April was die maand waarin ons die vryheid van alle Suid Afrikaners herdenk het. Dit was die maand waarin ons kollektief ons komvandaan onthou en opnuut uitgedaag word om nooit weer die euwels van die verlede te herhaal nie. En al lyk dinge in di\u00e9 mooi land van ons nie so rooskleurig soos wat ons gehoop het nie, is daar steeds miljoene Suid-Afrikaners wat hoopvol bly dat die gety sal swaai in die guns van hulle wat destyds aan die ontvangkant van \u2019n brutale stelsel genaamd Apartheid gely het. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uit die pynhope van die verlede is daar darem ook die sigbare bakens wat ons herinner aan ons pynlike verlede, maar terselfdertyd ook laat moed skep in die toekoms. Ek bevind my op \u2019n sonnige Maandagoggend in \u2019n klein museum langs die hoofstraat van Riebeek Kasteel. Ek wou nog altyd \u2019n besoek aan hierdie museum bring net om te sien wat alles daar uitgestal word. Die vrou by die ontvangsportaal is heel vriendelik. Ek wil haar nie veel moeite gee nie en verduidelik ek sal sommer self regkom en wil maar net \u2019n bietjie rondloer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die museum neem jou terug na die vroe\u00eb ontstaan van Riebeek-Kasteel. Daar is iets wat lyk soos \u2019n ossewa saam met hordes ander goed wat op die oog af lyk asof dit uit die 1800\u2019s dateer. Ek stap verder aan na die volgende vertrek en dis hier waar my oog \u2019n interessante nuwe toevoeging tot die museum vang. Dit word die Oukloof-saal genoem. Met nadere ondersoek (rondlees) in die kamer kom ek agter dat die visie vir die insluiting van die Oukloof-kamer daarop gemik was\/is om Riebeek Kasteel se geskiedenis in sy totaliteit aan die besoeker of toeris bekend te stel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dan vang my oog die skaalmodel van die destydse Oukloof-woongebied. In die Apartheidsjare was Oukloof vir die sogenaamde Kleurling-gemeenskap gereserveer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die spesifieke gebied was egter destyds, soos in die geval van soveel ander dorpe, aan die \u201cverkeerde\u201d kant van die dorp gele\u00eb en die inwoners moes noodgedwonge deur die owerhede van die dag verskuif word. Ek wil dadelik uitvind wie verantwoordelik is vir die skep van die skaalmodel van die destydse Oukloof in Riebeek-Kasteel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andries Sarel Koopman (77) is die naam wat na vore kom. Ek besluit dadelik om \u2019n afspraak te maak met Oom Andries, ook bekend as priester Koopman in die gemeenskap van Esterhof, Riebeek-Kasteel. Ek staan vir \u2019n paar minute eers die skaalmodel en aanskou. Voor my pronk \u2019n stukkie van die plaaslike geskiedenis wat sonder twyfel verlore sou wees as dit nie vir hierdie model was nie. Dit vind ek uit in my gesprekke by die museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volgens die personeel is die model die enigste bewys dat Oukloof wel in Riebeek-Kasteel bestaan het. Die model vertel \u2019n storie van netjiese huise gebou uit kleisteen en netjiese sinkdakke wat die huise mooi afgerond het. Die strate word presies aangedui en die kerkie in Oukloof was ook \u2019n prominente baken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My afspraak met Oom Andries breek uiteindelik aan. Ek het soveel vrae oor sy besonderse stukkie handewerk wat daar in die museum pronk. Op die dag van ons afspraak word ek hartlik ontvang. Voor my sien ek iemand wat vir jare al die respek van sy tuisgemeenskap geniet. Hy is steeds as priester by die Ou Apostoliese Kerk betrokke. Ons het \u2019n rapsie meer as \u2019n uur om die onderhoud te doen, want skuins voor sewe daag die gemeentelede op vir hul weeklikse koor-oefensessie. Ek wil meer te wete kom van Oom Andries se grootwordjare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hy vertel: \u201cEk het as kind in Oukloof gebly. Toe ek destyds in Sub-B was, het ons na Riebeek-Wes verhuis. Ek kon egter baie goed waarneem en kon letterlik alles onthou wat daar in Oukloof was \u2013 die huise, die strate, die kerk en al die ander dinge wat ons as gemeenskap saamgebind het. Ek het in \u2019n respekvolle ouerhuis grootgeword en die waardes wat ek in my ouerhuis aangeleer het, is vandag nog deel van my. Respek vir ouer mense is \u2019n waarde wat my baie na aan die hart l\u00ea.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
N\u00e1 skool het oom Dries hom as \u2019n algemene bouwerker bekwaam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo \u2019n paar jare gelede het Roger Roman hard daaraan gewerk om inisiatiewe van stapel te stuur wat tot voordeel van die hele gemeenskap van Riebeek-Kasteel sou strek. Hy was bewus van die Oukloof-storie, maar wou graag \u2019n idee kry van hoe Oukloof destyds gelyk het. \u201cEk het toe ingestem om \u2019n model te bou van hoe dit destyds gelyk het. Die skaalmodel is daardie jaar op versoeningsdag (16 Desember) aan die bre\u00eb gemeenskap bekend gestel. Dit was \u2019n wonderlike gebeurtenis. Almal kon vir die eerste keer sien hoe die destydse Ou Kloof gelyk het. Dit was vir my \u2019n groot eer en voorreg om hierdie projek suksesvol aan te pak. Daar is nog so baie detail wat ek by die model wou voeg, maar tyd was ongelukkig nie aan my kant nie. Ten minste het ons nou iets tasbaar om vir die huidige en die volgende geslagte wys. Dis belangrik dat ons kinders die storie van hul komvandaan moet ken en verstaan. Daardie storie moet ook aan al die komende geslagte oorgedra word.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek beaam, want voor ons onderhoud het ek hierdie skaalmodel onder o\u00eb gehad. Wie sou kon dink dat iemand in sy laat sewentigerjare met so \u2019n kosbare stuk handewerk vorendag sou kom. En om dit bloot op herinnering en skitterende waarnemingsvermo\u00eb te kon doen, spreek boekdele van s\u00f3 iemand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oom Dries vertel hy was as kind al baie lief vir kuns. Dit was \u2019n vak wat op laerskool aangebied is en hy het dit vreeslik baie geniet. Dis hierdie inherente liefde om iets uit niks te skep wat hom ge\u00efnspireer het om die Oukloof-skaalmodelprojek aan te pak. Hy is vir seker baie trots op hierdie handewerk van hom. Die model is die eerste keer by die Laerskool Meiring aan die publiek ten toon gestel. Sy vrou, Hannie (73), en sy twee dogters, Ronelle en Jo-Ann, is vir hom \u2019n groot bron van inspirasie. Hy het sy seun, Conley, twee jaar gelede aan die dood afgestaan. As \u2019n toegewyde en lojale gesinsman is dit vir hom belangrik om \u2019n goeie voorbeeld vir sy gesin en die gemeenskap te wees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oom Dries Koopman het reggekry wat min of geen ander mens dalk op sy ouderdom sou kon regkry nie. Hy het vir die kinders van Riebeek-Kasteel \u2019n kosbare stukkie geskiedenis geskep wat vir altyd deur die volgende geslagte onthou sal word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oom Dries se handewerk in die vorm van die Oukloofskaalmodel sal verseker dat daardie deel van die geskiedenis van Riebeek-Kasteel nie verlore sal raak nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ons salueer oom Dries vir sy merkwaardige bydrae tot die skep en bewaring van \u2019n stuk geskiedenis (deur middel van die Oukloof-skaalmodel) wat dalk nooit sou gewees het nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sy handewerk sal vir altyd \u2019n teken wees dat die verlede nie net bloot uit die geheue van die mens weggevee kan word nie. Meer nog sal Oom Dries se handewerk ons aanspoor om geregtigheid te laat se\u00ebvier in die nou en in die toekoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n .<\/span> Andr\u00e9 Smith is \u2019n inwoner van Riebeek-Kasteel en \u2019n vryskut-rubriekskrywer vir Media24 se plaaslike koerante<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" April was die maand waarin ons die vryheid van alle Suid Afrikaners herdenk het. Dit was die maand waarin ons kollektief ons komvandaan onthou en opnuut uitgedaag word om nooit weer die euwels van die verlede te herhaal nie. En al lyk dinge in di\u00e9 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