We now live in Pretoria.

Artist statement – Nellien Brewer

I grew up on a remote farm near Greytown in the Umvoti district of KZN. Approximately a hundred years after the first registration of the farm in 1852 my grandfather, a doctor in the district, bought the farm to retire on. His son, my father, studied Agriculture at the University of Pretoria, where he met my mother. He brought his young (Afrikaans) bride to the predominantly English- and isiZulu-speaking Natal valley where they raised four children.

Growing up on the remote farm, my siblings and I spoke Afrikaans, English and isiZulu. We explored the sandstone cliffs and indigenous forests and were taught about our own customs and those of the proud Zulu people. The sense of history was palpable – it felt as if the farm would be there for ever, and I fantasised about living there when I grew up.

My brother shared my love for the land. Following in our father’s footsteps, he studied Agriculture at the University of Pretoria. He went on to complete a doctorate in America, where he met his future wife. As the farmers before him, the young man brought his bride to the remote Natal valley. My American sister-in-law embraced her new life without electricity or cell phone reception. The couple valiantly struggled to make a living on the farm. Owing to crime and other factors, they eventually decided to move to America for the sake of their children. Soon after this, a land claim was registered on the land, and it was fortuitous that they had already made the decision to leave. Times have changed. As expected, the homes and all outbuildings have been destroyed – stripped of all useful materials. A number of animal skeletons lie scattered amongst the ruins, and Wattle and Eucalyptus saplings abound, celebrating their freedom from the neatly defined plantations they were once restricted to.

When we visited the farm a few years ago, I found a man tending his vegetable patch in front of the ruins where my father used to plant lucern. We exchanged greetings, and he called his children over to explain to them that I had lived in the old house as a child. The ancient rhythms have simply continued as before - the approximately 160 years of commercial farming in this particular valley leaving barely a ripple on the face of Africa.

We now live in Muckleneuk, Pretoria. Declared in 1890, it is one of the oldest suburbs in Pretoria. The streets are lined with beautiful Jacaranda trees, and the architectural styles of the homes chart the history of this suburb and that of the adjoining suburb of Sunnyside. I often think about the carefree days in the remote valley, and I trust that my children will also have fond memories of their childhood.