Market day

Bargain-hunters in Aberdeen were well catered for last Saturday, with both a small street market outside Vanity Fair and the sale at the bookshop. The Aberdeen Kennels table for animal welfare work at the market was particularly well supported. Maureen MacAndrew was thrilled with the generosity of the supportive people of Aberdeen who donated goods to be sold, and also grateful to those who came along on the day to browse and buy. The money raised will be used for a variety of expenses incurred by MacAndrew and Lynn Holdt of Aberdeen Kennels in the sterling work they do for animal welfare in the community.

After browsing through the household goods on offer at the street market, most people then made their way to the bookshop, where welcoming refreshments were available. Young Annie Jankovich expertly flipped her delicious pancakes, Leonie Bedaar smilingly served coffee and shortbread, and for those with a taste for something more substantial, Samantha Jankovich’s boerewors rolls went down a treat. Vroutjie se Koutjies’ laden table of goodies was soon depleted, and as always Anita’ Lategan’s plants were most decorative. Peter Shaw was delighted to see many familiar faces inside the bookshop, as well as several visitors from Graaff-Reinet and further afield.

The weather played along, and there was no trace thankfully of the rain that had been experienced earlier in the week. MacAndrew is keen to have more month-end street markets, and anyone who is interested in selling their goods should speak to her at Vanity Fair for details of the next market.

                                          

Bargain-hunters support animal welfare at Vanity Fair’s street market

 

Church builder’s daughter visits Aberdeen

Aberdeen was the destination recently for three tourists who had a particularly personal reason to visit the town. Moira Bürisch (née Ablett), her son Roland and his wife Nola, were visiting from Johannesburg, and enjoyed very much visiting the wallhangings in the NGK hall, and the highlight of their visit, the church itself.

Bürisch’s father Fred and grandfather James had been involved in many building projects in the town, including the Aberdeen Hotel, and many houses and farms. The project of which they had been most proud however was the church.

Bürisch herself was born in Aberdeen in 1932, living in a house on the site of what is now the restaurant Moertoe. She remembers the house being very big, with a large wide verandah, big enough to host a wedding reception! The house later burnt down. Bürisch moved to Port Elizabeth with her family when she was six, after starting school in Aberdeen, and then lived for over fifty years in Harare.

Moira Bürish with her son and daughter-in-law admire the Biblical panels in the NGK hall