Sentimental journey for Dutch visitors
His loved ones have brought the ashes of a local musician, the late Armin Moller, to Margate.
WHEN Marian Hoppenbrouwer met former Margate musician Armin Moller through an internet dating service when he had returned to Holland there was an instant connection.
It took them just four weeks to know they were meant to be together forever.
Theirs was one of those ‘happy ever after’ love stories but, sadly. their ‘ever after’ was not destined to be long. In fact it was only a short 10 months before Armin died, in May last year, after a sudden illness.
The 10 months they were together, however, were thrilling and action-packed. One of the many interests the couple shared was foreign travel and during the time Marian and Armin were together they wandered all over the world, visiting 20 different countries.
Armin’s ‘Out of Africa’ connections were among the attributes that caught her eye when Marian was reviewing likely candidates forwarded to her by the internet dating service. She loved to hear him talk about Africa and the time he spent as a musician in Margate. He originally came to South Africa to visit Dutch friends who owned an alternate music venue in Margate and he stayed on to become a popular resident and a well-regarded member of the local music scene.
During his stay in Margate he played for two of the South Coast’s top bands, ‘Free Zone’ and ‘Chewing the Hornet’. In fact, he was a member of ‘Free Zone’ when it won a prestigious Battle of the Bands competition in Durban. Local musicians remember Armin as an extremely talented guitarist. His spell in Margate was a very happy time and he always looked forward to returning there with Marian.
The couple also had big plans to travel through Africa together as part of their worldwide wanderings. Sadly it was not to be. They ran out of time together before they could get there. However, a grieving Marian decided to go to Africa on her own as a tribute to the man she loved. First she used the internet to track down Armin’s daughter, Larissa Jean, an events manager who, it turned out, lives just a short 10-minutes away from her home.
Although they hadn’t met before, Larissa and Marian were soon firm friends. They decided they would go to Africa together to take Armin’s ashes back to Margate. And that is just what they did. They flew to Durban, where they spent some time sightseeing and visiting Tala Game Reserve, before heading south to Margate where they were welcomed by Armin’s many fellow musicians and friends.
Meeting them all has been a heartwarming experience for both of them and soon they were thoroughly enjoying their Margate visit. There have been some sad times and they have shed a few tears, but there has also been plenty of laughter. Throughout their adventures they are both aware of Armin’s presence and they know he would be happy about their visit to a town he once loved.
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