Nr 66

KEN ONS LEDE

In this Newsletter we would like to introduce one of our English speaking Hennings and his family. b1.c3.d2.e2.f7.g1. Mark Henning *26-3-1934 has been a member of the Family League since its inception. He and his wife, Sheila, lives in Gardens, Johannesburg. We would have loved to boast a little with his impressive Curriculum Vitae, but it will take up all the space in the Newsletter (plus extra). Therefore, we will only summarize some of the highlights of his history.

“I was born into a family of teachers. My father taught at King Edward VII School for fifty years and my mother taught in the Preparatory School for much of this time. They were highly regarded and lived lives of quality, despite the “genteel poverty” to which Dr Elwyn Davies said teachers were condemned by the salary scales. My father was awarded a gold medal for distinguished service to education.

When I left school, my parents were adamant that their careers were unduly influencing me in my desire to follow a career in teaching. They insisted that I study for a B.Com. with a view to accountancy. I had no idea of, nor interest in, the working of the economy. My studies were abysmal and my parents allowed me to switch to teaching. My young brother also later became a school principal.

My career has been unusual in that, apart from my first post (at King Edward VII Preparatory School), and my return to teaching at Northview High School after I had been a lecturer at the Johannesburg College of Education, I have always been “headhunted” or approached to take up positions.

Growing up in the enviroment of a school famous for sport, and having some talent for games, I was deeply involved both in playing and in administration. I represented the province at first class level in both cricket and hockey. In cricket administration, in particular, I was fortunate to be involved in the early initiatives to normalise the sport, a time recorded by André Odendaal in his book, “Cricket in Isolation: The Politics of Race and Cricket in South Africa”. In his concluding analysis, Odendaal wrote, “The first members of the SACA hierarchy to make a stand on principle were cricketers like Ali Bacher, Denis Gamsy, Eddie Barlow and the Pollock brothers. They were followed down the years by other leading South African players. Administrators like Joe Pamensky, the late Wally Hammond and Mark Henning followed the Bachers. It is these comparatively young men who must lead in the future together with Sacboc's former non-racial leadership core. They have done all that could be expected of them and they are sensitive to the issues at stake”

Far more important than the normalising of cricket were the happenings in education. In 1976 was the year of the uprising against apartheid in education, and as vice-chairman of the RMC and Headmaster of St Stithians College I was closely involved in the changes that were to sweep education. I became more and more involved with authorities, and this together with my membership of the JMB over many years, led to an ever greater involvement in policy matters.

In 1988 I was approached to resign from the Headmastership of St Stithians College to expand the activities of the old Association of Private Schools into the Independent Schools' Council.

I have, from 1976, been the convener of the Joint Liaison Committee, a loose association of bodies representing independent schools. For many years only the Catholic Institute of Education, the South African Board of Jewish Education and the ISC were involved, but in recent years the South African Association of Muslim Schools and NDEC, a group representing inner-city schools, have joined. A new group representing the schools of Tomorrow Christian schools is currently joining. When nominations were invited for representation on the Hunter Committee, I had the singular honour of having my name put forward by the ISC, the Jewish Board and the Muslim Association.

This involvement, together with the responsibility of having to prepare the ISC's position on the funding of schools, has also led me to negotiations at the highest level. Here my suggestion for a system of differentiated subsidy, aimed at meeting the complicated requirements for equity and redress, seems to be meeting with some support.

As Headmaster of St Stitians College I became involved with the program that provided enrichment to the Growing Children's Potential Trust(GCP). In 1988 I became the Chairman and have been in that position ever since. In 1996 President Mandela presented a trophy at the annual Education Africa awards banquet to the GCP for its work in education.

HENNING WEBBLAD STATISTIEK

Sedert die Henning Webblad op 28 Junie 1997 op Internet tot stand gekom het, het hierdie webblad van krag tot krag gegaan. Afgesien van die feit dat mense van oor die hele wêreld kennis neem van die trotse geskiedenis van die Henning familie, lê die grootste voordeel in die feit dat talle Hennings, met wie ons voorheen geen kontak gehad het nie, nou van die Familiebond kennis neem en hul familie se besonderhede vir ons aanstuur. Talle mense wat nie so gelukkig was om 'n Familiekroniek te kon bekom nie, kan ook nou, deur middel van die webblad insae kry in hul afkoms en geskiedenis.

Gedurende die jaar 2000 het 104 248 persone van oor die hele wêreld besoek by die Henning Webblad afgelê — 'n gemiddeld van 285 per dag. Die meeste het wel net gekyk waaroor die blad gaan, want dit blyk dat slegs 13 566 werklik met aandag na die gegewens gekyk en daardeur geblaai en gegewens afgetrek het. Dit is 'n gemiddeld van 37 per dag vir 366 dae van die jaar, wat indrukwekkend is.

Hoewel die oorgrote meerderheid van die mense wat na ons webblad gekyk het, Suid-Afrikaners was, het mense van die volgende lande ook daarna gekyk:

KRYGSGESKIEDENIS VAN DIE HENNINGS

Hoofstuk 14 van die Henning Familiekroniek handel oor die krygsgeskiedenis van die Henning families. Hierdie hoofstuk is oor die afgelope jaar tot so 'n mate bygewerk dat dit nou as 'n afsonderlike publikasie met die titel So het hulle Gedien. Krygsgeskiedenis van die Henning Familie vrygestel is.

'n Beperkte getal netjies gebinde boekies op hoë kwaliteit glanspapier, en wat 84 bladsye beslaan, is gedruk. Die boekie dek al die oorloë in Suid-Afrika waaraan Hennings deelgeneem het vanaf die Eerste Xhosa-oorlog van 1779 tot en met die kaputilasie van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering in 1994. 231 (twee honderd een-en-dertig) mans, vrouens en kinders word in die boekie behandel.

Die boekie is beskikbaar teen R50.00 per eksemplaar, plus R4.00 posgeld en verpakking per gewone pos of R12.00 per geregistreerde pos. Die boekie kan bestel word by: Bondsekretaris, Henning Familiebond, Posbus 121, Villiersdorp, 6848.

JAN SAREL MARTHINUS HENNING *21-4-1888

Ons was baie gelukkig om onlangs 'n pragtige foto van b6.c4.d1.e5.f4. Jan Sarel Marthinus Henning , gebore 21-4-1888 te kon bekom. Sy seun en kleinseun wat na hom vernoem is, is albei lede van die Familiebond.

Jan Henning is die hoofkarakter in een van die mooiste verhale uit die Tweede Vryheidsoorlog 1899 — 1902 waarin 'n Henning betrokke was. Met die uitbreek van die oorlog in Oktober 1899 was hy slegs elf jaar oud. Sy pa en ouer broer, Willem Frederik, wat slegs veertien jaar oud was, het by die Rustenburg Kommando aangesluit en onder Veldkornet Eloff gedien.

Jan moes saam met sy ma en die dogters op hul plaas, Kosterfontein (destyds in die Rustenburg distrik en vandag Koster) agterbly, omdat hy nog te jonk was om op kommando te gaan. Hulle moes met die normale plaaswerkies voortgaan. Met verloop van tyd het die Britse magte met 'n strategie van “Verskroeide Aarde” begin, ingevolge waarvan alle Boere-plaashuise afgebrand, alle landerye vernietig en alle plaasdiere doodgemaak of weggevoer is. Alle vrouens en kinders is in konsentrasiekampe geplaas, waar hulle onder die mees haglike toestande gekrepeer het.

 Toe die Britse magte gedurende 1900 op hul plaas aankom om die opstal te vernietig en die familielede na die Krugersdorp Konsentrasiekamp weg te voer, kruip die twaalfjarige Jan in 'n sloot weg. Op 'n stadium het die kolonne amper bo-oor hom deur die sloot gery, sonder om hom te sien.

Nadat die soldate vertrek het, besef Jan dat hy nie alleen op die plaas sal kan oorleef nie. Hy begin te voet, net met die klere aan sy lyf, na die Rustenburg Kommando soek. Uiteindelik kry hy die Kommando en sluit by sy pa en broer aan. Omdat hulle nie vir hom 'n ryding gehad het nie, hou hy maar aan sy pa se stiebeuel vas en hardloop oral saam waar die kommando heen beweeg. Mettertyd het hulle vir hom 'n perd en 'n geweer gekry en hy veg tot aan die einde van die oorlog saam met sy pa en broer.

Drie van Jan Henning se jonger boeties en sussies is in die Krugersdorp- en Merebank Konsentrasiekampe oorlede weens die haglike toestande waaronder hulle aangehou is.

Hierdie is een van die verhale wat in die boekie oor die krygsgeskiedenis van die Hennings vermeld word. Dit is verhale soos hierdie wat mens laat besef dat ons Hennings baie het om op trots te wees.

AMERICAN HENNINGS

Since we started with the Henning Website on Internet, several Hennings who live in the United States of America contacted us to find out if there was any relationship between them and the South African Hennings, or made contact out of interest.

Some time ago we received an interesting letter from John Henning, from Lakefield, Benoni and we quote one section of his letter:

“ In December 2000 we were fortunate to spend some time overseas in Orlando at Disney Land and then we went on to New York. We spent a day going to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty and I enclose photographs of what we found on Ellis Island. All immigrants who came into America over the past years had the opportunity to have their names inscribed on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. As you can see there are some Hennings that have immigrated to America. We only looked at the one panel which was the names registered before 1993. However, between 1993 and 1998 there were further names, but unfortunately we were not able to get to that area because our ferry was departing and it was just about to snow and the girls were very excited”.

Three photographs of panels can be found on the next page. Not one of these Henning's, however, emigrated from South Africa.

SKANDINAWIESE HENNINGS

Dit is algemeen bekend dat die naam Henning in die Noorde van Duitsland, naby die Denemarke grens, ontstaan het. Dit is sekerlik die rede waarom die van Henning net so volop in Denemarke is, as wat Botha of Van der Merwe in Suid-Afrika is.

Verskeie persone het vir ons laat weet van koerant- of tydskrifartikels wat weens die gebruik van die naam Henning vir ons interessant mag wees. Ongelukkig is dit, weens die beperkte omvang van ons Nuusbrief en die koste wat daaruit voortspruit, nie moontlik om alles na ons lede deur te gee nie.

Mauritz Henning van Stilbaai het ons aandag gevestig op 'n interessante artikel in Fairlady van 26 April 2000 wat handel oor die Henningsvaer waterweë in Noorweë, wat die Venisië van Lofoten genoem word. Lofoten is 'n groep Noorweegse eilande in die Poolsirkel. Ons plaas interessantheidshalwe twee foto's.

In Time Magazine van 11 September 2000 verskyn die volgende interessante kort nuusartikel:

Halle. Three neo-Nazis were convicted of murder and sentenced to lengthy jail terms for the fatal beating of a Mocambican-born man. A state court in Eastern Germany handed down the maximum life sentence to 24-years old Enrico Hilprecht and 9-year terms to his 16-year-old co-defendants. Judge Albrecht Henning said the court came to the conclusion that the three killed Alberto Adriano solely because of the colour of his skin. The violence of the attack caused a wave of revulsion in Germany, with calls from the public and politicians to act decisively against neo-Nazi groups.

'N HENNING MEDIESE SENTRUM IN BLOEMFONTEIN

Die Medi Inn Centre Mediese en Sakesentrum het onlangs in Bloemfontein, op die hoek van Falckstraat en Harveyweg, geopen. Bykans alle mediese professies word reeds in die sentrum verteenwoordig en verdere uitbreidings word reeds beplan. Die ontwikkelaar is b6.c1.d3.e5.f3.g9.h1. Dr Pieter Hendrik Henning, 'n Algemene Praktisyn wie se spreekkamers aanvanklik in 'n ou huis op die perseel gevestig was.

Pieter Hendrik Henning is die oudste seun van Barend Jacobus Henning en sy vrou Johanna Jacoba Catharina (gebore Rautenbach). Sy pa is een van die Hennings wat in Argentinië gebore is, maar wat gedurende 1938 na Suid-Afrika teruggekeer het. Pieter is in Welkom gebore. Hy het aan die Hoërskool Hentie Cilliers in Virginia gematrikuleer. Daarna studeer hy aan die Vrystaatse Universiteit. 

Terwyl hy Nasionale Diensplig doen as 'n geneesheer by 3 Militêre Hospitaal in Bloemfontein koop hy 'n huis in Harveyweg vir die oprigting van sy praktyk. Dit is die huis wat moes plek maak vir hierdie pragtige en prestiguese mediese sentrum.

Pieter Henning en sy vrou Riekie het twee dogters, Jolandie en Mariska. Ons sal hulle nog moet werf om by die Familiebond aan te sluit en om hul gesin se volledige genealogiese besonderhede in die Familiekroniek op te neem.

LEDEGELDE

Baie dankie aan al ons lede wat oor die afgelope drie maande hulle ledegelde aangestuur het. Diegene wat nog nie so ver gekom het nie — ons sal graag binnekort van julle wil hoor.