NEWS
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Mother’s Day 8 May 2016
Celebrating mothers and daughters Glenda & Braelea Pope Glenda Pope, the owner of The Mission’s House Gallery in Onrus, is well-known in art circles and has recently been joined by her energetic daughter Braelea, who has returned to her roots after several years in the wine industry in the Cape and in France. “Mom and I have always been close,” says Braelea. Socialising with her mom and her circle of artistic friends from an early age, Braelea says their relationship was always built on friendship. “We are very different but we respect each other’s personalities. Mom was always the fun, quirky one while I am more the sensible one. We never had the usual problems when I was a teenager and my friends always loved my mom because they thought she was so cool.” “Yes, she always kept me on the straight and narrow,” laughs Glenda, “because I tend to fly by the seat of my pants.” Braelea adds, “Mom has the creative flair while I have the pragmatism to deal with practical issues – it’s a good balance.” This dynamic has now been carried through to the family business. “I learnt about creativity from my mother through a process of osmosis,” says Braelea. “She is a brilliant homemaker and the
ability to create a welcoming atmosphere is a skill that I picked up from her.” This talent is clearly evident when you browse the many attractive nooks and crannies of The Mission’s House Gallery, situated in the historic home in Onrus where Braelea and her older brother Bevan grew up. Glenda later turned the house into an art gallery and framery, and with Braelea’s help this mother-daughter team has now revamped and re-invented the gallery to also include a coffee shop and an exclusive selection of designer clothing, jewellery, and other hand-crafted accessories and décor items. The Mission’s House has also become a popular venue for intimate parties and functions. While such a huge undertaking has the potential to strain even the best of relationships, mother and daughter have come through it stronger and closer than ever before. “My mother is the one person in the world with whom I know I can be brutally honest – and we’ll still be talking to each other the next day,” says Braelea. Now also a grandmother to Braelea’s two children, five-
Glenda Pope with her granddaughter Kate and daughter Braelea
year-old Guy and threeyear-old Kate, Glenda says having grandchildren is a “fantastic” experience. Her own mother died when she was only 11 years old, so Braelea never knew her grandmother. “I enjoy the children more as they grow older,” says Glenda, “because that is when they start learning things and we can engage in activities together such as drawing, colouring-in, creating sand art, or exploring rock pools. It is interesting to see how they are constantly changing and developing, and it’s fascinating to see the different genetics coming through.” “I wouldn’t survive without my mom,” says Braelea. “She is always there to support me when I’m sick or tired or I have to go away – there’s no need to explain and she is always willing to help. It is also wonderful for my children to have a grandmother with whom they feel so at home. When it comes to trust and reliability she’s my number one. As the matriarch of our family she is my rock.” “We’ll definitely be spending Mother’s Day together,” says Braelea. “We’ll probably drive out to a nice little restaurant somewhere in the countryside.”
Wilna Snyman and her daughter Lize van der Walt
Wilna Snyman and Lize van der Walt “In character and appearance, she takes after her father,” says veteran actress Wilna Snyman of her artist daughter, Lize van der Walt. “Yes, my mother and I are like chalk and cheese in many respects,” agrees Lize, “but the one thing we have in common is determination and perseverance. We have guts and live fearlessly according to our own beliefs, regardless of others’ opinions.” After many years on the stage, in front of the camera and behind the microphone, Wilna now lives in Onrus Manor and talks openly about her battle with Alzheimer’s. Managing the disease, she says, is a daily preoccupation. Mother and daughter have grown very close over the years – they talk on the phone daily, and regularly do their shopping, visit local eateries and markets, watch DVDs and go to church together. But Lize says it wasn’t always like that during her high school years and early adulthood. “As a teenager I was very rebellious,” she says. “My mother is a perfectionist and she was quite strict but I was stubborn and untidy – I still remember how annoyed she got about the state of my
room and cupboards.” After getting married at the tender age of 20, Lize and her husband later went to live in the UK where she worked as a fitness instructor. After her divorce she shot to fame as a Gladiator, but after 12 years away she says she really missed her mother and wanted to come home. “I was going through a difficult time and my mother’s wisdom and support was invaluable,” says Lize. “We grew even closer after the birth of my son Michael (now 9 years old) and the death of my father in 2011. We are on the same spiritual path now and whenever I feel lonely or down-hearted, my mother reminds me that I am never really alone. She is an integral part of my and Michael’s everyday life, sharing in the highs and lows, challenges and successes.” Now it is also Lize’s turn to support her mother. “We laugh and cry together, and we take it day by day,” she says. It is clear that they enjoy each other’s company and laughter is always part of their conversation. Adds Wilna, “I always find something to be thankful for. Now that I am in the swansong of my life, I know how important it is to live in the moment. Lize is very precious to me and life
without her is unthinkable. To raise a daughter is to complete the circle of life.” For Mother’s Day this year, Wilna will join Lize, Michael and other family members for a traditional Sunday lunch.
Tamsin and Kirsten Koen “Mother’s Day is a very nice reminder to show appreciation for one’s mom, but for me, I like to value and appreciate my mother every day,” says thirteen-year-old Kirsten Koen. “I like to give her a card and some flowers in bed on Mother’s Day morning. It is a special start to the day for us and then Mom heads off to work.” Kirsten’s mom is none other than the dynamic and wellknown local business woman Tamsin Koen, who launched Just Pure, a proudly South African range of pure, allnatural skin and body care products, in 2007. The showroom is on the same premises as The Bistro, a popular eatery that was a natural extension of the Just Pure philosophy of returning to basics and old-fashioned values, and reflects the understated elegance radiated by its owner. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, Kirsten shares her mother’s distinct familial genes and it is clear that mother and