Send my love to Paul Roux

Willem van der Berg’s feature about Paul Roux in go! #131 made me long for my childhood. My maternal grandparents, Hennie and Christina Kriel, lived in the upper parts of town near the sandstone ridge. My parents Barend Schutte and Corrie Kriel married in Paul Roux in 1935 and I was born in Bethlehem a year later. Paul Roux didn’t have the necessary hospital facilities. My father was a policeman and often patrolled the area to combat cattle theft. He always told the story of a certain magistrate called Mr Eades, who signed his name with just a few stripes. The police officers would tease him, asking him repeatedly what he had written. “It’s Eades,” he’d say and they would reply: “Ons kan sien dis iets, maar watse iets?” I only lived in Paul Roux for two years, but I often returned to visit my grandparents. Back when Paul Roux had no electricity, the battery of the wireless radio was charged using a wind charger. Yes, wind power is not new technology! They used lamps and candles at night. It’s wonderful to hear that artists have breathed new life into the town. The sandstone landscape of the Eastern Free State is certainly one of the most scenic places in the country. CHRIS SCHUTTE, Port Elizabeth