Dawn van Vuuren, wife of the late Piet van Dawn van Vuuren (Dawn
Hewitt when she was in the Department) died on on 19 March 2016.
Funeral arrangements not yet known.
Greetings, Daphne Fourie
 |
| Dawn Hewitt van Vuuren ..... the smile we will always remember |
REFLECTION ON A CAREER IN THE DEPARTMENT
Dawn Hewitt
I joined the Department after two gruelling years at the
Children's Court, Department of Justice. This was quite traumatic as I had to do with children
seriously in need of care.
Foreign
Affairs sent me to various corners of the globe - Paris, Windhoek, Mmabatho,
Berne, Santiago and Tel Aviv. Paris proved to be "a movable
feast" in the words of Hemingway. Glenn Babb, now Ambassador in Rome,
fetched me at the airport and on the way to my hotel told me that thousands of
girls were being kidnapped annually in Paris and ended up in unknown
destinations.
This really set me thinking and at first I was absolutely terrified of being kidnapped! I worked in the then cypher section. On my usual rounds to the Ambassador and the Minister after approximately ten days Mr Norman Best, Minister at the time, asked me how I was. I answered "Fine, Mr Minister. I have just found a flat." On his question "where" I replied "Oh, near Pigalle", little realising what reaction this was going to have. Mr Best nearly fell off his chair and his mustache twitched incessantly.
"Well, now that is no decent place for a young girl like you to stay! Who approved it?" I felt lost. I had to admit that Mr Johan Pretorius, then the Counsellor, had approved it. The Minister immediately picked up the phone and summoned Mr Pretorius to his office and I quietly retreated close to tears. Mr Pretorius had a hard time convincing Mr Best that all was well as far as the flat was concerned. As it turned out, I lived very happily in the 17th arr. for three and a half years. In fact I found this area to be very French and still have friends from that time whom I will definitely be visiting again in the future.
This really set me thinking and at first I was absolutely terrified of being kidnapped! I worked in the then cypher section. On my usual rounds to the Ambassador and the Minister after approximately ten days Mr Norman Best, Minister at the time, asked me how I was. I answered "Fine, Mr Minister. I have just found a flat." On his question "where" I replied "Oh, near Pigalle", little realising what reaction this was going to have. Mr Best nearly fell off his chair and his mustache twitched incessantly.
"Well, now that is no decent place for a young girl like you to stay! Who approved it?" I felt lost. I had to admit that Mr Johan Pretorius, then the Counsellor, had approved it. The Minister immediately picked up the phone and summoned Mr Pretorius to his office and I quietly retreated close to tears. Mr Pretorius had a hard time convincing Mr Best that all was well as far as the flat was concerned. As it turned out, I lived very happily in the 17th arr. for three and a half years. In fact I found this area to be very French and still have friends from that time whom I will definitely be visiting again in the future.
I went to do relief work in Windhoek over an Easter
Weekend. It just so happened that the Herero Chief, Clemens Kapuuo, was
assassinated that very weekend. We really did not know whether we were coming
or going. Nevertheless it was an invaluable experience.
I spent exactly four years one month and one day in
Switzerland. I adored Berne. Living in Switzerland was like living in a big
park. I enjoyed every minute and considered it to be a tremendous privilege.
Santiago was a relief post. It rained over 900 mm during
the time that I was there. All the roads around Santiago were cut off, so it
was not possible to do much sightseeing outside of Santiago. Fortunately on the
last weekend that I was there the sun broke through and it was possible to
visit Los Dominicos and Vinja Del Mare. I loved Los Dominicos.
What intrigued me about strange places was communicating with people while hardly knowing the language. A young Chilean and I communicated perfectly in spite of his almost non-existent English and my almost non-existent Spanish - but we understood each other perfectly!
What intrigued me about strange places was communicating with people while hardly knowing the language. A young Chilean and I communicated perfectly in spite of his almost non-existent English and my almost non-existent Spanish - but we understood each other perfectly!
Israel (also a relief assignment) was an unforgettable
experience. Compared to the other countries that I visited Israel somehow was particularly special
and I will never forget the geological hike that I went on with the then Ambassador and Mrs Loubser.
It was spring and the abundance of flowers astounded me, especially cyclamen in hues from the whitest white to the darkest pink. I just could not believe that these lovely flowers and several varieties of others were growing in those arid fields. To me it really was God's own country.
I am very grateful to the Department for the spiritual
riches that I gained from my experiences. Today I am a truly happy and fulfilled person and from
the wise words and advice of my deceased mother "remember that the smile that you send out
to others returns to you" I would really "do it all again."
I would like to take this opportunity of wishing my
colleagues the very best and thank you for your kind cooperation during my
years with the Department.
FAREWELL AND THANK YOU,
FOREIGN AFFAIRS!
Dawn Hewitt
* Dawn retired from the Department on 31 July 1993.
Meintjeskop Courier Vol.III/93
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