The Century Club – celebrating a long life

Piet SCHOLTZ celebrated his 101st birthday on the 4th of Jan 2007 at the Suid-Afrikaanse Vrouefederasie retirement home in Zeerust. He was married to Christina for more than 60 years before she passed away. They had five children. He has 16 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. Piet served six years in the military and was a cook during WWII. He also looked after Gen. Jan SMUTS in Irene. In later years he served in the police force.

In 2008, Piet turned 102. Four generations attended the party, including his eldest great-great-grandson, Coenraad BOSHOFF (13), and two daughters, Ralie LE GRANGE (74) and Elsa GROVE (71). He grew up on his father’s ostrich farm near Aberdeen.

Naas BOTHA of Brakpan celebrated his 101st birthday on the 7th of Feb 2007. He was born on the farm Bloemendal near Nigel. In 1933 he moved to Brakpan by ox-wagon. He has lived in the same house on Gardner Avenue for 32 years. His wife, Hettie, died 14 years ago.

Morris (Morrie) CANIN celebrated his 100th birthday on the 18th of Feb 2007 at his home in Morningside, Sandton. He is married to Mildred (88). Morris was born in Porterville and has been married to Mildred, a painter, for 68 years. They have three sons and five grandchildren. During WWI he was in Manchester, visiting relatives with his mother. He attended Parktown Boys’ High and was cricket captain in 1924. By WWII he owned a melamine manufacturing company. Later he bought a farm near Kempton Park, where he grew flowers for export. The couple started a farm school, the Bluegirls Water School, for farm children.

Katriena PYLLET celebrated her 104th birthday on the 20th of Feb 2007. She was born on a farm near Klipplaat in the Karoo, one of three daughters. Both her husbands predeceased her, with the second one, Frank, dying at age 101. Katriena lives with her daughter-in-law, Georgina, in Rosedale, Uitenhage. She has four children, five grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.

Bessie DU TOIT of Strydenburg celebrated her 100th birthday on the 23rd of Feb 2007 at the Aandblom retirement home. She has four children, 13 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. One of her grandchildren is Lize BEEKMAN, daughter of Elza, and an Afrikaans singer and songwriter. Bessie is also the oldest living former pupil of the Hoërskool Hopetown, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2004.

Helen COOPER of Bloemfontein celebrated her 100th birthday on 4th Mar 2007. She was born in Lydenburg and attended Collegiate Girls’ School in Port Elizabeth. She later worked as a personal assistant at The Friend newspaper. Helen was married to Errol Gordon COOPER, who founded E.G. Cooper & Sons. During his career, Errol had dealings with Nelson MANDELA and Oliver TAMBO, and Mr. Mandela sent Helen a letter congratulating her on her birthday. Helen and Errol had one daughter named Lesly, who is married to COHN, and two sons: Peter, aged 73, who lives in St Francis Bay, and Brian, aged 60, who lives in Bloemfontein. There are also six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Dawie WARMENHOVEN celebrated his 104th birthday on the 18th Mar 2007 at the Westerbloem retirement home in Bloemfontein. He was born in Klerksdorp, one of six children. His father died when he was seven years old, and at the age of 17 he started working at Barclays Bank. When he was 25, the bank sent him to England for three years. He married Marthie VAN NIEKERK from Fauresmith when he was 32. She was a teacher at Eunice Girls’ High in Bloemfontein. The couple lived in Bloemfontein since 1955 and did not have children. Marthie died at the age of 96 in Oct 2003 after a hip replacement operation in the Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic. She was very involved with child welfare issues in Bloemfontein.

Mertie VAN DER WESTHUIZEN celebrated her 100th birthday on the 26th Apr 2005 at Huis Ametis in the Strand. She was born in Rouxville. After matric she went to Normaal Onderwyskollege in Bloemfontein, where she qualified as a primary school and music teacher. Her first teaching post was in Wepener, where in 1928, she married Andries VAN DER WESTHUIZEN. The couple moved to Kimberley in 1945. They had a son, Pieter. In 1977, the family moved to the Strand, where they lived at the Seemeeu apartments for 15 years. Andries died in 1994, five months before his 100th birthday. Mertie has two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Hannie CLAASEN celebrated her 100th birthday in June 2005 in Paarl. She was born in Victoria West. She moved to Cape Town, where she became a teacher. She was fondly known as Juffrou Claasie. She never married and moved to Paarl to live with her sister. She was one of the first residents of the Huis Vergenoegd retirement home.

Margaret (Maggie) TOWILL celebrated her 100th birthday on the 15th of July 2005 at Jafta, The Hill, Johannesburg. She never married. She was born in 1905 in Hammersmith, England. At age three, her family moved to South Africa. She worked as a typist at Park Station in Johannesburg.

Alida Magdalena (Alie) VAN ROOYEN celebrated her 100th birthday on November 30, 2005, at the Silwerkruin retirement home in Wellington. She was born in the Vanwyksvlei district, the youngest of six children born to Willem and Johanna AVENANT. On the 19th Dec 1932, she married Boet VAN ROOYEN, a teacher who mostly taught in Prince Albert. He died in 1985. They had two children, Johannes (married to Linda) and Naomi (married to Alex). Johannes served as a consul general in the USA, Canada, and England before settling in Pretoria. Naomi became a lecturer in Wellington. Alida also has eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Netta DU TOIT celebrated her 102nd birthday on the 28th of October 2004 at Serenitas retirement home in the Strand. She was born a THEUNISSEN on the farm Vergelegen in Somerset West. Quite a creative person, she later gave music lessons in Somerset West and the Strand. In 1931 she married Petrus DU TOIT, a manager with Standard Bank. They later settled in the Strand. Petrus died in 1978. They had one child, Reinette (married DE VILLIERS), who became a writer. Netta has four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The grandchildren, Zaresa BOSMAN, Antoinette RYPSTRA and Talitha MEYER, are all artists.

Magdalena Christina (Maggie) MARAIS celebrated her 103rd birthday on August 25, 1993, at the Huis Pam Brink retirement home in the Strand. She was born ROOS on the farm Rozenhof near Stellenbosch on the 25th of August, 1890. At the age of 16 she moved to Stellenbosch to become a teacher. She taught at De Doorns and Darling. Maggie married Johannes Petrus Albertus Marais, a farmer from Bergsig Farm in Jonkershoek. They did not have children. He died at the age of 74, and Maggie moved to the Oranje Private Hotel in the Strand in October 1970. She died at the age of 103 years and 7 months in April 1994. Maggie’s brother, Tielman Johannes ROOS, died at the age of 98 in March 1993 in Somerset West. He was a widower and lived at Herfsjare. He was survived by four sons: Schoeman (Somerset West), Francois, Tielman and Wilhelm (all of Strand), a daughter, Anna (Boksburg), seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Bettie DU TOIT celebrated her 104th birthday on the 14th of Feb 1992 at the Moria retirement home in Krugersdorp. She was born in Zeerust. Her husband, Jan, died in 1980 at the age of 93. The couple had five children, of whom two were still living in 1992.

Alice GROBLER of Mokopane (previously Potgietersrus) turned 102 on 12 January 2008 at the Piet Potgieter Monument retirement home, where she is the oldest resident. Her only child, Francois, who lives in Soekmekaar, was in attendance. She has one grandchild and two great-grandchildren. Her husband, also Francois, died many years ago. Alice was born in Pretoria and lived there for many years after marriage. She moved into the retirement home in November 2003, moving there from a retirement home in Modjadjiskloof (Duiwelskloof). Alice is a keen reader, reading three books per week.

Philip RABINOWITZ celebrated his 104th birthday on 16 February 2008 in Hout Bay. He was born in Keidan, Lithuania, and was the world record holder for his age group in the 100- and 200-metre sprints. Four generations of relatives were at the birthday party. His great-niece, Lisa SHANKMAN, attended with her infant daughter, Gabriella. Philip was an avid walker who still walked two or three kilometres per day. He passed away on 29 February at home in Hout Bay. His funeral service was held in Pinelands. Shortly before his death, he was helping his daughter, Joyce KRUGER, with her business bookkeeping.

Magdel PRETORIUS from Grootvlei, north of Pretoria, celebrated her 100th birthday in March 2007. She shared the special day with her grandson Hennie, who turned 16 on the same day. Among the birthday visitors were her friends Bob and Becky STEKETEE from the USA. Magdel was born on a farm near Middelburg in Mpumalanga and grew up in Standerton. She was the oldest child and had two brothers and a sister. In 1944 she married MC. He died in 1995 at the age of 80. Magdel has one son, also MC. She was a volunteer in the South African Air Force.

Louis Jacobus BOTHA, who turned 100 on 10 April 2006, passed away on 26 October 2007. At the age of 99 he was still playing bowls for the Warmbaths Bowling Club. His funeral service was held on November 1 at the NG Kerk Moedergemeente. He was buried at Koedoeskop, near Bela Bela (previously Warmbaths). Louis was born in the Transvaal. He was a transport rider, taking the first explosives to the mines in Thabazimbi by ox-wagon. From 1944 to 1967 he lived near Northam. In 1969 he settled in Warmbaths. He loved boxing and bowling. He was survived by his wife Fransie; one child, Louis jnr. and his daughter-in-law Nellie, who retired to Jeffrey’s Bay but moved to Nylstroom in 2002 to be nearer to Louis snr; 12 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Sukrani SINGH was born in India and came to South Africa as a young child. She celebrated her 110th birthday on 16 April 2007, in Pietermaritzburg. Her South African identity book shows her birth date as 16 April 1904, but her daughter, Savathrie NRGHIN, said that was an estimated date. According to a now-deceased brother, Sukrani was born in 1897.

Hazel Dorrington WHEALS was born in May 1906 in Richmond, Natal. She was the youngest of five children born to Rev. UNDERWOOD (Wesleyan minister) and his wife, who descended from 1820 Settlers. Her father died when she was six years old. Hazel grew up in Fort Beaufort, where her elder brothers ran the first garage in the town. She attended school in Grahamstown and later worked as a nurse in King William’s Town before marrying. She retired to Kenton-on-Sea and moved to East London at the age of 80 to live with her daughter, Betty FERGUSON. Hazel later moved into Langham House and then Kennersley Park. Hazel outlived her daughter Betty and her elder son Michael. She has another daughter, Rosemary, and 12 great-grandchildren. On her 100th birthday she received a special visit from Makhaya NTINI, the South African cricketer.

Bettie VOSLOO was born in May 1907 on the farm Groot Rietvlei, in the Swaershoek ward of the Cradock district. In 1922, she entered Hoër Meisieskool Rocklands in Cradock as a standard 7 student. The school merged with Hoër Seunskool in 1972 and became Hoërskool Cradock. Betty boarded at the school and would go home for the holidays by horse-drawn cart. In 1923 she wrote the government exams, coming top of the class, beating 54 students and winning £120. Betty matriculated in 1925 and trained as a teacher in Cradock. She married Isak ZIETSMAN, from Onderplaas in Humansdorp. They lived at Onderplaas until 1992 before moving to Ons Tuiste in Humansdorp. Isak died in 1999 at the age of 90. The couple had four daughters. Betty has 13 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. As the oldest living former student of High School Cradock, the old students’ association spoilt Betty for her 100th birthday.

Willie KOK of the Moria retirement home in Krugersdorp celebrated his 100th birthday on 22 May 2007. He was born on the farm Doornfontein. He lived on the farm Deelkraal in Fochville with his wife, Martie. Their only son, Gert, and his wife, Malie, later helped with the farming. His second wife died nine years after their wedding day.

Annie (Nonnie) WINTERBACH celebrated her 107th birthday on 3 June 2007. She lives in Durbanville with her youngest son Desmond (72) and his wife Perla. Annie grew up in Tulbagh and later moved to Cape Town, where she married and had four sons. She lived through the Anglo-Boer War and two world wars. She sold furniture door-to-door and bought her first car in 1941. Her husband died in the early 1980s.

Rachel LAMINIE of Knysna celebrated her 114th birthday on 11 October 2007 with a party at the Josafat Church in Parkdene, George. Rachel was born in Langkloof, one of 16 children, of which eight have already died. One of her younger sisters is 105, and Rachel’s oldest daughter is 80. Rachel’s husband, Klaas, died in 1972. Her youngest daughter Ada looks after her at her house in the Buffelsnek Forest Station, the same house where Rachel’s 12 children were born. Rachel was born in 1893 in Langkloof.

Lucy GROENEWALD celebrated her 100th birthday on 14 October 2006 in Nelspruit. She was born in Lichtenburg, granddaughter of Cmdt. Hendrik VERMAAS, who, according to Lucy, fired the first shot of the Anglo-Boer War. At the age of 23, she married Robey, a wealthy maize farmer. He died in 1951.

Catharina Johanna (Katie) MEYER of the SAVF retirement home in Witbank celebrated her 102nd birthday on 1 November 1998. She was born in Natal while her family was trekking. Katie’s father was Jan Adriaan DE LANGE, and her grandfather was the Voortrekker Commandant and son-in-law of Piet RETIEF, Hans Dons DE LANGE. Her family found themselves in a concentration camp near Durban during the Anglo-Boer War, where her father and two brothers met their demise. After the war, Katie and her mother moved to the farm Boesmanskrans, where they lived with her grandparents in tents while the burnt-down farmhouse was rebuilt. A school was built on the farm, and the children were taught by “Kruppel Jan” LE ROUX. Katie became a shorthand typist and worked for an attorney in Pretoria. She married Jan Adriaan VENTER, a machinist with the railways. They had three children: Meraai (died in 1996), Jannie (79 in 1998) and Clifford (61 in 1998). After Jan’s death, Katie married Theodorus Johannes MEYER, a geologist who worked for Louis LUYT. He died in the 1970s.

Suzie HUGO of Ottosdal celebrated her 100th birthday on 5 November 2007. She was born on the wine farm Fairview near Paarl, which belonged to her father. It was her father who introduced goats to Fairview. In 1943 Suzie married Boet HUGO, and they had three children. Boet died in 1973. Suzie has four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. In 1998 she helped with the restoration of the Fairview farmstead. In her early 90s, she continued to assist her son Francois and his wife Maggie with their dairy farm. Suzie was well known for her boererate (Boer folk remedies) and was credited with saving the life of Nico JORDAAN, who still lives in the Ottosdal area, when he was a young child and had croup.

Two nuns at Emmaus Convent in Cambridge, East London, celebrated their 100th birthdays last year—Sister Serena on October 13 and Sister Bertrand on November 27. They are originally from Germany. Sister Bertrand entered the convent when she was 18. She is one of 15 children and followed in an older sister’s footsteps. She arrived in South Africa in 1928 and worked in Johannesburg, King William’s Town and Queenstown. In 1960 she visited her family in Germany.

Tertia FLEMMING of Pretoria celebrated her 100th birthday on 5 December 2007. She lived in Bloemfontein for many years and was on the executive of the Oranje-vrouevereniging (OVV), where she did welfare work. Her interest in welfare comes from the days when she boarded with an aunt, Maria KLOPPERS, who ran the Maria Kloppers Children’s Home in Johannesburg. She was born in Robertson and matriculated from Hoërskool Helpmekaar in Johannesburg. After school, Tertia enrolled at Potchefstroom’s Onderwyskollege in 1926. In 1929 she joined the Suid-Afrikaanse Vrouefederasie (SAVDF). In 1945 she moved with her husband, Reverend H.C.J. FLEMMING, to Natal, where she joined the Natalse Christelike Vrouevereniging (NCVV). The couple moved to Bloemfontein in 1954, where the reverend became the minister of NGK Bloemheuwel. Flemmingpark, a housing estate for senior citizens in Brandwag, Bloemfontein, bears her name. Tertia was also involved in setting up nursery schools in Bloemfontein – Rooikappie and Tinktinkieland. The Mooihawe retirement home in Bloemfontein was also one of her projects. In 1953 she received an international award for her welfare work. In 1987 she was a recipient of the Order for Meritorious Service, presented by the then State President, P.W. BOTHA. Tertia has lived at a retirement home in Pretoria for the past 17 years and was until recently still active in the SA Vrouefederasie in Pretoria. Reverend FLEMMING died in 1977. They had two children. He donated the majority of their extensive book collection to the University of the Free State after his death. Tertia gave the majority of her books to the same university when she left Bloemfontein in 1990. She has eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Josie NEL of Greytown turned 100 years old in December 2007. She was married to Phillip NEL, who captained the 1937 Springbok rugby team. He played in 16 Tests and was captain in 8. His first Test was in 1928 against New Zealand, and his first captaincy was in 1933 against Australia. Josie received a visit from Jacob ZUMA, ANC president, on her birthday. She speaks Zulu. Her daughter is Jeanne JENNINGS.

Diena HERMAANS of Helenvale is 104 years old. Her youngest child, Pieter, was born on Christmas Day in 1956 in Jansenville. Diena had 12 children. Pieter is married to Denise.

Note: this article was originally written in June 2008