FAMILY REUNIONS - HOW TO PLAN ONE

An enjoyable way of sharing your genealogical information and learning more is by organising a family reunion. Family reunions come in all shapes and sizes, and happen all over the world. It can be a huge or small gathering, lasting a few hours or several days. They can be held as a once-off event, annually or every few years. Many are held in the same location each time, while others are held in a different location each time. No matter what kind of reunion you choose to have, the focus is on bringing the family together to celebrate and share their roots. Planning should start a year ahead for large reunions, and 6 months ahead for smaller reunions.

FIRST CONSIDERATION
The first consideration is the family members - their ages, where they live, financial resources, disabilities, etc... If you want to include everyone - young, old, rich, poor, locals, out-of-towners - then the most popular type of reunion is a picnic or braai (barbecue) in a park or on a family farm. This is also the cheapest and easiest to plan. Consider your family’s background and interests, try to include them as part of the reunion. If they are outdoors people, plan outdoor activities. If the family is interested in the family heritage, meet at a family farm or other historical place. Organize tours that include places of significance to your family. More family members will attend if they see that the reunion will be interesting to all.

MAKING CONTACT
Call a meeting in person or by phone of family members interested in getting together. Form a reunion committee - who will do what. One person should be in charge of the address list and the correspondence as well as any finances. Another person will organize accommodation and catering. Another person can be the entertainment planner. Choose a date, place and theme. No date and place will suit every family member but by planning far enough in advance, members can make better arrangements. If the reunion is at a hall, resort, etc... make sure it is available for your chosen date. The chosen place should have or be near extra accommodation for longer reunions or for those members who will travel from far. Pool your address books together and make a list of all relatives you know about. Write a letter/email telling them about the reunion (date, place, time, who to contact...), enclosing a copy of the address list and asking them for any other addresses that have been left out. Ask for donations or take a collection at the reunion to help cover costs. Advertise in area newspapers, popular national magazines (in reader’s letters section) and genealogical publications. As your planning progresses, you can send out a monthly 1-page letter to all concerned, keeping them up to date and interested in the reunion.

ACTIVITIES OR IDEAS TO INCLUDE
Ask family members to bring their photo albums to display at the reunion. An activity can be the writing of dates, places and names on the back of the photos. This will save many hours for future researchers.
Create a family crossword puzzle, or a family trivia game with question and answer cards.
Make a display area for photo albums, books, memorabilia, etc...
Fashion parade by family members of the clothing worn by their ancestors.
Demonstrations of the way things were done in the old days (quilting, butter churning, bread baking, calligraphy...).
Clean family cemeteries or gravestones. Let children make gravestone rubbings that they can frame later.
Attend a family memorial church service in memory of past ancestors. Children can be helped to light candles for them.
Buy a plain white tablecloth. Let each family member present at the reunion trace his or her hand outline with a fabric marker pen on the cloth. Inside each hand, write that person’s name and date of birth. In the centre of the cloth, reserve space to write the reunion date and place. Keep this as a family heirloom.
Make a wall-size display of a tree and each person can write his or her name and birth date on a paper leaf. Pin the leaves on and then keep them for the next reunion, when you should add the new members’ leaves.
Record interviews on audio or video tapes with the older family members present.
Have each person complete a family group sheet, which you can add to the family’s genealogical research.
Make name tags for each person attending or print names on a family reunion T-shirt. The names should be big enough so that they can be read in a photo.
Take plenty of photos.
If you have published a family history book, you can sell copies at the reunion. Create a family recipe book, which can be sold to cover costs of reunions.
Serve foods from the countries of origin in your family.
Have certificates made for the oldest relative attending, the youngest relative, the relative who travelled the longest distance to attend, the longest married couple, the most newlywed couple, the person who most resembles the common ancestor, etc...
You could also have small prizes for various people such as:
- most newlywed couple: a family recipe book
- youngest attendee: a baby bib cross-stitched with “I’m a future ancestor”
- largest family: a His & Hers braai apron with braai tools
- grandparent with the most grandchildren: a calendar with all their birthdays on
- who is pregnant: a small potted tree to plant for adding the next branch of the family tree
- thank the reunion organizer: each family member signs a guest book with his or her name, address, who came with and a short thank you note
Plan fun activities for the children. Try old games like egg-and-spoon races, sack races, three-legged races, tug-of-war, etc...

AT THE END
Compile a newsletter or video to commemorate the reunion. Include names, photos, stories, etc... and send one to each family who attended. If the family is in agreement, you can start planning the next reunion. Update all your genealogical information with facts gathered at the reunion. Maintain the new friendships formed.

LORD CHARLES HOTEL REUNION

Former Lord Charles Hotel staff are holding a reunion to celebrate its opening in November 1988. Rob MARCH started as the hotel's front office manager and became rooms division manager before leaving to start his own business. He recalls staff training in pre-fab buildings alongside the building site. The 5-star Lord Charles was built at a cost of approximately R27-million, which included imported cutlery and crockery valued at R1-million. Rob and his wife Tanya, and Debbie SPENCER also an opening team member, are planning the reunion which takes place on 25 October. A dinner will be held at Craig's Casual Eatery, 171 Main Road. The opening team consisted of approximately 200 people. Some now live in Ireland, UK, Dubai, Botswana, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The managing director who headed the team and the Van Riebeeck Hotel in Gordon's Bay at the time, Stuart CHASE, works in Turkey. For more information contact Tanya: tanya.march@bmwdealer.co.za or Debbie: debbie@merand.co.za

MULLER BOOK & REUNION

Most of those in South Africa with the surname MULLER are descebdnts of the German soldier Antonie Michael MULLER. He married Adriana VAN ROOYEN (daughter of Cornelis VAN ROOYEN and Jacomina VAN DEVENTER) in Roodezand (now Tulbagh) on 04 May 1746. He settled on the loan farm, Zeekoegat, where he died in 1782. Koot MULLER is writing a book on the family, ahead of the 2010 reunion in Riversdal. If you are a MULLER contact Koot at kootmuller@absamail.co.za or 083-378-9550 or by mail at PO Box 33436, Glenstantia, 0010. He is looking for family photos as well.

GOOD HOPE SEMINARY SCHOOL

The 1958 Matrics of Good Hope Seminary School in the Gardens, Cape Town, are planning a 50th anniversary reunion later this year. Mrs. Rita MARGOW (maiden name BREUER) and Dr. Fay THORNLEY have spent the last year tracing the Class of 1958. There were 60 students who graduated in 1958, fifty-five are are still alive and have been traced, of which 40 have confirmed their reunion attendance. Three Matric teachers, Dr. Helen ROBINSON (maiden name HOUGHTON, drama teacher), Ms. Irene LEKAS and Ms. Pauline SCHOLNE, will also be there. The committee is still looking for three teachers - Ms. Isabel SNYMAN (music teacher), Ms. EISENBERG (bookkeeping teacher) and Ms. ABRAHAMS. These are their maiden names, and they taught at Good Hope around 1956 to 1959 . Ms. EISENBERG's parents had the Esplanade Hotel in Hermanus. Contact Rita at 083 226 1685 or Fay at 021 674 1613 for more info.

Good Hope Seminary High is situated in Hope Street, close to Parliament and the Company Gardens. It was established in 1873 through the efforts of churchmen. The school motto is "Constantia et Virtute" (with courage and perseverance). It is one of the oldest surviving schools in Cape Town. Today the school has a hostel which can accommodate 60 girls.

Thelma TYFIELD was born in Cape Town on 14 Feb 1906, and educated at Good Hope Seminary High School. Her association with Good Hope Seminary lasted 37 years, from a pupil aged 5 years, a teacher and then Headmistress, until her retirement in December 1961. She inspired a great love of the English language in her pupils. She wrote "English the Living Language", which was used as a textbook in South African schools. Thelma died in 1968.

Daisy DE MELKER (maiden name HANCORN-SMITH) was born on 01 Jun 1886 at Seven Fountains near Grahamstown. She was one of eleven children. At the age of 12 she went to live with her father and two brothers in Bulawayo. Three years later, she became a boarder at Good Hope Seminary School. She returned to Rhodesia in 1903, but left for Durban soon afterwards.

SANAN FAMILY

The SANAN family recently held a family reunion and had 118 members attending. The last time they got together was in 1984. Family flew in from Australia, England and Dubai. Others travelled from all over South Africa to attend the reunion held at the Hamilton Club. There was a cocktail party on Friday night, a dinner on Saturday night and a Mass on Sunday morning, followed by a braai. The family's roots in South Africa start in 1905 when Michael SANAN from Lebanon married Lisa CASSIR from Syria. They had 12 children, 11 of whom reached maturity. Forty-five grandchildren, 100 great-grandchildren, 74 great-great-grandchildren and two great-great-great-grandchildren (the youngest being three months old) followed. The oldest surviving child is Lily DE BEYER who is 92 and lives in Cape Town.

Click here for more information about the Lebanese community in South Africa.

HUDSON PARK SCHOOLS

Hudson Park High School is having a reunion on 01-02 August. The two existing Hudson Park schools have a history going back 103 years, but it was only in 1978 that the high school changed its name from Clifton Park to Hudson Park. Old Cliftonians and Old Hudsonians are called to join the celebrations. As part of the celebrations there will be a traditional "welcome back" assembly for the class of 1978, other old Cliftonians and old Hudsonians of 1988 and 1998. Then Hudson Primary will join the high school for the reunion assembly. This will be followed by an informal tour of the school. In the evening, there will be a dinner-dance in the Crewe Hall. The following day, sports events will be held on the Port Rex fields. After the first team rugby match, there'll be a beer tent. For more information contact Barry BEKKER on 082 6510711 or Barry MARSHALL on 0833941918 (for the class of 1978 and all Old Cliftonians). Denny EMSLIE (McLACHLAN) can be contacted on demslie@ufh.ac.za or 0736690084 (class of 1988) and Nicole MAREE on mareen@hphs.co.za (class of 1998).

TEACHER AND STUDENT REUNION 60 YEARS LATER

A former student and teacher had a reunion in Port Elizabeth after 60 years. Dr. Dan LONGLAND (75) recently met up with his former teacher, Johan ENGELBRECHT (91). In 1948 Dan was a student at Hoërskool Martin Oosthuizen in Kakamas. He remembers Johan as a very strict, but wonderful teacher. He taught Afrikaans and history. Johan went on to become a principal at Hoërskool Cillié in Port Elizabeth, and a Member of Parliament for nine years. He is also the only surviving founding member of the University of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), which was founded in 1964. His autobiography, Op Hulle Hande Sal Hulle Jou Dra - 'n Dankbare Terugblik, was published in 1997. Dan became an Afrikaans and history teacher at Hoërskool Andrew Rabie in Port Elizabeth, and later a history lecturer at the University of Potchefstroom (now North West University).

SCHOOL REUNIONS

Hoërskool Ermelo's 1968 Matrics are having a reunion on 06 September 2008. Contact Ben VAN ZYL (083 601 3537) or Sannet (GREY) BOTHMA (072 153 3384) for details.

Hoërskool Langenhoven's 1959 Matrics are having a reunion in 2009. The Pretoria school is looking for teachers and students from those bygone days. Contact Gert MARAIS at (012 807 3613 or 082 781 2033) or Ds. Petrus MOOLMAN at 082 452 5826.

REUNIONS

Liesbert BRUWER is trying to locate pupils and teachers from Gert Maritz high school in Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg. If you attended and matriculated in 1968 and 1969, contact Liesbert at 072 270 4211. The reunion is planned for Easter weekend 2009.

John PERFECT of Kokstad is looking for Mansfield High School matrics from the years 1970, 1971 and 1972 for a reunion in October 2008. Contact him at 083 533 4496 or 039 727 4094 (after hours) or jlaperfect@telkomsa.net

FAMILY REUNION

The SEAMAN family held a reunion at Van Staden‘s River Mouth Resort earlier this year. Members gathered from Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and the Eastern Cape to help celebrate Joan MASTERS' (née SEAMAN) 70th birthday on the 2nd February. Edith STOCK (87) was the oldest member present. The youngest member was Keegan LE ROUX (two weeks old). Joan is one of six children of Edith‘s sister, Marjorie, who married into the SEAMAN family. One of the STOCK children, Lyn WATCHURST, was also present. The SEAMAN family were farmers in the area. Some of the family lived in Uitenhage.