SUMMARISED TRANSLATION OF ARTICLES IN EDITION 100/ NOV 2009 OF THE "ONS HAANTJIE" NEWSLETTER OF THE HENNING FAMILY LEAGUE

Genealogiese Uitstalling: Paarl/Genealogical Exhibition: Paarl. On 26 September 2009 the Western Cape Branch of the Genealogical Society of SA (GSSA) held an exhibition in Paarl. It coinsided with the annual Cultivaria festival. The Henning Family League accepted the invitation to participate in spite of the fact that there are not many Henning's in die Western Cape. The fact that we could participate and be seen as an organised family, is a feather in our hat.

The exhibition was held in the hall of the Holy Trinity Anglican church in the main road. We were the only family league to participate. The other participants were research institutions or other genealogical organisations, eg. Genealogical Society itself, Genealogical Institute (GISA), Cape Archives, Huegenot Society, TANAP of the University Cape Town, the military research group of the GGSA and the Cape Town Family History Society.

Since early the five members who manned our table started erecting our exhibition. The five were Olivier Henning and his wife Charlotte, Aubrey Wilkinson and his wife Wiena (born Henning) and Cornelia Henning.

The few people who turned up was disappointing. This could surely be ascribed to lack of media coverage. The secretary of the GSSA requested all local newspapers and radio stations to mention the exhibition somehow, but none of them reacted. In spite of this, several people visited our table and we could help them with their requests.

Finansies/Finances. Many thanks to all members who contributed financially over the past three months. The names of those members who contributed more that R200.00 are mentioned in the Afrikaans version. A special word of thanks to those members who continue to contribute by means of a monthly Debit Order - especially those who increase the amount from time to time. In this regard we like to mention the name of JH (Jan) Henning of Glenstantia, Pretoria who increased his amount to R50.00 per month. Even an amount of R20.00 per month ensure that the family league has a constant flow of income.

Unfortunately there are still more than 20 families who have not contributed for 2009 - it is almost the end of the year already and we are sending out the 2010 notices with this Newsletter.

Henning kinders presteer/Henning children perform. It came under our attention that both children of b7.c8.d8.e1.f2.g2. Stanley Henning of Wierdapark, Centurion performed very well. Heinrich George *11-3-1988 and Anél *22-8-1989 are both students at the University of Pretoria. Both were invited to join the "Golden Key International Honour Society". This organisation is affiliated with 350 universities world wide and offer a network of exchange of knowledge, overseas study opportunities, etc. Only the top 15% of academical achievers are invited after they have reached their second year of studies.

Nog Prestasies deur Henning kinders/More achievements by Henning children. Family League chairman, Gideon Henning of Strand informed us that all six his grand children who live in Strand performed very well academically and on the sportsfield. They are Nina Goosen, Nicolise Goosen and Christiaan Goosen, children of Gideon's daughter, Wilma and Stephan Henning, Nardo Henning and Lennert Henning children of Bernard. All of them (except for Christiaan) represented Boland in interprovincial batminton in their respective age groups.

Sterftes/Deaths. It is with regret that we took note of the death of the following people:
b5.c1.d3.e1.f7.g3. Daniël Joachim Jacobus Henning *20-5-1931 of the farm "Vlakfontein", in the Hendrina district, died on 10-6-2009 from cancer. Audrey Henning (born Smit) *8-6-1932 wife of b5.c4.d4.e2.f2.g5. Hendrik Andries Henning of Saldanha died 6-9-2009
Iris Fowels of Wollongong, NSW, Australia *Durban 26-8-1908 died on 13-8-2009, a few days prior to her 101st birthday. She was a daughter of James Fowels and Wilhelmina Catharina Zurich and the granddaughter of b7.c8.d1. Martha Johanna Elizabeth Zurich (born Henning) *26-8-1857

Nuusbrief no 100/Newsletter no 100. Certainly! We can celebrate. To issue one hundred newsletters within 25 years is certainly an achievement. Let's have a look at this 25 years:

For the first few months since the establishment of the family league on 21 July 1984, the members of our management committee were busy with all the administrative things to get the family league from the ground, eg. the drafting of a constitution, the designing of a coat of arms, formulation of a goal and objectives, recruitment of members, etc.

One of the objectives was that we ought to communicate with our members at least four time per year. The big problem, however, was that we had no duplicating facilities and had no money to pay for such a service. We had to rely on the goodwill of contacts to duplicate newsletters for us free of charge. The first newsletter was posted to members during January 1985 - six months after the establishment of the family league. It was a normal letter printed on a letterhead and only reported what has been happening during the first six months - the drafting of the constitution, designing of a coat of arms, financial matters, a future family museum and recruitment of members.

Invitations were sent to more than 300 Henning families during this time and 31 families had already joined by the end of 1984. The first few years the duplication of newsletters remained a very big problem. It happened several times that our league secretary could not find a sponsor. He then had to stand on his knees, make huge promises and pull a lot of ropes to get the newsletters printed.

Another poblem we experienced (which today still exists) was that we did not receive sufficient inputs and news from our members. This put a lot of strain on our league secretary. In those days photocopying machines could not yet copy photographs properly. Lou Henning, cartoonist of the newspaper, Rapport volunteered to draw us pictures of members and events, which brightened the newsletters considerably. After approximately three years we came in a position to acquire from Minolta a good secondhand photocopying machine.

However, this machine could still not copy photographs properly. In time we came into the position to acquire better machines. Folks using computers would know that you can get several printers quite cheap, but that the ink and toner cartridges are very expensive. It would remain an ideal to print our newsletters lithograpical, but at this stage our circulation is too small.

For 18 years the newsletter appeared under the formal name "Henning". During March 2002 the management committee decided to change the name of the newsletter to "Ons Haantjie" - our cockerel. Towards the end of the 13th Century the son of Johannes (John), the Old got the nickname, Henning - cockerel, and this newsletter is our cockerel. What does a cockerel do? He crows and tells everybody rumbustious what is happening on the farmyard. We hope that our cockerel (haantjie) will bring fresh and interesting news to our members for many years to come.

'n Armoedige Henning vrou/ A very poor Henning lady. From time to time, while paging through old history books, one read about one or other Henning. Recently we had Karel Schoeman's book "Armosyn van die Kaap - Die wêreld van 'n slavin" (Armosyn of the Cape - The world of a slave woman) in hand. He mention among other things the circumstances of several singel women, or women with kids at the Cape during the 17th Century, who were very poor. He mention inter alia the name of Cornelia Henning, who was very poor and penurious. She was the third daughter of Christoffel Henning, who came to the Cape before 1683.