Penfriends’ Letters

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 249, 17 July 1937, Page 9 (Supplement)

Penfriends’ Letters

Chum, Parewanui, has a wonderful circle of penfriends in all parts of the world. Here are two letters, one from Holland, the other from South Africa. Chum is kept very busy answering all her correspondents, but she loves her “job,” and as you can imagine, mailday is an exciting day for her. Boekelo, Holland. V)EAR Zona,— , I was very glad to receive your long and interesting letter the other day, and must thank you very much for it. I shall give you a description of myself, as I haven’t a snap just now. I am 6ft. lin. tall, have fair hair, and blue eyes, and am fond of letter-writ-ing, saving stamps, playing tennis and music. We live in the country, one mile from Boekelo, which is a very small country village. There is an important salt factory here and we live near to it (Zoutindustrie—salt .industry), as my father is an engineer there. About half our country consumes this salt. I myself am studying law, and attend lessons in Enschede, our nearest town, which has a population of about 80,000. We have also a fine bathing-place in Boekelo. In summer it is a great attraction; there is a basin with artificial ■waves produced by a 90 horse-power machine. It is situated in the open air. . One' can also play some kinds of sport, such as horse-riding, boxing, and tennis, and a large strand gives opportunity fo r sunbathing. It is really a unique establishment, with terraces, the more so as it is so far from the sea. Boekelo is situated 15 miles from the German frontier, so is quite a distance from the North Sea.

The tulips in Holland bloom in the early springtime, which in our country is March and April. Our tulips seem to be famous all over the world; and I must say it is a wonderful sight to see those fields full of flowers in a flat landscape. The finest fields are between the cities of Haarlem and Leiden. I also saw the picture “Blossom Time,” and like very much the singing of Richard Tauber; he speaks English very well, although he is a German. Did you ever see a Dutch film? They are not very good yet, as it is not long ago they started with a Dutch production. Yours sincerely, Hans. Kroonstad, / Orange Free State, South Africa. T)EAR Zona, Thank you ever so much for your welcome letter; I am sure that we are going to be pals and enjoy writing to one another. I am 17 years old, have brown hair and brown eyes, and am about sft. 3in. in height. I am also fond of all outdoor sports, though I have ridden a horse only once in my life! I have a bicycle and am fond of cycling, and I also love gardening. Now for something about the town in which I live. It is a fairly large town and is the centre of a great agricultural district whose importance has led to the setting up of experimental farms and markets. The Walsh River flows through here and attracts. many holi-day-makers during the summer months. Boating, swimming and fishing are the chief pastimes. The momosa (thorn tree) is the native tree of the Orange Free State. There is also a wild- evergreen plant, something like an asparagus fern, that grows along the river banks. Ferns do not grow wild here as the frost is too severe. I suppose you have heard or read something of the Empire Exhibition. It is really worth while seeing, and is also very interesting. We all went up to Johannesburg last October to visit the exhibition, and although our feet got very tired and sore from all the walking we did, we enjoyed every bit of it. Your sincere penfriend, Rosalie,