90 Years Young - A Granite Jubilee
Mari Brumage of the Tokai Ladies Probus Club in Cape Town celebrated her 90th birthday on the 22nd of May. The Westlake Golf Club, where the club meets, made a 90 out of cupcakes and we all joined in celebrating this auspicious occasion. Luckily she did not have to blow out 90 candles! She has been a member of Probus for 25 years and has served in various roles, including news correspondent and 3 stints as president.
Mari was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and lived in a location called Karen. Her home was a simple thatched-roof house, covered in Golden Shower creeper. There was no kitchen or bathroom, only a long-drop toilet in the garden. It was on a smallholding and there were cows, chickens, ducks and turkeys. As children she and her siblings had cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Her mother planted an extensive orchard and vegetable garden.
A variety of wildlife roamed free, and her Ridgebacks used to play on the front lawn with the jackals. There were some scary moments, like a large leopard rattling the front door and hyenas calling at night when coming for the chickens. While practising the piano one day, she remembers becoming aware that she was being watched. The audience turned out to be a large snake peering down at her from the thatched rafters! She had a wonderful and free childhood.
The house she stayed in had no electricity and the family relied on paraffin lamps for light. When they eventually acquired a radio, they had to take the car battery out in order to listen to it. After having had to share a bedroom with her sister and brother, she moved into a lovely four-bedroomed house with her family. The house boasted a bathroom, flushing toilet and kitchen. She attended Nairobi Primary School, which was a full day with lunch, a rest period and homework. When attending high school she moved in as a boarder, which meant she could participate in sports.
She emigrated to South Africa in 1965. With her late husband Ray she ran a caravan park in Onrus, Hermanus. When her husband landed a new job in Cape Town, they bought a house in Plumstead in the Southern Suburbs. From there she moved to her present house in Bergvliet where she has lived for 53 years. Her three sons make sure all her needs are met, including her love of watching rugby or sizzling some meat on the braai.