Smit, Alwyn Petrus ²

  Events

• Historical. ² Alwyn is the translator and author of the books "Gedenkboek van Clarence de Jager" as well as "gedenkboek van Matthys Johan de Jager" and the sourse of information quoted herein.

• Historical. ¹ A biographical e-mail letter received on 30 Apr 2007
Hello Ralph,
I'm quite an ordinary man! My mother, Marguerite Irene, wanted to go and study music (piano) in Johannesburg, but her father (general Matthys Johan de Jager) said no! She then helped on the farm Excelsior and when Matthys died she stayed with her mother, Martha Maria. Then my father came from Victoria-West and bought the farm Seeis next to Excelsior. They met and later married. I was born in the well-known Elizabeth Haus hospital in Windhoek on 05.06.1948. I went to the English medium St George's School in sub A and B (1955 and 1956) \endash mainly because of their excellent hostel. In std 1 and 2 I attended the Emma Hoggenhout Primary School. My father had problems with his health and we moved to the Strand next to Somerset-West. I attended school at the Hendrik Louw Primary School in stds 3, 4 and 5. After that I was in std 6 in the newly found Strand High School. Here I was the headboy from std 7 to matric and I was always in the senior class as only new std sixes were taken in every year. My father died in January 1965 when I was to begin std 9. After matric I went to Wellington Training College where I received my POS 2, and HPOS (Academic) sertificates. I then teached at Murraysburg High School for six months and then at Hendrik Louw Primary School for the rest of that year. In the mean while my mom married again and we bought the farm Wellsdale near the town of Seymour in the then Ciskei in 1968. In 1971 I moved there too, got married and farmed till March 1975 when we were bought out for the Republic of Ciskei. I then bought a farm near Napier in the Southern Cape and farmed there till 1999. Then opened a Prominent Paint Shop at Bredasdorp and bought two houses. One for myself and the other for my son. He now runs the shop and I keep myself busy with the writing of books and research work. I studied History till matric and also during the three years at college. Although I didn't like the subject that much, I am pretty glad that I took it! I now reap the benefits of my decision at the time! Nothing exciting my friend!
Bye for now.
Regards.
Alwyn.
And about his books he wrote:
Hello Ralph,
My first book: Gedenkboek van MJ de Jager (1872 \endash 1939) \endash Boerekryger, Staatsartilleris en militêr. Printed by Protea Boekhuis, Pretoria 2000.
Second book: Gedenkboek van Clarence de Jager \endash Die kronieke van Kuilspoort. I do all the printing myself since 2006.
Third book: Die waarheid maak nie seer nie. (This is something totally different! Thirty odd TRUE humoristic stories from all over the country and Namibia. Three of them told by Matthys Johan de Jager!). I am looking for a printer at the moment!
Fourth book: Gedenkboek van president Gerrit Jacobus van Niekerk \endash Die Republiek Stellaland. This book is still in its early stages!
When Matthys came back from St Helena, his memoirs were forgotten. After his death in 1939 Martha Maria did some spring cleaning and took all his documents from his office at Excelsior, and put fire to it! (This drives me crazy!!). Then for some reason my mom went outside and there in the fire she saw the book. On removing it from the fire, she saw it was Matthys's memoirs of the ABW etc.!!!!!!!! The book was written in Dutch and I translated it in to Afrikaans. Then added more information plus letters written between him and his family etc. Also letters from Martha Maria in Merebank Camp to him at St Helena!
When I sold my farm in 1999 I had enough time to start a new hobby! I wrote the first book by hand and only after that I bought a computer to makes things much easier! Can you imagine, writing a book by hand in 1999???

Alwyn married Catharina Maria Cillié on Jul 31, 1971 in Toringkerk, Paarl (Western Cape, South Africa).¹ (Catharina Maria Cillié was born on Apr 18, 1949.)