Frontier Family

Frontier Family - A chronicle of a South African Farm, its homestead and its people

This interesting book is Johannes Meintjes' story of his family and of the farm Grootzeekoegat where he grew up. As Keith Meintjes notes in his foreword to a recent publication about the farm, Meintjes' book is not only a first-hand description of Grootzeekoegat but also evokes the fascination and affection Meintjes and others had for the place. 

Like many frontier farms, it took quite some time for peace to descend on Grootzeekoegat. Most of these family homes - including Grootzeekoegat - crumbled away over time, but Meintjes' accurate yet humorous description of the people and events allows the reader to step into the past. As he writes: "At Grootzeekoegat the spirit of the place is particularly pungent. You can sense it outside in the open veld, and when you walk into the house it enfolds you. Even without seeing the landscape or the rooms about you, you can feel laughter and tears, tenderness and violence-the poles of the passions-all integrated into an element that almost breathes about you. I have watched the reactions of many people towards the place on first arrival. Everyone of them reacted in the same way."

Pages:   166 (in English)

Format:  Downloadable PDF (±75mb, zipped)

Frontier Family - A chronicle of a South African Farm, its homestead and its people

Hierdie interessante boek vertel die verhaal van Johannes Meintjes se familie op die familieplaas Grootzeekoegat. Soos Keith Meintjes in die voorwoord van 'n onlangse publikasie oor die plaas opmerk, is Meintjes se boek nie net 'n eerstehandse beskrywing van die plaas nie, maar dit wys ook die bekoring wat Grootzeekoegat vir Meintjes sowel as ander gehad het.

Soos met talle ander grensplase het dit lank geneem voor 'n mate van vrede op Grootzeekoegat neergedaal het. Die opstal te Grootzeekoegat het, soos meeste van die oorspronlike grensplase se tuistes, ook mettertyd te gronde gegaan, maar Meintjes se fyn en tog humoristiese beskrywing laat die leser toe om deel te wees van die wel en weë van die plaas en sy mense tydens eerste helfte van die 20ste eeu. Meintjes skryf: "At Grootzeekoegat the spirit of the place is particularly pungent. You can sense it outside in the open veld, and when you walk into the house it enfolds you. Even without seeing the landscape or the rooms about you, you can feel laughter and tears, tenderness and violence-the poles of the passions-all integrated into an element that almost breathes about you. I have watched the reactions of many people towards the place on first arrival. Everyone of them reacted in the same way."

Bladsye:   166 (in Engels)

Formaat:  Aflaaibare PDF (±75Mb, ge-zip)