Shannon van Rooyen from Standerton has travelled far and wide

Shannon van Rooyen (Critten) from Standerton has returned four times to town after sojourns elsewhere.

She married Roy after her husband, Andy Critten passed away in town in 2011.

“It was a double tragedy as my brother, Glynne Taylor also died the same day,” she remembered.

This credit controller at Goldi left town and returned under different sets of circumstances.

Her story unfolded in such a way that the seatbelt had to stay fastened.

The Crittens, being Bushveld-people, lived in Nelspruit for 18 months in a caravan park.

“Oh my goodness, did we see the other side of life, it was a complete eye-opener.

“The people were lovely, but our lifestyle was contrary to theirs.”

Vredenburg in the Cape was the next stop after Andy re-joined the army.

Tragedy struck again when his father passed away and his mother had a triple-bypass within a month.

“We could not afford to give our children a college or university education on an army-salary,” Shannon said.

With free education in the UK and the necessity of being closer to his ailing mother, the family moved to England.

Their son Robert, was quite unhappy about the move, being a year away from matric and the daughters, Deirdré and Sherrie were teenagers.

Farmborough, home of British aviation, was to be their new home.

“You make the decision, but you are outnumbered,” she told her husband.

“We then just bought in to the move.”

They lived on a council estate where circumstances were worse than the Nelspruit-experience.

Both the Critters secured employment at a multi-national company, head quarters in Switzerland,

Andy’s heart attack in 2005 and the fitting of a stent made them return to South Africa.

Shannon once again had to decide whether she would accompany him, with the children opting to stay, and Andy determined on coming back.

Andy, being a qualified auto-electrician, worked at Maureen and Tim Taylor’s business once back in Standerton.

The Crittens moved again when an opportunity at a family business in Tzaneen beckoned.

“Heavens opened up as we were only a hour and a bit away from the Phalaborwa-gate of the Kruger National Park.”

Their stint lasted for two years.

Shannon met her new husband, Roy through a mutual friend and they tied the knot after only two months.

She knits, crochets, bakes, with ‘beskuit’ listed as one of her projects and has two dogs, Lola and Hawkeye.

Shannon has also seen some of Europe although the Bay of Biscay proved a seasickness experience, before the pills kicked in.

She also visited Side in Turkey with her friend Jane, who now lives in Spain and swam in the Mediterranean waters.

“God is still so good and gracious,” the grandmother of three said during the interview.