The Kriel Family

This is an extract from Will Kriel’s interview:

“My father worked on the farms before moving into the building trade. My mother died when I was four years old and my father never remarried while we lived in Oukloof. He taught me how to play the guitar and on Saturday evenings when everybody came together, I played guitar and they sang.

My father built our house next to the sloot (canal). His sister lived across the sloot (canal) and we lived between Oom Sarel and Oom Piet Ceaser. We only had one bedroom with three beds in. There was one window but we didn’t have glass so we covered it with wood that was removed during the day.

We had chickens and pigs but when the dam broke, all of that was washed away. I was at home when it happened and just watched how the water came down the canal.

I went to school at the small church in the location but had to leave school in standard 3 to help my father work on the farms.”