishpen (??29:18). Dit was iets wat, uhm, as jy aansoe-, toe ons aansoek doen, dan kry jy ’n lys, wat het jy als nodig? Wat moet jou ouers vir jou aankoop? Wat deel gaan wees van jou kursus. En op die lysie was daardie woord, “wishpen”. Dit was ’n boksie, ’n klein boksie met vyf punte, penpunte in, van fyn tot breed. En dan was daar ’n stokkie. So dit het afgehang wat jy wou skryf en hoe groot jy wil skryf, het jy die punt in die stokkie gedruk en in die ink gedoop en dan het jy geskryf. En dit was hoe ons ons hulpmiddels en leermiddels self gemaak het vir die kinders om vir hulle te onderrig.

Die skool het uitgebrei. Die tyd toe ek hoof was, was dit ook nog die tyd van die middagskof. Dit was ook die roetine van die klasse maak toilette skoon, julle vee, julle tel papiere op. En op ’n stadium was ons net dames, ons was vyf dames hier in die skool. Vyf vroumense. Die mans so ’n bietjie skaars, daar was nie so baie manlike onderwysers beskikbaar nie. En dit was nog in die tyd van Liggaamlike Opvoeding. Die hoof het mos altyd die standerdvier-klas gehad, die grootste klas. Dit was my klas en dan was ek ook verantwoordelik vir die afrigting van Liggaamlike Opvoeding, van die seuns. Maar dit was nog Liggaamlike Opvoeding wat hulle moes doen, handstaan doen, hasiesprong, vooroor rol, al daai goed en dan het ek ook vir hulle rugby afgerig. Skills maar so op my manier afgerig. Wanneer die kinders gaan speel het, het ek net nie so ver gekom om die fluitjie te vat en te gaan blaas nie. Die, die manlike onderwysers van die ander skole teen wie ons gespeel het, hulle het maar altyd die wedstryd geblaas, maar ek was daar langs die veld as afrigter van die rugbyspan.

Die juffrouens was verantwoordelik vir die netbal en die skool het uitgebrei. Mettertyd het die eienaar ’n admin-gedeelte aangebou. Ons het die mobiele klasse gekry om die namiddagskof uit te skakel omdat Onderwysdepartement het eintlik daar baie geld verloor, want hulle moes nou vir die hoof ook nog ’n waarnemingstoelaag betaal omdat jy moet toesig hou tot vyfuur namiddag wanneer die namiddagskof verdaag. Dan verdaag jy ook.

Mobiele klasse is aangebring en die skool het uitgebrei tot waar ons vandag ’n personeel van tien, tien is. Ons het gekwalifiseer vir ’n administratiewe beampte wat permanent werk wat deur Onderwysdepartement betaal was. Word. Die voedingskema het bygekom waar twee dames betrokke is. As gevolg van ons leerdertal, die grootheid van die skool, het ons toe ook gekwalifiseer vir ’n skoonmaker en dan vir ’n algemene voorman. Ons het graad R infaseer. Huidiglik is, bestaan die skool, het ’n personeel van vier mans en ses dames van graad R tot graad sewe en ons is tans besig met ’n projek oor waardes waar elke opvoeder elke tweede maand ’n woord, ’n spesifieke karakter moet uitbeeld. Oordra aan die kinders, soos gehoorsaamheid, samewerking, volhard, verantwoordelikheid, lojaliteit. Dit is waarmee ons tans besig is.