North high school perfect ‘matchmaker’ for Pretoria family
‘It was never expected that [our son] might follow in his sisters’ footsteps and marry a Hoërskool Overkruin-alumnus. I mean, what were the chances?’
Imagine marrying your high school sweetheart.
Now imagine sending your children to the same school where you met and each of them marrying someone from that very same school!
Well, that is the story that At (59) and Beatrice (58) van Dyk are telling after their son, Hanno, got married this past Saturday.
At and Beatrice, as well as their three daughters, Alicia, Elizma and Andri, and now Hanno, all have spouses who went to Hoërskool Overkruin.
In fact, At was one of the first pupils to attend the school in 1974.
“I have been living on this side of Pretoria since 1966,” he said.
“We live about one kilometre from Hoërskool Overkruin.
“So when the school opened in 74, I was one of the first to attend standard six (grade 8) there.”
It was there that At met Beatrice who started attending the school in 1976.
“Because we never moved away from the area, our children ended up going to Hoërskool Overkruin as well.”
All three daughters would go on to marry husbands they met at Overkruin.
“Alicia and Elizma married Cassie Steenkamp and Neels Kriel while the youngest daughter Andri married Jandré Holliday,” At said.
“All three men played rugby for the school’s first team, going on to win the much-loved Beeld trophy. Nollis Marais, now with the Blue Bulls, was their coach.”
For 28-year-old Hanno, the story didn’t end quite so quickly.
“After Hanno matriculated, he left for Stellenbosch and later became part of the ‘global challenge’ outreach programme.
“He spent some time studying in Sydney, Australia, before moving to and working in, among other places, Jeffreys Bay, Somerset West and Nelspruit.
“It was never expected that he might follow in his sisters’ footsteps and marry a Hoërskool Overkruin-alumnus. I mean, what were the chances?”
When Hanno returned to Pretoria to study teaching long-distance he became part of a local church ‘cell group’.
“He was invited to join by a man who introduced Hanno to his sister, Jayneke van der Merwe,” said At.
“The two fell in love and who would have imagined – she also attended Hoërskool Overkruin!”
The two were due to be married in April but because of the lockdown the ceremony had to be postponed.
“We ended up having an intimate 50-guest wedding at a small lodge in Kameeldrift near the Roodeplaat Dam.
“All the necessary Covid-19 precautions were taken and observed.”
With Hanno and Jayneke married, all six members of the Van Dyk family can now say they married an ex-pupil from Hoërskool Overkruin.
And given that there are already six grandchildren, the cycle might not end there.
But, as At explains, it is still far too early to tell.
ALSO READ: Youth agricultural project launched in the north
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
