Acclaimed writer’s birthday to be celebrated in a drive-by fashion
The author of Those Miraculous Sunflower Seeds, Katja Kowalec, turns 96 on July 31.
Kowalec is a Second World War survivor, and also (as her book relates) a cancer survivor.
She suffered the heartbreak of the loss of her only child, and many of her closest friends and relatives in Europe who did not reach her age.
The drive-by to celebrate her birthday this year aims to ensure that she knows she is still loved and remembered by her Lowveld friends.
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“Due to the current lockdown regulations, her age and the advanced state of the Covid-19 pandemic, this is the best we can do under the circumstances,” said Sharon Cronjé, Kowalec’s publicist.
The planned drive-by past her house at 11 Kelkiewyn Street, West Acres (off Percy Fitzpatrick Drive) is set to take place at 14:00 on Saturday August 1.
“The aim of this occasion is to acknowledge her on her birthday, as after 90 years of age, every year counts! As she told us that she was born at midnight on July 31, August 1 is also meaningful to her.
“During this time of isolation, Kowalec will hopefully feel blessed to see her friends, even if only for a brief wave, as we want her to feel she has not been forgotten and we still appreciate her being with us,” Cronjé said.
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