Julie, Glenn and family Stuart

Story

‘The Great Trek (journey) to the Lucky Country.’

Today I heard another South African accent in the local shopping mall. An accent that stirs my heart because I can relate to what that accent represents. Sometimes it is an English accent and sometimes Afrikaans (a language derivative from the Dutch settlers.) I didn\’t stop to say hello but in my initial days of living in Brisbane I did. Now, there seems to be so many South Africans in Australia that it no longer feels that we are few, in this land of plenty Ð in the Land Down Under.

So why after years of living in South Africa have so many hundreds of thousands left and started a new life on a different continent? There have been waves of immigration in the past but at the present there seems to be literally thousands of people starting over again in Australia and other countries around the world. The answers are numerous and for each immigrant family the reasons are probably as diverse as the people themselves. With courage, strong will and a determination to succeed people are committed to start afresh to seek peace, security, opportunities, freedom and happiness.

Where do I start about the country where I spent my childhood, adolescence and the majority of my adulthood? The country which my immediate family and I left five years ago? The country which helped to mould me into who I am today? It is a beautiful, rich, vibrant, and harsh country. It is a land of paradoxes. It is a country that abounds in magnificent physical beauty, superb wildlife, marvellous vibrant people Ð a country that is simply quite unique in all its beauty and contradictions.

Africa is in a world of its own and South Africa is part of that world. To millions of people around the world, Africa doesn\’t seem to matter much. South Africa hardly makes the news other than when our cricket or rugby teams play Australia or to report on the debilitating Aids statistics.

Just recently Mr Mandela reported that his son of 54 years had died from Aids. Often the only news we hear about Africa is the humanitarian crises that seem to be forever part of the African continent. The recent signing of a peace agreement in Sudan was positive news. The recent unprecedented tsunami catastrophe, demonstrated that people all over the world have a sense of compassion. Prosperous people and countries are willing and wanting to help each other. Africa also needs help.

South Africa is different and unique because of its history. Early Dutch and British colonists expanded their domain from the Cape area displacing the African people. Decades of war ensued between the British and Dutch and the African people. In 1886 gold was discovered and this gave rise to the origin of shanty towns. South Africa\’s early history was discriminatory and harsh. The seeds of apartheid (separateness) were sown when the government declared that land for whites (Europeans) and blacks (Africans) was to be segregated. As a result, South Africa was isolated from the rest of the world because of its political policies. Nelson Mandela, in his fight against apartheid was imprisoned on charges of treason and his release twenty seven years later was a catalyst for the many changes that took place.

Leaving South Africa and having lived in Australia for five years has afforded me the opportunity to see and experience life from another perspective. It has made me more aware and further opened my eyes and mind to the reality of what life in South Africa was really like for me. I believe that as a white person, I grew up as part of a privileged minority and was sheltered from much of what happened in our country. The media suppressed what was happening in the country. ‘European’ children and adults were not exposed to the racial classification of Black, Coloured or Indian people at schools or universities, in our suburbs, at the beaches, or at places of entertainment. There were buses, park benches, cinemas, schools and other community facilities for ‘Non Europeans.’ Discrimination favouring the whites was a reality and few opportunities existed for the blacks in the wider spectrum of our society. The unequal distribution of wealth and the blatant discrimination laws could only cause turmoil. However, much of what the whites achieved and gained success in was not without a determined commitment, resilient spirit (boycotts from the international community) and sheer hard work. The fact that the opportunities were there for us made many determined to succeed.

I was born in London and my family immigrated to South Africa when I was seven months old. My mother was from Guyana in South America (formerly a British colony) and my father was from Ireland. I spent my early days happily in the knowledge of being loved and cared for.

< Back to the Stories