The festive season often brings memories of old friendships and childhood moments. For 75-year-old Andrew Wassenaar, born and raised in Springs and now living in Cape Town, it has sparked a search for his childhood friend, Boet.

Wassenaar told the Springs Advertiser that Boet was a nickname, inspired by Wassenaar’s older brother, but he never knew his friend’s real name.

He grew up attending Largo School and lived between Largo and Viskuil. He had wanted to attend Bongane Primary Farm School because all his friends went there, but racial policies of the time prevented him.

After his parents’ divorce, he moved to Geduld, losing contact with Boet and his family. He fondly recalls bird hunting with Boet, cooking their catch, and sharing meals of pap provided by Boet’s mother.

“I remember as a child, I was always hungry because in that area the white people were not rich, and I grew up in an abusive household. My father was an alcoholic.

“My brother and I were the only white children among black children, and we would play together after school,” Wassenaar said.

He described life as both hard and amazing, noting that the black families in the area treated him and his brother like their own children.

Wassenaar hopes to meet Boet again to thank him for his friendship during the apartheid era and his family struggles, and to finally learn his real name. He also wants to reconnect with other childhood friends from the area.

“When I meet Boet again, I would give him the biggest hug and kisses and share a childhood meal of pap and bird meat. Even if he is no longer with us, I would like to meet his children and family and tell them what a beautiful person he was,” he said.

He concluded by saying he wishes to be buried in the area where he grew up, as that is where he had the happiest years of his life.

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