Presentations

My interesting hobby of collecting medals, includes researching the history behind the origin of military medals crossing my way. On the 24th of August 1984, I had the honour of been presented with the John Chard medal during a Medal Parade at Zeerust in the North West Province, by Brigadier JJ Bischoff of the 2nd Special Services Batallion. A presentation by Tiaan Jacobs, DWD, July – October 2012

In this article Tiaan Jacobs explained that a total of 7 members of the Jacobs family had been involved in military action. He started researching his family in the early eighties and only completed the Theme in 2012. Tiaan dedicated this comprehensive study to all the off-spring of the the Jacobs descendants who never had the opportunity of serving in any Armed Force, be it as Permanent member or a member of the Citizen or Commando forces...

This is not easy. I am faced with a number of people who are totally engrossed in their hobby, or maybe even vocation, and asked to talk about the relationship between my calling - Anthropology - and theirs - Genealogy. It is a bit like being asked to talk about the relationship between science and religion - or, perhaps, as my mother enquired when I advised her that I would be shifting my major from Economics to Anthropology, "What can you do with it, dear?"
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A family tree that has some very colourful branches to it.  I do not profess to know all there is to know about it. I just want to relay my personal experiences relating to this as it impacts directly on my family. When I look at my collection of family photos that I have, I notice that there hardly seem to be extended family in it, except for some of my maternal family. And it was always something I wondered about. It never bothered me too much as a child, but as I grew up, it bothered me more and more. My father used to speak to me about family, but not too much. And I always wondered why.