a1b4c5d2e8f7. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Colin Möhr recetly asked the above question on Rootsweb (South Africa). A long discussion followed. Here are some edited replies.

A while ago it was announced that approximately 800 000 South Africans emigrated over the last decade. Johann Hanekom indirectly refers to such by writing: ... and so they are becoming progenitors in their own right in their new abodes. Does it make genealogical sense to hang on to their SA coding?

Although lengthy, this articles is a must to read --
for beginners and experienced genealogists.

Richard Ball, Norfolk, England: First of all, always bear in mind that the De Villiers numbering system, which you are quoting here and which is used in the original C.C.de Villiers Geslagtregister', also De Villiers/Pama revision of 1966 and the current volumes of the the South African Genealogies, still in course of publication, is a relative system, not an absolute one.

Therefore, any descendant number such as you quote above must first have

• a family name and then
• publication to which it refers.

It is not valid in the abstract,even though two publications may agree on the generations, you should always also quote the publication from which you are quoting the generation code.

For more information on this coding system see: http://www.saintclair.org/numbers/. The numbering system we are discussing is on that page 6 -- the de Villiers/Pama system but in a nutshell, here is how it works:

a is the progenitor or stamvader, the person who first arrived in South Africa. There may have been just one, in which case the a is not usually quoted (although the surname must always be quoted) or there may have been more than one progenitor, in which case they will be labelled a1, a2, etc.

b is the second generation (or first one born in SA -- sometimes some confusion here) and the number is the order of that particular child in the birth order. b6 is the sixth child of the progenitor.

b2c3 is the third child of the second child of the progenitor, and so on.

These numbers do not carry on to the children of female descendants which, in the De Villiers system, take their numbering from their father's family.

To illustrate what I mean when I say the code is only relevant to the publication in which it appears, take the Van Wyk family where there were 6 progenitors, including the two main early ones, where the 'Die VAN WYK-families van Suid-Afrika', compiled by the Noord-Transvaal branch of the GSSA, labels Willem van Wyk, a2 and Roelof van Wyk a1.

This is a recent revision of the family and differs from what appears in the original Geslagtregister' or 'DeVilliers/Pama' and any numbering of the generations will only be intelligible if the publication from which the code is taken is also quoted.

For instance take the following two Van Wyks:

the Roelof van Wyk who married 1727 Aletta Bezuidenhout is coded a2b1 in the DeVilliers/Pama book, but in the new revision a1b1c1;

the Willem van Wyk who married (1)1729 Johanna Campher and (2)1746 Hendrina Monk (and left many descendants) is coded a2b3 in the DeVilliers/Pama book but in the new revision a2b6.

So, unless you also have the name of the publication, you cannot identify an individual simply with a code.

Francois Greeff: Think about the kind of "roadmap" you get when you stop to ask for directions in a city:

"Take the second left
then the third right
then the second right
then the fourth left
then the seventh turning to the left again..." and so on.

Effectively, you have a set of directions that get you from one specific point in the city to another specific point.

A family tree is just a map of how the different points in a family are related to each other, and there are two different kinds of map: One for ancestors, and another for descendants. The reason for this is that the two trees, or maps, have different structures.

A map of ancestors follows a very rigid progression because each person has exactly TWO biological parents. Each ancestral map has the same structure (from the bottom upward):

128 ggggg grandparents, and so on (each generation having twice as many people as the one before)
64 gggg grandparents
32 ggg grandparents
16 great great grandparents
8 great grandparents
4 grandparents
2 parents
1 person

This structure is easily seen in an ancestral chart (Click on the link to see an example, and count the number of people in each column:

http://www.greeff.info/tng01/pedigree.php?personID=I2&tree=GreeffKwartierstaat%29

In this tree each person has a unique place AND NUMBER that defines his or her relationship to all other people in the tree. The numbers are simply: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 11, 12, 13... and so on. (See http://www.greeff.info/tng01/pedigreetext.php?personID=I2&tree=GreeffKwartierstaat&parentset=0&generations=5%29rstaat&parentset=0&generations=5)

If you click on the last link you will see that it happens that:

1. all males have even numbers (except number one, who could be female);
2. all females have odd numbers;
3. each person's father is double their own number;
4. each person's mother is double their number, plus one and
5. every wife has her husband's number plus one.

The structure of this ancestral chart (or map) is EXACTLY THE SAME FOR ALL PEOPLE. One can thus refer to the chart and say that numbers 1, 3, 8, and 9 attended the funeral of number 19 and any person in the world could see that the person whose tree it is (1) and his mother (3) and his paternal grandfather's parents (8 & 9) went to the funeral of number one's father's father's mother's mother. Using the numbers to refer to people is clearly much simpler than "number one's father's father's mother's mother", especially when one gets to a huge tree of ten or twenty generations.

Second and third wives and husbands NEVER enter into this kind of ANCESTRAL TREE for the simple reason that the tree lists ONLY the ancestors of number one, and no one can have two or more biological mothers.

Now we can look at a map of descendants.

Descendant's trees (or maps of family relationships) are far more difficult, simply because each set of parents has a different number of children, and different marriages.

In this system we have two separate counters:

• One counter for each generation (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j and so on) and
  
• Another counter for the number of children in THAT family (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc).

In this system ONLY BLOOD RELATIVES ARE GIVEN NUMBERS, and by that I mean blood relatives of the one person whose descendants we are describing.

The DESCENDANT'S CHART also starts with ONE PERSON, who is coded a, because a is the first generation in the tree. It is a common mistake to put the progenitor (or starting person in the tree) down as a1, because that means that he was his parents' first, or oldest, child. If he is known to be the fourth child, then he should be a4.

So a has two wives, who have NO NUMBER in this system. a has four children by his first wife, and three by his second wife. All of a's children are the second generation in the tree, so they are generation b, and in addition to that they are numbered in order of birth: b1, b2, b3, b4, b5, b6, b7.

It is obvious that b5 is the fifth child of a. Now b5 has five children, who are generation c in this tree. They are c1, c2, c3, c4, c5.

A problem arises immediately, because b7 also has children, six of them, and in this tree they are also the third generation, thus c. They are ALSO c1, c2, c3, c4, c5, c6.

In order to tell all the c generation children apart we look at who their parents and grandparents were, and renumber them:

ab5c1, ab5c2, ab5c3, ab5c4, ab5c5 and
ab7c1, ab7c2, ab7c3, ab7c4, ab7c5, ab7c6.

Now each person has a unique number.

That unique number also maps out each person's PLACE IN THE TREE (or place on this family map).

Returning to the example you asked about in the first place, "a1b4c5d2e8f7", you can begin to see that this long number is:

• A specific person in a tree and
• A set of directions that define his relationship to all the other people in that tree.

Do you remember the set of directions above you got to travel across the city? "Take the second left, then the third right then the seventh turning to the left again..." and so on.

"a1b4c5d2e8f7" is also such a set of directions for you to navigate in a family tree (or a map of the family). In fact, an abbreviation of a set of directions. Let us break "a1b4c5d2e8f7" up and look at what "a1b4c5d2e8f7" means.

• a1 is the main person around whom the entire tree is built, a because he is the first generation, and 1 because he is the first child of his parents.
• b4 is the fourth child of a1
• c5 is the fifth child of b4
• d2 is the second child of c5
• e8 is the eighth child of d2 and
• f7 is the seventh child of e8.

This system was invented by the late de Villiers to describe SOUTH AFRICAN FAMILIES. De Villiers, consequently, made an exception of person a, because he was studying a very specific group of first generation people. All of his first generation people were THE FIRST MAN OF A FAMILY TO ARRIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA -- the progenitor of his clan in South Africa.

Very soon de Villiers ran into a new problem, of which my clan happens to be a good example:

• Matthias Greeff arrived at the Cape in 1680;
• Peter Greeff arrived at the Cape in 1734 and
• Friedrich Greeff arrived at the Cape around 1775.

So now we have THREE progenitors of "the Greeff family" in South Africa.

De Villiers solved the problem by making an exception of the number that follows:

a: Given that he had three Greeff progenitors he numbered them a1, a2, and a3.

Consequently the numbers behind a DO NOT mean that that person was the first, second or third child of his parents, but it means that he was the first, second, or third person of that surname to arrive in South Africa.

In the De Villiers numbering system the number following a is thus NOT a mistake, because it still refers to the first, second or third person (or progenitor - "stamvader") to arrive in South Africa.

For the sake of simplicity I have not covered some of the other exceptions in the system, nor all the finer details.

Johan Hanekom: It is a valid point about always quoting the publication from which the code for an individual is taken -- but lately it has became apparent that the REVISION of that publication also needs to be considered, as revisions correct errors and omissions from previous revisions. If I do my job on our family tree well, I am afraid that the next revision of SAG Vol3 is going to be very interesting to see.

My interest in the Hanekom family tree (http://www.hanekom.org.uk/) goes way beyond the South African progenitor, and I am sure that goes for a lot of researchers here too. Unfortunately that makes a bit of a nonsense of the coding.

Richard Ball: Oh yes, certainly -- not only the publication but its edition, too. The coding is only meaningful in the context of its exact publication.

Johan said: “My interest in the Hanekom family tree (http://www.hanekom.org.uk/) goes way beyond the South African progenitor, and I am sure that goes for a lot of researchers here too”.

I presume you mean you are interested in the the progenitor's ancestry? This is seemingly a modern concept. It seems the earlier researchers had little interest in the European or other antecedents of the stamvaders.

Johan also said: “Unfortunately that makes a bit of a nonsense of the coding”.

The De Villiers coding seems firmly established for the main South African genealogical publications. I have seen a variation that goes backward from the progenitor using upper case letters B1.C2 etc, but you are, of course, at liberty to use your own for any publication you produce.

Johan Hanekom: I think I am not unique in finding that more and more originally South African family names are no longer purely South African family names, but becoming international. In my research into the Hanekom family I find a lot of members now living in the UK, USA, Saudi Arabia, Namibia, New Zealand, Australia, and even one (my son) back in Germany, close to where our SA progenitor came from originally. And so they are becoming progenitors in their own right in their new abodes. Does it make genealogical sense to hang on to their SA coding? I don't know.

With the excellent charting and reports now available I personally find it easier to use a pedigree chart to display and track the ancestry of a given person, than trying to implement a numbering system that keeps changing.

Now let me throw a second stone in the water. At the risk of offending researchers who publish their family histories, I would posit that genealogical books don't generate a lot of royalties for the author, and that e-books containing the anecdotal history of the family, with a searchable family tree, would be a worthwhile consideration. It would be cheaper for the author to publish, easier to update, and of much more value to genealogical researchers -and save a few more trees in the process.

Richard Ball: C.C.de Villiers, however, if indeed he devised the system (his incomplete work was edited and prepared for publication by G.M.Theal), was not designing a database but a system which would help a reader to locate the various generations in a long printed list, similar to such systems as used by most genealoly programs. If you look at the original books that G.M.Theal produced from De Villiers's data, you will see the logic for

1. the printed page
2. 5 or 6 generations
and part of this original system was the use of specific indentation for each generation, as below, making it relatively easy to run one's eye down the page, concentrating on one generation. (Dots inserted for the sake of neat typing.)

This was the purpose of the system.

INTERESSANTHEDE UIT DIE e-SAGI (12)

Twee Senators, ‘n Kabinetminister en
die Argitek van die Voortrekkermonument

Deur Lucas Rinken

Op Maandag 19 Mei 2008, het gesiene genealoog Johan VERMEULEN aan die e-poslys van SAGen geskryf en besonderhede gevra oor Senator HF de WET en sy vrou, ouers van Emmerentia Roelofviena Petrocina de WET wie getroud was met Senator Marthinus Joachim VERMEULEN.

Dit het my op ‘n wonderlike soektog geplaas wat my groot genot verskaf het.

Senator Hendrik Francois de WET (a1b1c2d5e4f3g9), gebore 20.4.1860 en gedoop op Aliwal-Noord op 12.8.1860, was 24 jaar oud toe hy op 31.3.1884 op Rouxville getroud is met Hester Catharina Johanna ODENDAAL, gebore 20.8.1863 -- die dogter van Michiel Wilhelmus ODENDAAL en Amerentia Roedolphina Petrusina BOTHA.

Hulle het sewe kinders gehad waarvan die oudste, soos reeds genoem, en gebore op 8.5.1885 in 1912 trou met Senator Marthinus Joachim VERMEULEN gebore op Sutherland op 28.3.1881 en ook daar gedoop op 23.4.1881.

Marthinus was 'n prokureur op Lindley. Hy het sy onderrig aan die SA Kollege, Kaapstad ontvang. Hy was lid van die Provinsiale Raad vir Heilbron en Voorsitter van die Vrystaatse Provinsiale Raad vanaf 1915 tot 1929. Hy was ‘n klompie jare lank -- vanaf 1929 -- 'n Senator in die Unie van Suid-Afrika Regering. Hy was ook lid van die Hoofbestuur van die Vrystaatse Helpmekaar. Verder was hy ook burgemeester van Lindley.

Hulle het 6 ses kinders gehad. Die derde een was Adv. Marthinus Joachim VERMEULEN gebore 29.12.1916 en gedoop op Lindley op 25.2.1917. Hy trou in Pretoria op 14.12.1914 met Dr. Irma Leonora MOERDIJK, gebore inPretoria op 6.9.1923. Sy was 'n argitek en skrywer en die houer van van 'n doktorsgraad -- PhD in Stads- en Streeksbeplanning. Sy was ook die dogter van die beroemde argitek Gerard MOERDIJK. Hy het onder meer die Voortrekkermonument in Pretoria ontwerp asook tientalle kerke, bankkantore, kantoor- en ander geboue.

Dr Irma MOERDIJK het vanaf 1948 as argitek by verskeie genootskappe gepraktiseer en was ook as argitek in diens van die Bloemfonteinse munisipaliteit. Irma het verskeie boeke geskryf, onder meer 'n boek oor haar beroemde vader. Dit heet: "Man en Monument - Die Lewe en Werke van Gerard MOERDIJK ".

Maar daar eindig die interesante familie-verbintenisse nie.

Dr. (Eregraad) Gerard Leendert Pieter MOERDIJK is gebore op 4.3.1890 in Nylstroom. Hy is waarskynlik die bekendste Afrikaanse argitek. Tientalle Afrikaanse Kerke is deur hom ontwerp en aangepas om by die behoeftes van ons Afrikaanse eredienste aan te pas. Hy het ook veral aandag gegee aan die akoestiek in die kerke. Hy het verskeie kompetisies vir die ontwerp van geboue gewen -- die belangrikste, dié van die Voortrekkermonument.

Maar wie was sy vrou?

Sylvia PIROW (b3) gebore 7.9.1896 is in 1918 met hom getroud. Sy was die dogter van Dr. Carl Bernhardt Ferdinand PIROW wie in 1889 uit Ludwigslust, Oos-Pruise hier aangekom het, getroud met Henriette Jasmine Marine TOMBY.

Hulle het drie kinders gehad -- die oudste, Adv. Oswald PIROW (links) gebore 14.8.1890 in Aberdeen en getroud met Elsé PIEL.

Hy was ‘n Minister in Genl. JBM Hertzog se Kabinet.

Na sy studies in Duitsland en Engeland, het hy in Suid Afrika tot die Balie toegetree. In 1924 was hy verkies tot die Parlement waar sy dryfkrag en entoesiame hom die poste van Minister van Justisie en van Verdediging onder Gen. JBM Hertzog besorg het.

Terwyl hy baie gedoen het om militêre bekwaamheid te verbeter, het sy beweerde Duitse gesindheid en veral sy besoek aan Adolf Hitler, baie kritiek uitgelok.

Hy het ook boeke geskryf oor die Bantoe-lewe en oor die lewe van Generaal Hertzog. Hy is in 1939 oorlede.

CATHOLIC CHURCH REGISTERS NOT AVAILABLE TO LDS CHURCH ANYMORE

By Kimberly Powell - About.com, Genealogy Guide (5 May 2008)

A recent letter issued by the Vatican Congregation for Clergy directs Roman Catholic dioceses worldwide to keep The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from "microfilming and digitizing information" contained in Catholic sacramental registers, according to a report in the Catholic News Service. The reason give for the move is to prevent LDS Church members from using the records to posthumously baptize Catholic ancestors by proxy.

The Vatican directive says the purpose of the policy is to:

"... ensure that such a detrimental practice is not permitted in [each bishop's] territory, due to the confidentiality of the faithful and so as not to cooperate with the erroneous practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

One of the core tenets of Mormon faith is that the dead can be baptized into the Church to offer them the opportunity to accept the faith in an afterlife and achieve salvation.

TOWERWERK

Legacy 7 Charting is 'n towenaar. Dit het pragfunksies waarmee mooi familiekaartekaarte gemaak kan word. Hieronder is 'n voorbeeld van een uit 'n klompie keuses wat dit bied. Klik daarop om dit te vergroot.

Dié program sal deel van die nuwe Legacy 7-weergawe wees wat eersdaags vrygestel word. Intussen is dit op 'n proefgrondslag (reklamemiddel) gratis aan Legacy-gebruikers beskikbaar gestel.

Die program is betreklik maklik om te gebruik. 'n Nuweling sal die funksies gou bemeester. "Gebruik net jou 'common sense'", het my pa gesê. "Lees net behoorlik wat daar staan," het my ma gesê. Uiteraard moet die data en foto's op Legacy ingevoer wees.

Meegaande (klik op die kaart om dit te vergroot) is gemaak as 'n geskenk aan 'n ouerpaar wie se baba, Heston Fox Ferreira (*27 Februarie 2008) gedoop is. Nadat dit gedruk is, beslaan dit 3 x 4 A4-grootte bladsye.

Die sukses hiervan was dat die 30 foto's van die baba se onmiddellike vier voorgeslagte almal opgespoor is. Dit is van pa en ma tot by die sestien grootoupagrootjies en grootoumagrootjies.

Met die saamstel hiervan het 'n klompie belangrike (ou) lesse weer na vore getree.

Legacy word wyd in genealogiese kringe gebruik. Hoewel Legacy nie in almal se smaak vir datavaslegging is nie, bly dit die moeite werd om nuwe ontwikkelings dop te hou.

Les: Benut 'n nuwe, erkende program, veral as hy gratis is.

Dié soektog na die foto's het drie maande geduur. Eintlik was dit nie 'n soektog nie. Dis hoe lank dit geneem het om almal so ver te kry om die foto's beskikbaar te maak. Die meeste data is oor dieselfde tydperk gevind, maar nie alles nie. Hopelik sal dit mettertyd kom. Dan druk ons die kaart weer en vervang die een in die raam.

Les: Moenie ophou vra en soek nie, jou kanse word al beter om te kry wat jy benodig.Buiten die "stamboom" kan 'n mens met Legacy 7 Charting bykomende foto's/prente en skrif insluit. Gevolglik is vier pragfoto's op die kaart aangebring:

• Een van die ma, Erika Fourie, enkele minute voor die geboorte;
• Pa Dawson en oupa Heston John Grewar enkele dae na die geboorte.
• Oupa Heston en sy nageslag op die dag van die doop en
• Oom Ruhan (15) wat klein Heston op die doopdag die kerk ingebring het.
• 'n Afdruk van die baba se voetjies pas na sy geboorte is ook ingesluit.

Les: Neem foto's van goeie en unieke oomblikke. Ordentlike foto's.Oupa Heston het in 'n stadium opgemerk dat hy die enigste oorlewende is wat die mense op sekere foto's kon uitken. Só was dit ook met ander foto's. Die foto's is daar, maar daar is niks wat aandui wie daarop verskyn nie.

Les: Doen jou nageslag 'n yslike guns en dokumeteer jou foto's voor dit te laat is.
Voor die samestelling van die kaart is heelwat tyd aan die restorering van die foto's bestee. Dit is tydrowend, maar die moeite werd. Al 31 foto's is gekrop sodat net die gesigte wys. Almal is ook ewe groot gemaak -- 6" x 4". Al die foto's van oupas/ouma en ouer is 'n bruinskakering gegee om dit 'n ouer voorkoms te gee.

Les: Doen moeite met jou foto's. Kry 'n geskikte rekenaarprogram. Daar is heelwat.
Die ander oupa, Johan Fourie, het 'n pragskets van 'n jakkals gemaak, omdat die baba se een doopnaam "Fox" is -- uitsonderlik, maar dit het 'n stukkie geskiedenis wat nie hier ter sprake is nie. In die baba se familie is daar drie joernaliste. Hulle het die skryfwerk gedoen. Kort stukkies, maar goed gedoen. 'n Tante het met die kleure en 'n vriend het met die komposisie gehelp.

Les: Benut jou familie (en vriende) se talente.
Klein Heston se ouers sal dié kaart -- geraam -- as 'n geskenk op sy doopdag kry, maar dis nie goed genoeg nie. Die foto's is. Hulle sal ook 'n volledige stel (behoorlik gedokumenteer) daarvan op CD kry om vir hul kinders te bewaar. Dís mos spesiaal om te hê. Dink net hoe danig dié kleinman daaroor sal wees as hy verstand gekry het.

Plaaslik kos dit R3 om 'n poskaart-grootte foto af te druk. Ander pryse is: 6" x 8" = R12; 8" x 10"= R30 en 8"x 12" = R35.

Terloops: die druk van die kaart het R30 gekos -- by 'n plek wat argiteksplanne druk.

Les: Bewaar die ware Jakob as jy dit het.
Ongelukkig het die program ook 'n paar tekortkominge. Dit sluit in die gebrek aan 'n volledige "grid" om die plasing van bykomende foto's en skrif te vergemaklik en 'n gesukkel om foto's te vervang. (Altemit het ek nie behoorlik gelees nie.) 'n Funksie om die eerste geslag (die baba) se foto te vergroot, is ook wenslik. So ook om die foto's van almal in die laaste (jongste) geslag in te sluit. Origens is dit 'n pragprogram. -- Japie Bosch, Jeffreysbaai.

MONTHLY MEETING: 10 MAY 2008

The next branch meeting will be held on 10 May 2008 at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria and not on the expected third Saturday of the month (17 May) at "home" in Roodepoort.

The rescheduled meeting will coincide with a celebration of a "Heritage Day" fest convened by Isabel Groesbeek to mark 20 years of her work in Genealogy. That will be followed by a visit to the monthly meeting of the Northern Transvaal branch of the GSSA in the art gallery of the monument.. The latter will commence at 14h00. Their speaker will be Lappe Laubscher talking on "Spoke en Persoonlikhede uit ons Genealogiese Geskiedenis".

It is imperative that we give the Northerners an indication of attendees (as a courtesy) so that they can host us adequately.

We need to know:

• How many members would like to attend this meeting and/or the preceding fest;

• How many members would like us to arrange transport to Pretoria so that they can leave their cars at a secure location and be transported there and back and

• Any other queries you may have.

Please let me know of your intentions by e-mailing me (click below) or any other means should it be more convenient for you so that we can let the hosts know how many visitors to expect. -- Bob Saunders, vice-chairman.

CLICK HERE TO SEND
BOB AN E-MAIL

Joubert-boek

'n Joubert-boek met 'n register deur dr PG (Peet) Joubert sal teen die middel van Mei 2008 beskikbaar wees. Dit beslaan 1131 bladsye. Dit sluit in: 18 bladsye met foto's, sy eie Joubert-navorsing asook kol Hennie Joubert se Joubert-inligting. Bestellings kan by Peet geplaas word. Sy telefoonnommers is: 082/825-7585 of 012/809-0664. Laasgenoemde is 'n lid van Noord-Transvaal-tak, GGSA.

Cake Tin Preservation

When one of my great-aunts died (in England) her daughter found a cake tin in her cupboard containing documents from the 1600's down to about 1860 - letters, mostly, and a few certificates.

They were all in perfect condition except for a little yellowing. -- Ivy Trott, via Rootsweb.

"BAPTISING" OF "CHRISTENING": WAT SÊ DIE BRON?

'n Verkorte weergawe van ‘n aanbieding gelewer
deur John Stephens,
Sekretaris van die Wes-Gautengtak van die GGSA,
tydens die tak se maandbyeenkoms op 19 April 2008

1. INLEIDING

Die probleem wat hier aangespreek word, is: wat is die regte woord om te gebruik:

• Christening of

• Baptising?

Of ons tydens die doop in water onderdompel word en of ons bloot met water besprinkel word, is nie ter sprake nie, ook nie of ons klein of as volwassenes gedoop word nie.

Vir die genealoog is die gebruik van dié begrippe belangrik, want feitlik alle genealogiese datavasleggingsprogramme is in Engels. Hulle maak voorsiening vir een of die ander of albei, byvoorbeeld:

PAF gebruik net baptising;
Family Historian gebruik net christening;
Legacy en Generations maak voorsiening vir albei.

Dis hier waar die knoop lê. Wat is reg?

2. REAKSIE OP ROOTSWEB

Voortspruitend uit die reklame vir hierdie aanbieding het daar vooraf heelwat bespreking op Rootsweb gevolg. Hieronder is, interessantheidshalwe, 'n paar menings.

Derek Pratt: "As an Anglican Priest I always correct families that come for christening of their child by saying: "Yes we can baptise him/her with pleasure. "I have always presumed that baptism was the theological correct term while christening is a wrong term -- but why I don't know!"

Steve Hayes: " … it is clear that in Anglican usage baptism and christening are synonyms, though baptism is clearly the prefered term."

Hy vervolg: "the genealogy of English-speaking people will probably at some point make use of the baptism registers of the Church of England, and so it should be borne in mind that in the Church of England (and hence other Anglican churches), baptism and christening are synonyms, but the rite is recorded in a baptism register, not in a christening register."

Keith Meintjes: " … I have thought of "christening" as the involuntary (for the person) naming of an infant child, and "baptism" as a more voluntary religious commitment of a grown person."

3. DIE AFRIKAANSE WOORD: DOOP

Doop omvat in Afrikaans albei begrippe. Gevolglik is hier nie ‘n probleem of twyfel nie.

4. WAT SÊ DIE BRONDOKUMENT?

In die Genealogie praat ons deurentyd van bronne of brondokumente. Daarsonder is inligting feitlik waardeloos.

Wat is die bron vir die doop -- in dié geval baptising of christening?

Die doop het ‘n Christelike oorsprong. Daarom kan ons met reg sê dat ons brondokument Die Bybel is. In Mat. 28:19 kry Christene die opdrag van Jesus Christus: "Gaan dan heen, maak dissipels van al die nasies en doop hulle in die Naam van die Vader en die Seun en die Heilige Gees."

En wat sê ons brondokument, Die Bybel, betreffende die Engels?

Cruden's Complete Concordance verwys na Baptism; Baptist; Baptise; Baptised; Baptiseth; Baptising ... maar nêrens in die Bybel word dit in verband met christening gebring nie.

Die afleiding?

As ons brondokument, Die Bybel, sê dat die regte woord baptism is, is daar geen twyfel wat reg is nie.

Genealogieprogramme wat net vir baptism voorsiening maak, is heeltemal reg. Daar behoort nie iewers ‘n veld vir christening te wees nie.

MINDER FRUSTRASIES

Onderstaande kan baie mense se frustrasies op die rekenaar verlig. Dis 'n maklike manier om kappies, deeltekens, ens. op klinkers te plaas pleks van die alewige Alt + nommer (en dan moet Num Lock aan wees).

Dié metode wat Catherine Crouse geruime tyd terug op SAGen genoem het, is 'n gerieflike en maklike manier vir veral Afrikaanssprekendes wat dikwels van kappies, deeltekens ens. gebruik maak.

• Gaan na Settings > Control Panel > Keyboard> Language > Properties. Kies dan "United States International" en OK jou pad weer uit.

• In Windows XP werk dit ietwat anders. Gaan na Start > Control Panel > Regional and Language Options > Languages > Details > Settings. Kies dan "English (United States International)". Klik dan OK. As die ou wat jou rekenaar opgestel het, die hele XP CD op jou harde skyf gelaai het, sal alles reg wees. Anders sal jou rekenaar vir die CD vra. Doen wat hy vra. Alles werk nou maklik sonder dat jy enige nommers (soos Alt 136 ) hoef te onthou of te tik.
  

ê As jy nou ^ (die kappie) tik en 'n klinker, plaas die rekenaar die kappie daarop, byvoorbeeld ê â Ê Ô, ens.

ë As jy die dubbelaanhaling (") en 'n klinker daarna druk, kry jy die deelteken. ë Ë ü, ens.

é As jy die enkelaanhaling druk (') en 'n klinker kry jy é á ó Ú, ens.

è As jy die enkelaanhaling heel bo links (`) gebruik, kry jy è à ò, ens.

Dit werk in alle Windows-programme met kleinletters en hoofletters.

Die enigste, maar klein, nadeel is dat ‘n mens telkens die spasiebalk moet druk, nadat ‘n mens ‘n aanhalingsteken geplaas het. Dit maak deur en deur op vir al die gesukkel met en onthou van alt-kodes vir kappies en deeltekens. As jy 'n aanhaling wil skryf wat met 'n klinker begin, onthou dan net om eers die spasiebalk ná die aanhalingsteken te druk, anders sit die rekenaar die deelteken bo-op die letter.

WENK: Werk versigtig as jy dié metode installeer. Mense het al laat weet dit werk nie. Die hoofrede is omdat hulle oorhaastig was en dit nie reg geïnstalleer het nie. Vir my werk dit en heelwat ander waarvan ek weet. -- Blogredakteur.

FOR THE FUN OF IT

One tends to believe that there are quite a number of John Smiths or Koos van der Merwes in South Africa. To determine the exact number won't be easy. The website below alleges it can tell how many of them are in the USA. Try your own name or those of your family and friends.

Just for the fun of it.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

JONG MENSE EN GENEALOGIE

Dis al 'n jarelange debat: hoe kry ons jong mense meer geïnteresseerd in die genealogie?

As ons jonk is wil ons weining daarvan weet. As ons ouer is, is ons jammer (lees spyt) ons het nie vroeër begin nie.

Hier is 'n paar uittreksels uit 'n gesprek wat onlangs op SAGenealogie hieroor verskyn het.

Adélle Jerling: Hoekom bemark ons nie die doel en konsep van (familie)navorsing op 'n meer lewendige en "funky" manier om jonger mense te trek nie? Daar is soveel jong mense met wie ek praat wat wil weet hoekom hulle nie van genealogie weet nie. Is dit omdat ons dalk te veel hou by die "old tried and trusted" maniere van bemarking? Moet ons nie dalk dit gaan bemark by skole, universiteite, in tydskrifte of op internetblaaie waar jongmense baie rondswerf nie? Is ons nie dalk in 'n groef nie?

Die doel van ons navorsing is tog nie omdat ons almal elkeen 'n boek wil publiseer nie? Ons wil ons erfenis bewaar. Hoe gaan ons dit regkry as mense om ons dink ons is snaakse karakters wat krap waar dit nie jeuk nie, en navorsing doen "omdat ons nie sosiale lewens het nie"?

Familienavorsing moet 'n nuwe asem kry, ons moet nuwe trekpleisters kry. Skep 'n kompetisie by skole vir die mooiste stamboom (dit kan gekombineer word met kuns).

Wanneer ek met jong mense gesels oor genealogie, is die helfte verstom omdat hulle nog nooit daarvan gehoor het of besef het hoe interessant dit werklik is nie, die ander helfte dink ek is verkramp en oudmodies!

André du Plessis, Centurion: Voorstelle dat ek R10 per maand moet bydra en ek gaan gedagvaar word vir kopiereg skendings en plagiaat, maak dit nou vir my en ander nie meer 'n plesier om deel te wees van hierdie "eksklusiewe" groep nie. Waarvoor het ek skenkings gemaak van foto’s en ander inligting aan eGGSA en ander persone sonder om aan te dring op erkenning of "verering"?

As enige professionele persoon sy geld wil verdien deur sy professie, het ek nie 'n probleem daarmee nie. En as hy sy inligting wil publiseer is dit sy reg. Nou wat verwag julle van die amateurs soos jongmense en skoolkinders? Om 'n professionele genealoog te betaal vir die amateur se stamboom wat hy of sy by die skool wil gaan wys? Of die kind kan dit van die internet aftrek en gedagvaar word vir kopiereg.

Annelie Els: Iewers het ek ‘n brokkie geskiedenis opgespoor wat hulle belangstelling prikkel.

Nou word ek deur die familie gevra om asseblief navorsing te doen omdat hulle hul “ancestoral passport” wil bekom. Dan het ons nou die lekker geleentheid om mooi vir hulle uit te lê waar
hulle vandaan kom. Hoop dat dit vir hulle `n anker gaan wees daar in die vreemde

Daniël Jacobs: Ek het so 'n paar jaar gelede vir 'n klompie lede van die Voortrekker- jeugbeweging wat besig was met 'n genealogie-taak gevra wat -- gemeet op 'n skaal van 1-10 - hulle belangstelling in geskiedenis is. Een outjie het gesê 2, 'n ander 9 ens. Toe vra ek vir hulle wat hulle belangstelling sou wees as ek vir hulle sou kon bewys dat een van hulle voorouers aan die Groot Trek deelgeneem het. Die seun wat gesê het sy belangstelling was 2 het gesê dit sou dan op 'n 4/5 lê (ek kan nie presies onthou nie).

'n Uur later nadat ek vir hulle gewys het op my seun Stefan - wat ook 'n lid was van die Voortrekkerspan - se voorouers se verbintenis met die Groot Trek en ek dieselfde vraag weer vra het die betrokke seun gesê sy belanstelling lê op iets soos 6 (dit kon meer as 6 gewees het, maar was nie minder nie).

Dit is een van die belangrikste sleutels om vir kinders 'n belangstelling in geskiedenis te gee -- wys vir hulle hoe hulle eie vlees en bloed -- en hulle voorouers se naby familie -- daaraan deelgeneem het. Ek het later dieselfde "eksperiment" met nog 'n klompie Voortrekkers gedoen en soortgelyke resultate verkry.

Daan Hamman: Daar was in die verlede al verskeie inisiatiewe om jongmense te betrek, skole is besoek en gevra om genealogieprojekte te begin, die Voortrekkers en Boy Scouts is besoek en gevra of hulle nie 'n kenteken vir genealogie-projekte wil oorweeg nie, landboutydskrifte het kort genealogie artikels ingesluit waar boere versoek is om self en saam met hulle kinders begraafplase op hulle plaas en/of naburige plase te besoek en die grafsteenskrifte aan die GGSA te stuur. Van hierdie inisiatiewe het weinig gekom, Adélle is moontlik reg dat ons bemarking nie goed was nie.

Jong mense het vandag baie aktiwiteite waaraan hulle deelneem en die belangstelling in genealogie kom eers later.

ENIGE VOORSTELLE? STUUR 'N EPOS AAN ONS.
KLIK HIER/CLICK HERE

MONTHLY MEETING: 19 APRIL 2008

Date: Saturday, 19 April 2008.

Time: 14:00 to 16:00.

Venue: Dutch Reformed Church (Ontdekkerskruin),
Phillips Avenue, Discovery, Roodepoort. (Map below.)

Topic: The use of the terms "Baptism" and "Christening" in English Genealogy.

Presenter: John Stephens (left).

John will explain the difference as used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). The use is not confined to this church only. Other English churches also apply these differences, whereas in Afrikaans churches both terms are referred to as "doop".

Short CV: John's family history studies include the Stephens and Campher families. He is a retired Organisation and Methods Practitioner. Besides his family research he restores old and antique furniture. He is the secretary of the West Gauteng Branch of the Genealogical Society of SA.

Entrance: R5 per person for refreshments.

CLICK ON THE MAP TO ENLARGE IT.

(Source: Mail and Guardian Online.)

10 TOP GENEALOGY RESOLUTIONS

By Kimberly Powell, About.com: Genealogy

No more excuses!Almost all of us can admit to getting wrapped up in the hunt for ancestors and letting other important things slide (and I am not talking about the laundry). Most of us have notes piled on the floor, shoe boxes full of unlabeled photos, classes we have planned to take, relatives we have been meaning to interview and other researchers we have been intending to contact.

If you're like me and want to take your genealogy research to the next level, choose a goal (or two or three) from this genealogy "To Do" list and get started. Let's make this the year that we finally get organized and really work on improving our genealogical or family history research skills.

1. Interview a Relative

One thing many of us postpone until it is too late is talking to our own family members about our shared heritage. Now is the time to get in touch with those relatives you’ve been meaning to contact. If you are fortunate enough to have older members in the family, approach them first. Some of them may have information about the family that can’t be found elsewhere. If you have already spoken to your parents and grandparents, then extend your research net to include extended family such as brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins.

2. Take a Class or Learn a New Research Skill

Whether you are a novice or have been researching your family for over 20 years, there is always something new to learn. Get out of your research rut by taking a genealogy class, attending a conference, reading a new genealogy book or learning about a new research skill online. Maybe you have been intimidated by land or probate records, or have been meaning to tackle your ancestors from Germany. During the next year, make it a point to read and educate yourself about at least one new research technique and then use it to find out something new about your ancestors. There are hundreds of free resources for learning right on the Internet

3. Get Organized

This is the goal most genealogists dread, but which could make our research time so much more effective. Take some time away from your research and organize those genealogy files, clean out your bookmarks and input your scribbled notes into your genealogy program. If you are overwhelmed by the accumulation of family history records and notes that you have stuffed in boxes and drawers, then set aside a regular time each week for organizing a little at a time. Take heart - you will most likely find all sorts of new clues as you sort out the records you have already found and add the data and notes to your genealogy program.

4. Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow ...

Sometimes it seems as if everything else gets in the way of quality genealogy research time. You use a calendar to schedule other important activities, why not genealogy? Whether you use a standard paper calendar or an online version, make it a point to set aside time for personal genealogy research or schedule special events such as genealogy conferences or research trips. Setting aside time for genealogy is only the first step, however. To really make the most of your precious genealogy time, you also need to take time to plan ahead and prioritize your research.

5. Label and Store Your Family Photos

Most of us have piles of precious family photographs sitting in piles or boxes waiting to be labeled, organized, put into scrapbooks, digitized, etc. Don't let another year go by with those photos fading both from light and from people's memories. Get together with relatives and identify as many people as you can and label those pictures. Be sure to use a photo-safe marking pencil or pen! If you have access to a scanner then consider digitizing the photos onto CD-ROM to preserve them indefinitely. Even if you don't have time to create scrapbooks and really get the photos organized right now, make sure you get them out of old envelopes and shoeboxes and into archival quality plastic sleeves or acid-free photo boxes before they are lost forever. Make copies of important photographs and other important documents and share them with another family member. The recipient will no doubt enjoy the gift, and a second copy will help to ensure that these precious photos will not be lost forever in the event of an unforeseen disaster.

6. Two Heads are Better Than One

One of the best ways to further your research is to join forces with other people researching the same surname or in the same area. Join a genealogical or historical society in an area in which you are researching a primary family line and then get involved in some way. You will meet fellow researchers, benefit from members with years of experience with the records and history of the area and have many opportunities to help others by working to preserve historical and genealogical documents, recording cemetery transcriptions and more. If you spend a lot of time online, then join a mailing list for your surname or area or participate in chats and/or forums with other genealogists with similar interests. I belong to several informal groups of researchers who work closely to piece together information on a particular family - all groups of people

7. Keep Track of Correspondence

How many times have you left a question in a genealogy forum and then forgot to go back and check for an answer? How do you find the person you corresponded with last year about your Smith family again now that you have new information to share? Most of us have address books to keep important phone numbers and contact info for family and friends, so why not use it for genealogy contacts? Make sure to add a note to yourself about the person's surnames and research locations! There are also a wide variety of free correspondence records and forms available online which can provide you with a framework for logging your correspondence. Then at a glance you can determine whether you have written to a specific person or place, whether you received a response, whether you need to follow up and the results of your inquiry.

8. More Than Names & Dates

Sometimes in the rush to get our lines as far back as we can we forget to take the time to learn more about the people our ancestors were and the times they lived in. Take time this year to record family stories, either electronically or on paper before this oral history is lost forever. Go out and find at least one additional record on each of your direct ancestors, choosing a record which will hopefully tell you more about them than you already know. Census records include interesting information such as your ancestors' occupation, education level and property value. Wills and probate records can provide you with all sorts of fascinating information including debts, friends and even the bed covers and pots and pans your ancestors owned.

9. Put Your Research To Good Use

The biggest thrill for me in researching my family's history is in sharing the things I find with others. Your family members may be more interested that you realize and would probably love to receive copies of old family photos, printouts of the research you have done or a book of the collected memories and stories of your relatives. It doesn't need to be professional and it doesn't even need to be complete (when is your genealogy research ever complete?). Even a quick email every now and then to update people on new findings will be very much appreciated and may even spark new findings and memories.

10. Volunteer to Help Others

Think back to when you were a beginning genealogist and how difficult it was for you to learn proper research methodology and documentation techniques. Remember also all of the help and expert advice you probably received from other genealogists as you were learning the ropes. Look at this new year as the perfect time to return the favor. Many libraries, including Family History Centers, welcome volunteers to help newcomers in their genealogy departments. There are a lot of online sites where you can volunteer your time to look up records or take photos of tombstones for researchers who can't make the trip to do it themselves. You can also help answer questions by joining a mailing list geared toward "newbies" or by answering questions in forums or chats. No matter how you decide to help, you will be rewarded with that warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from helping others. By introducing newcomers to the kindness which is inherent in most members of the genealogy community, you will be encouraging them, in turn, to become involved. As the popularity of genealogy grows, so will the records made available to us, either online or through preservation initiatives in libraries and archives. Therefore, the help you give to each individual researcher also helps us all.

A Difference of Opinion

A little girl asked her father, ‘How did the human race appear?’

The father answered, ‘God made Adam and Eve and they had children and so was all mankind made.’

Two days later the girl asked her mother the same question.
The mother answered, ‘Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved.’

The confused girl returned to her father and said, ‘Dad, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Mom said they developed from monkeys?’

The father answered, ‘Well, dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your mother told you about hers.

SA GESLAGREGISTERS (Wam -Wy) BESKIKBAAR

GISA maak hiermee bekend dat Volume 16 (Wam-Wy) van die Suid-Afrikaanse Geslagregisters so pas verskyn het. Dit kan bestel word by:

GISA, Posbus 3033, Matieland, 7602

Tel: 021-887 5070 Faks: 021-887 5031

of per e-pos by Elbie Endemann (Bestellings): orders@sun.ac.za

Die prys van die boek is R360 plus R50 (vir posgeld, versekering en verpakking), totaal R410. Vir buitelandse bestellings is die posgeld op aanvraag. Volumes 1-15 is ook beskikbaar teen R360 elk; posgeld kwotasie op aanvraag.

Tjeks uitgemaak aan ‘GISA’, of direkte inbetalings in GISA se rekening kan gedoen word : ABSA Bank Stellenbosch, Takkode: 33 44 10, Spaarrekening nr.: 9090 7597 85, Deposito Verwysing: U naam (dit is belangrik om u betaling op ons bankstaat te identifiseer). Faks bewys van betaling, met u bestelling en posadres, aan GISA of stuur per e-pos aan Elbie Endemann. Laat 6 weke toe vir aflewering gedurende spitstye net na ‘n publikasie.

Navorsers word gevra om asseblief hul bydraes t.o.v. alle vanne wat uitgelaat was in vorige volumes, voor einde Mei 2008 te stuur aan GISA by: Posbus 3033, Matieland, 7602 of e-pos aan: gisa@sun.ac.za om vir insluiting in volume 17 (X-Z & Add.) in aanmerking geneem te word. Geen bydraes daarna sal in aanmerking kom nie, maar laat bydraes sal nietemin op lêer gehou word vir insluiting in 'n heruitgawe op 'n later stadium. Let wel dat omvangryke vanne en vanne wat reeds gepubliseer is, net tot om en by 1900 opgeneem word.

NB laat weet as u e–posadres verander. Stuur u naam en huidige plus nuwe e-posadres.

Leon Endemann, GISA

April 2008

__________________

GISA is happy to announce that Volume 16 (Wam-Wy) of the South African Genealogies, is now available and can be ordered from:

GISA, P O Box 3033, Matieland, 7602

Tel: 021-887 5070 Fax: 021-887 5031

or by e-mail from Elbie Endemann (Orders): orders@sun.ac.za

The price of the book is R360 plus R50 (postage, insurance and packing), totalling R410. Postage on request for overseas orders. Volumes 1-15 are also available at R360 each; postage quote on request.

Cheques to be made out to ‘GISA’, or direct deposits can be made into GISA’s account : ABSA Bank Stellenbosch, Branch Code: 33 44 10, Savings Account no.: 9090 7597 85, Deposit Reference: Your name (this is important to identify your payment on our bank statement). Fax proof of payment, with your order and postal address, to GISA or send by e-mail to Elbie Endemann. Allow 6 weeks for delivery during peak times just after a publication.

Researchers are kindly requested to please submit their contributions for all surnames that were omitted in previous volumes to be considered for inclusion in Volume 17 (X-Z & Add.) to GISA at: P O Box 3033, Matieland, 7602 or e-mail to: gisa@sun.ac.za. These contributions must be in before the end of May 2008. Late contributions will be kept on file for inclusion in a reprint at a later stage. Please note that information on extensive families and those that have already been published will only be included up to more or less 1900.

NB let us know if your e-mail address has changed. Send your name and current plus new e-mail address.

Leon Endemann, GISA

April 2008

GENEALOGY FOR CHILDREN

“My interest started too late. By then most of the people I could gather information from had already passed away.”
_______________________

“If only I could speak to my grandfather/-mother today.”
_______________________

“When I asked them for photographs, they said they had thrown them all away, because they
thought it was of no use to anybody anymore.”
_______________________

How often do we hear these word?

Besides the foregoing, family registers are currently part of the social sciences school curriculum in South Africa.

In view of the above, the following was taken from ABOUT.COM. It was written by Kimberly Powell, a professional American genealogist.

While genealogists find family history fascinating, most children just don't see it the same way. What's the point in learning about people who are already dead? It is possible, however, to involve children in your favourite pastime -- they'll likely even find it interesting despite their best efforts to appear bored.

Almost all children like to play detective -- to look for clues and sift through information for answers. This fascina-tion with detective work provides the perfect vehicle to introduce the children in your life to something unique and personal -- their ances-try -- with the child playing the leading role of Ancestor Detector! Whether introduced at home or in the classroom, genealogy is a wonderful hobby for all age groups, including children, and provides an opportunity to:

• develop a stronger sense of family;
• bridge the gap between generations;
• share special time with your loved ones;
• make history come alive;
• encourage organizational, planning, com-munication, logic, problem solving, and presentation skills and
• create an opportunity for lifelong learning.

The genealogical treasure hunt is a search for something more precious than gold or jewels --information that reveals something about your family.

It can be in the form of a document such as a will, a picture of a long-dead ancestor, or a doll that a little girl played with a century ago. Children can have so much fun playing detective that they won't even realise that they are learning along the way. They are stubborn by nature and will find it especially rewarding to uncover pieces of their past that relatives might have said were lost forever. Ask your children or grandchildren to help you unravel the mystery of your family history, and you will be starting them on the journey of a lifetime.

___________________________

Maureen A. Taylor, a contributing editor to Family Tree Magazine and author of "Preserving Your Family Photographs", says:

“Why don't more genealogical societies offer special memberships and programming for children? By educating a younger generation about family history you not only encourage them to become adult members but reach out to their parents as well. The Boy Scouts have a genealogy badge, but once those boys start researching their history, where else can they go? Someday, a genealogical organisation will see that their future is with the children. After all, not only are they potential members, but donors as well.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

This blog of the West Gauteng Branch of the GSSA is one year old today.

Up to now exactly 100 reports/articles were published.

More exciting is that we've had more than 5 600 visitors to our blog since 1 April 2007. On average there were 133 visitors per week. One quarter of these visited the blog for a second time or more in the same week. Approximately half of the visitors were serious visitors. The other half accessed us by accident while "surfing" on the internet.

We had visitors from all five continents. It totalled no less than 54 countries. We have regular visitors from a number of them.

"So what do all these statistics really mean?" you may ask. It is exposure -- exposure to our blog and exposure to genealogy.

• As a birthday present all reports were indexed.
  

It appears on the left in the sidebar.

This index will make it possible to easiliy trace reports that were published.

BRANCH COMMITTEE, 2008/2009

The AGM held on 15 March 2008 is behind us. In the process we had to say goodbye to two members of the committee, namely:

• Our vice-chairman, Japie Bosch, and
  
• Our long-serving custodian of the library, Louise Dick.
  

The society is grateful for the service these two individuals gave to the branch and its committee. We wish them well.

The names of committee for 2008/2009 appears in the left sidebar.

Bob Saunders (left) have been elected as vice-chairman.

Japie (although no longer a resident member of our branch) will still be active as he will continue to administer and edit our blog.

We have the pleasure to welcome aboard two new committee members to assist in the guidance of the branch. They are:

• Graham Southey to take over the task of librarian and
• Dereck Rubidge who joins as the additional member.

We are extremely grateful to them for accepting nomination, and look forward to their input.

A committee meeting will be convened within three weeks to plan the year ahead. We will advise you in due course what the programme is likely to be. -- Bob Saunders.