John Wiliam Perez & Antoinette Stevens

My grandfather and grandmother were married in Peddie (Eastern Cape) and lived in  Harrington Street Cape Town at the time of his death.  He and his sister Ellen Perez helped the Jesuits establish the Dunbrody orphanage school near Aliwal North some time in the 1890's.  'Aunty' (Ellen Perez) was one of three women who taught at the school as lay missionaries.  She later moved to Cape Town where John and his wife lived.  John was very involved in the Thistles Football Club and ran a general store in District Six which he later passed to his son Stephen who carried on a barber shop from those premises.  The roof was used by the Non-Pareil Acrobat Troupe for their practice sessions.

Other information received from Ignatius (Nat) Perez:

 

Grandpa had a cafe on the cn'r of Tennant st and Hanover St. He later bought a Barber Shop in Caledon St and the barber was able to then teach his son Stephen.

 

At the front of the shop was a watchmaker - Mr Cupido - at one time Johnny, as a teenager, used to make tea for him. I remember this very clearly because poor Johnny poured a kettle with boiling water, accidentally, over his foot. Dr Diamond was the family doctor and in 114 Harrington St he showed us the state of Johnny's foot. It had formed a crust and he took a large spoon and struck the area and Johnny could not feel a thing.

 

Grandpa was the Caretaker of the Fidelity Hall in Primrose Street a few doors from where the family lived. The next move was to 8 Chester Road and from there 114 upper Harrington Street.

Petrus Blumerus Bailey & Dorothea Shearing

I believe that my grandfather and grandmother were married in Claremont Cape Town (their daughters were baptised there) and lived at 27 Cecil Road Salt River when I was little.  We often visited and had many happy family gatherings there.  St Luke's Anglican Church was almost opposite their house and my grandmother was very involved in the work around the Church in the St Luke's Women's group doing flowers, etc.  My grandfather drove a taxi and as this was the only car in the family for many years, we used the train to travel to school or visit them.

Claude Stanislaus Perez and Alma Doreen Bailey

My parents were married in St Mary's Cathedral Cape Town and lived at 28 Third Street Elsies River for the first twenty five years of their married life.  They built a large house next door for my grandmother and aunt (Evelyn) to live in after my grandfather died.  The other half of the house was rented out to help pay the mortgage. My grandmother died while living in that house.  Both properties were appropriated by the Government under the Group Areas Act in 1970.  They moved to Hazendal and my Aunt Evelyn migrated to Toronto Canada where my other Aunt Joyce had moved to in 1967 or 1968.

Patrick Michael O'Farrel and Dorothea Antoinette Perez

We met when I moved to Melbourne from Sydney.  Pat had returned to live in Melbourne after living in Tasmania for some years.   We lived in various suburbs of Melbourne, depending on the businesses Pat and I ran.  We were divorced in 1996.  Pat has since re-married and now lives in Brisbane.  Our children Mark and Allan are both married and Allan has 3 children.  They all live in Melbourne, so I am a doting 'Oma' and spend as much time as possible with my children and grandchildren.