15 April 2021, 39 jare later.

 15 April 2021 vs 15 April 1982.

15 April 1982 was ek amper 12!! My wereld was perfek. Ek was n plaas kind wat moés skool en koshuis toe gaan.  Want ek moes. As ek kon kies sou ek baie eerder op die plaas wou bly.. Waar ek by my ouers was, vryheid gehad het. Die plaas was heerlik. Ek kon doen waarvoor ek lus was, maar ek moes skool en koshuis toe gaan.

Ek was in middag studie toe die koshuis vader my kom roep. My eerste gedagte was, my pa? Maar ek het nog die vorige dag met my ma op die plaas gepraat en alles is ok daar. Nou loop en wonder ek wat het ek verkeerd gedoen om uit die studie saal geroep te word.....

Ons loop is stilte tot by sy kantoor deur, hy stop my by die gaasdeur en se "Riana nou moet jy sterk wees"...

Ek weet dadelik iemand het iets oor gekom.. Ek vra, is dit Hendrik, is hy dood? Tot vandag weet ek nie hoekom daai vraag nie...

Hy maak die gaasdeur oop en vat my na sy kantoor toe waar daar twee vrouens sit, tannie Joey Nel, oom Lukas Nel se vrou en tannie Pop Ayers, oom Chris Ayers se vrou. Een is Kommandant van Etosha Area mag, die ander hoof van sein by dieselfde plek. My brein begin my vertel hiers groot fout.

Hulle se.... my pa is dood... En Hendrik... My pa... Is.... dood!!! Dood!!!! My wereld tuimel in mekaar, maar tannie Pop vra oor my broer. Hys nou in die weermag op Ruacana. Tannie Pop vat my na haar huis toe. Daarvandaan bel ons my broer se kamp. Hy glo haar nie toe sy se my pa is dood nie. Sy praat met sy bevelvoerder wat hom op n flossie sit Grootfontein toe. Ons ry om hom te gaan haal daar.. Toe ons daar kom hoor ons na n helse gesukkel hyt geland en het n lift Tsumeb toe gekry..

Ons ry terug.. Ek voel verlore. Ons stop by Tant Sannie se huis.. Tant Sannie is Hendrik se ma. My broer staan by die hek,... hy kyk so vaal. Totaal van kleur gestroop. Alles aan hom is vaal, en so het hy vir my bly lyk vir weke. Later kom my ma, Olivia en haar kinders, hulle is ook so vaal. Is dit rerig of is dit my oë??? Het al die kleur uit my lewe verdwyn saam met my pa? Ek het nooit vir iemand vertel van die vaal.. Daar was groter probleme as my vaal wereld...

Hy was my alles. My wêreld, my rots, die een mens wat my verstaan het.. Hoekom???? Ek het in die afgelope 39 jaar myself miljoene kere daardie vraag gevra. En steeds het ek nog nie DIE antwoord nie..

Pappa ek mis Pa nog elke dag. 74846544 KV. Alpha, bravo, Charlie, delta..Al die goedjies wat Pa my geleer het terwyl ons onder die lorrie skadu gesoek het terwyl die werkers hout kap en laai... 

Ek sal nooit vergeet, ek sal nooit ophou skryf, ek sal julle nagedagtenis lewendig hou vir julle nageslagte. Ons het soveel om op trots te wees.

Roland de Vries gives feedback

 Sy was geniaal met radios Riana V D Westhuizen. Sy was Gelowig en het omgegee. Julle plaas glo ek was ook 'n ideale ligging wat "skip distances"ensomeer an betref het! Uit Eye of the Firestorm, Operasie Protea Augustus-September 1981: .... "Close on 22h24 there was a hurried radio message relayed from Major Joe Weyers, “Contact...Contact...Wait, out”. We could clearly hear a mauling near Cahama. The message was conveyed via the relay station of Tannie Pompie van der Westhuizen approximately 370km south-southeast of our position from her farm Koedoesvlei near Tsintsabis in SWA. Tannie (Aunty) Pompie was well known to the South African forces during the border war. As a loyal member of the Etosha Area Force Unit (AFU) she provided an invaluable radio-relay service for 61 Mech during operations .... On the return of Charlie Squadron to Omuthiya on 2 September I requested Captain Chris Gildenhuys to deliver a bouquet of flowers to Tannie Pompie. This was in appreciation for her invaluable radio relay services to our battle group in the field. The second-in-command of Charlie Squadron duly paid Tannie Pompie and her family a memorable visit on their farm Koedoesvlei near Tsintsabis ...  This was in appreciation for her invaluable radio relay services to our battle group in the field. The second-in-command of Charlie Squadron duly paid Tannie Pompie and her family a memorable visit on their farm Koedoesvlei near Tsintsabis ... Omuthiya was a homecoming of note. My wonderful staff, creative and visionary as always, had organised a homecoming ‘braai’. Tannie Pompie I believe had something to do with this. At Omuthiya the cold beers were sweet. The aroma of the bush ‘braai’ drifted gently over us as the sun was setting. There was pleasant chit-chat and spontaneous laughter to be heard everywhere. Deep comradeships were felt, it was touchable. The young, some of them blooded for the first time, were warriors now. Chaplain Koos Rossouw’s thanksgiving ceremony was solemn and thought provoking. We sat on camp chairs or flat on the warm sand in deep thought. What were my soldiers thinking? I stared at their faces. As I write this account today some of them are deep into their forties approaching fifty with families and business or other similar responsibilities. Their children should know what amazing warriors they were. Everyone was bone-tired. Soon they retired to their tents for a long night’s rest. By Wednesday 2 September Protea was said and done ...!"

Today 88 years ago, a legend was born.

 Catharina Cornelia van der Westhuizen, born Mynhardt on the 3rd of February 1933. 

Today its the birthday of a very special person in my life. The woman who gave me life, who taught me values and the joy of giving. The most wonderful Mom. An extraordinary human being. Im so blessed to call her Mamma. Not a day go past that I don't wish I could spend time with my parents. I ❤️ you. And miss you tons. Thank you for leaving us a wonderful legacy to enjoy and be proud of.

She was born in a family of 4 children. The only girl and second oldest. She lost both her parents at an early age and was raised by her grandparents. Her granny was in a wheel chair and  my mom had to help with the younger boys, so I think her mother's instinct was very strong, thats partly why she felt all the boys in the army was hers. She had a very strong sense of responsibility and cared very deeply about everyone. That made her the perfect candidate to be in the role she carved out for herself on the airwaves of the SADF radios. She wouldn't take no for an answer and would not leave a single stone unturned in her quest to help and serve and save lives.

She will always be fondly remembered as call sign 91 or Tannie Pompie. She was one in a billion!!! 

An extraordinary day at work...

 My last client today is a new one. I greet him and ask him what he would Iike me to do...

Instead of giving me spefications and indication on his haircut he turns to face me and look me in the eyes and say before you cut my hair I want to tell you your mum saved my life. If it wasn't for her, I would not be sitting here....

I was dumbfounded... Speachless...

I have read many stories of what my parents have done and I still receive mails from guys singing praise to my mum for things she have done more than 40 years ago, but this is the 1st time I am looking into the eyes of the person saying these things... I never expected this, not at all. 

I never got around to hear the specifics of the event.. But I know they were in trouble and was calling for help on the radio and like in so many cases, my Mum was the only one to hear them. She got them help and saved their lives by doing so.

Seeing a man sitting in front of you and hearing all of this make you realize that they did the right thing. They made the right choices. Its all good. (For many years I kept asking myself a lot of questions.. One of them was, why they become so deeply involved as they did.. And then.. What if they didn't? Would my life have been different?)

After today I have peace. Thank you MC Eloff.

❤️ She was an extraordinary, ordinary woman. To many she was call sign 91, to others she was Tannie Pompie. For me she is  Mum, she is my Hero.