xxxThe following writer has been kind enough
to share her story with us.
xxxIf you would like
to contribute your story and photo to me, email them to:
xxxrob@easywaytowrite.com
xxxThank you.
xxxNellie Smith
The story of my life? OK - I
will start with my childhood.
I am the first born of four children, two brothers one
sister. My mother was very young when I was born, she was
the baby of a farmer in the Northern part of South
Africa. She was only seventeen, my Grandmother insisted
she look after me as my parents were going to live near
Kruger National Park where my father was to work for the
Government. (My father is from Polish descent three
generations back, mother from Holland also three
generations back)
In those days, 1940, there were no fences, the wild
animals roamed all over the lowveld. I was the only
white child living with my Grandparents. I learned to
speak the language of the locals. At seven I went to
boarding school and stayed with my family, my father then
had his own farm.
After school I worked as a dental assistant until I was
married. My husband was a Surveyor and we travelled a
lot. (That story I would like to use in my
autobiography one day soon.)
In 1974 we stayed in the Namibian desert on a small
mine, my husband Fanie (Steven) was the manager. There
was also an engineer, mechanic, handy man and
me in the office and about 60 miners.
Our water was transported weekly to the
mine and pumped in big containers. The
children were in boarding school, I went to fetch them
every Friday. We later left the mine and Steven was then
working temporary for another company, awaiting the
reply for a senior job on another mine near the
Skeleton Coast, when he had a terrible car accident,
and died two weeks after we transported him by plane to
SA for better medical treatment.
When you are young you never think of death. There was a
small insurance policy, I could pay our debts and buy a
station wagon. I was not working at that time,
I started work in a bank in Namibia. (That is
another story to tell.) I asked to be transferred to SA
to be near the family and "Steven".
I met my husband Robert six years younger than
me, who was divorced with two daughters. We married
in 1976, we have a son together in 1979, a whole eight
children!
I worked until 1990 and started my own business. a
Pottery, I was very successful, I sold the pottery three
years ago to pursue my dream, to become a writer. I
have so many things to write about. My life was so
interesting, I am an child of Africa. I
have travelled abroad but my roots are here. We love
go on Safari with our friends. We travelled Namibia,
Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe. SA, Mozambique. sleeping in a
roof tent. We would love to travel through Africa to the
Migration in Tanzania.
I hope to publish something this year. I am busy with
three books, one in Afrikaans: a fable, it actually
is written on my childhood alone on this farm and some
adventures this child is going through, would love to
write it in English but it will be difficult expressing
myself as a child. There's one about my life in
the Namibian Desert, and the smuggling story.
It gets easier to write in English... The courses
with you helped me a lot and gave me confidence to also
write this letter to you.
The story of my life? OK - I
will start with my childhood.