Over a century of memories
Helen More sits merrily next to a big birthday cake with the three candles on top shaped like a 1, a 0, and a 2. Helen has lived for more than a century and has so many memories of Witbank where she has lived her entire life.
In the Moths Cottages “Comrades Corner” the residents and friends gather for the occasion Helen’s sister Dot Mostert who is 91 walks around greeting the guests and making sure everything is prepared.
Since their childhood when Helen looked after Dot as a baby the two sisters have been very close. Today Dot who lives in Eden Park travels to the Moth Cottages every week to see to Helens needs just as Helen saw to her needs so many years ago.
Helen was born in Middelburg in 1912 but she and her family moved to Witbank in about 1920.
Seeing our city as it was in a different time is something we would all like to experience if we could. A small town a fraction of the size it is now. Helen attended Robert Carruthers School when Mr Carruthers himself was still the headmaster. The school was situated across the road from where the municipal buildings stand today. Dot describes the town in great detail from the ox-wagons travelling down main Street and town hall situated near the railway line at the bottom of town.
As they recall their early years not all the memories as good. Their father dead in World War 1 and like so many that lived through it they were Grimm times. “We don’t realise how the Great War affected people,” said Dot.
Although it is very too late to make new memories as everyone near and dear to Helen and Dot attended her birthday. The DA councillors of whom one is their nephew attended the day as well as the Minister from the Methodist said a few words from the book of 1 Corinthians.
The body wastes away but the believer is renewed daily. A birthday is a time to reflect on life past present and future, for Helen there are many years behind her but hopefully many years ahead as well.
