Elizabeth Anderson celebrated the 100th anniversary of her birth in style in the Paarl Town Hall this past Sunday. Family and friends were entertained to a lavish lunch in the company of Mayor Conrad Poole.
Present with her two sons, Herby and Cyril, was daughter Iris Hommel and her son Bradley and granddaughter Sidney, all the way from Toronto, Canada. Grandchildren who also went the extra mile were New Zealanders Wade Anderson, together with his sister Cindy Williams and her husband and two daughters. Also present was a contingent of family members from Namibia.
Aunty Bessie, as she is affectionately known, was born in School Street, Noorder Paarl on 18 February 1924 into the well-known Cupido family. She was the eldest of seven sisters and four brothers, with only the two youngest sisters surviving her.
She started her schooling career at the old St Stephen’s Primary School under principal Mr Sampson (grandfather of the well-known Rev Courtney Sampson).
Aunty Bessie has seen many ministers come and go, as she is the oldest member of St Stephen’s Anglican church in New Orleans, only a stone’s throw away from her residence.
She relocated to New Orleans in 1971, after the forced removals through the Group Areas Act, saddened to leave the area where she was born and raised.
She was married for 40 years to her husband, Hennie, before his passing in 1985. In addition to her three children, she has been blessed with five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, with the first great-great grandchild due within the next few weeks.
She was a keen member of the Premier Hockey Club in her younger days and is, to this day, an enthusiastic sports follower, particularly rugby and cricket. If you want trouble from Aunty Bessie you only have to say something uncomplimentary about Bobby Skinstad. Her favourite cricketer has always been Herschelle Gibbs.
Although mostly wheelchair-bound, Aunty Bessie is in good health with an exceptional memory.
We wish her God’s richest Blessings and good health in the years ahead.
