Van Skotland tot in Vanrhynsdorp
Helen Slabbert (1898-1988)

In this memoir, written partly in English, partly in Afrikaans, Helen Ruth Slabbert (born Van der Meulen), tells of her childhood during the early 20th century in the town of Vanrhynsdorp (South Africa), where her father was the first appointed minister. She relates her experiences going to school and church, and the family and social life of the age. She remembers her English-speaking mother and her Afrikaans-speaking father, her siblings and friends.
However, the book contains more than just the memories of Helen Slabbert.
The first two parts (the only parts written in English) are the memories of Helen’s mother, I.H.S. van der Meulen (born Botha), who first relates the origins of her own parents, and then tells about her husband (the Reverend Van der Meulen) and the first years as the head of her own family. These are memories from a time when a Scottish and an Afrikaner family merged together and influenced society in Knysna, Cape Town and Vanrhynsdorp. It also becomes evident how richly these two cultures influenced one another.
The third and fourth parts then contain Helen Slabbert’s own memories, written in Afrikaans.
The memoir ends with a concise version of the author’s family tree, showing her ties to the Youngs and Campbells of Scotland, something she was very proud of – hence the title of the book, which translates to “From Scotland to Vanrhynsdorp”.

Van Skotland tot in Vanrhynsdorp touches on the life experiences of Helen Slabbert, her parents, grandparents as well as other family members. In the end it is a story that spans a few generations and in which the Youngs, the Bothas, the Van der Meulens and the Slabberts all had their part to play. It is, as the foreword states, a book of “small histories”, but told confidently and in good humour.

Hendrik-Muller Uys
One of the author’s 11 grandchildren