Beautiful memories of our times at Volmoed and Hopedale

Oosie OosthuizenOosie Oosthuizen, 31 July 2020
As the eldest of three boys, Oosie grew up in the Somerset East region in present Eastern Cape province. For them, Cradock was far, Graaff-Reinet even further and Oudtshoorn almost unreachable. The family did have cars and pickups, but flat tyres on the dirt roads made long journeys no fun.
He spent his childhood years on Volmoed belonging to the Oosthuizen family and on Hopedale of the Fouries where his mother grew up. His dad’s brother Ollie married mother Susie's older sister Esther. The adjoining farms were located on the banks of the Great Fish River.
Around the house on Volmoed was open ground with thorn trees that provided a lovely playground. They built roads, kraals and cultivated land in the sand, and “dolosse” and glass bottles were their livestock. He remembers the old house with the delicious smells of homemade bakes and farm food. Family gatherings on Sundays and Christmas were special. In 2014 on a visit there, he found the house was nicely renovated and preparations were underway to plant citrus orchards. Today he looks back on a wonderful childhood.