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The Shrinking Circle of Life – Featured Blog

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Today’s posts from our featured Port Elizabeth Blogger:

The Shrinking Circle of Life:

Doris Lunnon 1931-1986

(C) 2017 Edward C. Lunnon | 11 years 1 month ill | Advantage CBD

Today is 28 October.

Our Mother Doris was born 86 years ago today in Observatory in Cape Town. Her life was but 55 years long, passing away on 19 November 1986.

Ten years prior to that in 1976, Mom dropped me off at Helshoogte Residence at Stellenbosch University. Amongst many other people, I became friends with Gretel du Toit from George during my year of studying for my Higher Diploma in Education.

I would on the odd occasion during my university years visit in George and stay with Gretel’s parents, Oom (Dr) Hendrik and Tannie Anna du Toit. When I underwent my military training at Infantary School in Oudtshoorn, I often used to traverse the Outeniqua Mountain Pass from Oudtshoorn to George and stay at 21 CaledonStreet. It became my home away from home (if one could call Infantary School that!)

At Helshoogte, I also became friends with Willem Wust who was Primarius of Helshoogte the year before I was. He also became friends with Gretel and we, on occasion, would drive to George together to visit. My home away from home became his in-law’s home away from their home when he and Gretel married whilst I was in my second year at Oudtshoorn’s Infantary School.

Over the years, Gretel and Willem’s home in Eversdal has become my Cape Town home away from my Port Elizabeth home when I visit in Cape Town. It was from that home that I was diagnosed with my terminal illness CBD 11 years ago.

At Helshoogte, I also became friends with Gretel’s brother Ludwig du Toit, an engineering student. And Ludwig became friends with my sister Ingrid who was also studying Education and became Primaria of Serruria in the year after I was Primarius. And Ludwig got to know my Mom before she died, and our home at Strand became his home away from home when he worked at Somchem in Somerset West as part of his engineering degree.

Ludwig passed away a few years ago from cancer and Ingrid passed away just 50 weeks ago from cancer.

And on this past Monday evening Tannie Anna passed away in Durbanville where she has been living close to Gretel and Willem in a retirement village for the last few years. Today was her memorial service in Sonstraalhoogte, on my mother’s birthday.

I was not there in body, but was definitely there in spirit.

So many  people come and gone, so many friendships found and lost and so many memories forged and forgotten …


Source: BrainStorms – Ed Lunnon’s Blog.

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This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.