Huis Lucy
(scroll down for English)
In ‘n ou brosjure wat jare terug oor Stellenbosch gepubliseer is (ongelukkig ongedateerd) skryf die skrywer Hennie Aucamp:
“Stellenbosch is nie net dekor nie. Stellenbosch is bowenal mense”
Veral so in 'n geskiedkundige dorp soos Stellenbosch, waar daar allerhande interessante karakters uit vanmelewe se dae skuil.
In die volgende paar blogs wil ek skryf oor ‘Huis Lucy’, Dorpstraat 99, ‘n fassinerende gebou wat dateer uit ongeveer 1814.
Tant Lucy was een van die interessante mense wat Hennie Aucamp in sy studentejare ontmoet het, en oor wie hy skryf in sy nadenke oor Stellenbosch.
Sy was “’n toonbeeld van gekonsentreerde Bolandsheid en ouwêreldse sjarme.”
Hier is ‘n uittreksel uit Hennie Aucamp se brosjure (met erkenning aan die KWV wat dit publiseer het).
In my helderberg-koshuisdae het ek met tant Lucy Roux kennisgemaak. Toe het die wingerd agter tant Lucy se huis nog tot teenaan die Eersterivier gestrek. Om druiwetrosse waaroor die wasem van ongereptheid lê van die druifstok te pluk, was vir my, Stormberger, ‘n hele opwinding: my koue wêreld duld nie vrugte nie. Die wingerd bestaan vandag nie meer nie, maar die tuin is nog daar [ten tye van die publikasie]. Soos die meeste huise in Dorpstraat, staan ook tant Lucy se huis reg op die sypaadjie, sodat die besoeker meestal nie weet van die fraai ou tuin agter die streng wit fronte van die huise nie. Vlak by die deur wat uitkyk op tant Lucy se tuin, groei ‘n prieël. Onder die prieël staan blomblikke met “Orange Lilies” en amarilis; verderaan is ‘n vyeboom, en malvas wat soos struike groei. Jy moet tant Lucy in haar kombuis sien werskaf om te besef hoeveel vreugde die mens kan haal uit arbeid wat vir hom sinvol is. Sy berei haar kos op ‘n ingeboerde houtsoof voor – kom die nood aan die man, kap sy self haar hout! By goeie kos hoort goeie drank: diéstukkkie kultuurwaarheid bring Dorpstraat 99 my week na week by. Sowat ‘n uur voor die Sondagete raak Paul van tant Lucy al bedrywig met die tafelwyn. Hy poets glase tot dit gloei soos dit blink. Die wyn word hoflik en selfs gewyd hanteer. Dan kom die groot spanning: die wyn word getoets. Geboei hou ek die ritueel dop. Paul ruik aan die wyn; sy gesig is ‘n masker, sê niks nie. Hy proe aan die wyn [...] Ek hou my asem in. Groot verligting: die wyn het weer die paal gehaal!
Lees volgende week om uit te vind wie die geheimsinnige tant Lucy was en watter rol Dorpstraat 99 in die geskiedenis van die dorp en Victoria College gehad het!
House Lucy
The well-known author Hennie Aucamp writes colourfully in an old brochure (unfortunately undated), about Stellenbosch:
“Stellenbosch isn’t only decor. It is, above all, people.”
Especially so in historic Stellenbosch, where a lot of interesting characters from bygone eras can be found.
In the next few blogs I want to write about ‘House Lucy’ on 99 Dorp Street, ‘n fascinating building dating from around 1814.
‘Aunt Lucy’ was ons of the interesting characters Hennie Aucamp met while a student, and later wrote about in his reflections on Stellenbosch.
According to him she was “the epitomy of concentrated Boland-ness and old-world charm” (My translation)
Here is an extract from Hennie Aucamp’s old brosjure (with credit to the puslishers, KWV).
It was in my helderberg-residence days that I came across aunt Lucy Roux. In that time the vineyard behind aunt Lucy’s house still stretched all the way to the Eerste River. To pick grapes from a vineyard over which there hovers a sense of the unspoilt, was something exciting to a ‘Stormberger’ like me; where I come from the cold weather doesn’t permit fruit. The vineyards does not exists today, but the garden at the back is still there [at the time of publication]. Like the most houses in Dorp Street, aunt Lucy’s house is built right on the sidewalk, and most strangers aren’t aware of the quaint garden behind the stern white facades. By the door overlooking aunt Lucy’s garden,a pergola grows. Beneath it flowerboxes with “Orange Lilies and amarils are found, a bit further away a fig tree, as well as geraniums growing like scrubs. You have to see aunt Lucy working in her kitchen to realise the amount of joy someone can find in their work if fhey find it worthwhile. She prepares her food on a well-used wood stove, and when the need presents itself, she chops the wood herself! And with good food good wine is called for; this piece of cultural wisdom brought me back to 99 Dorp Street week after week. As much as an hour before Sunday lunch Paul of aunt Lucy would start busying himself with the wine for the table. He polishes the glasses untill they glow. The wine is treated cordially, even sacredly. Then comes the big moment: the wine is tasted. Spellbound, I watch the ritual carefully. Paul sniffs the wine, his face like a mask, saying nothing. He tastes the wine [...] I hold my breath. A big relief: the wine has made the grade once again!
Read again next week to find out who exactly the mysterious aunt Lucy was, and what role 99 Dorp Street played in Stellenbosch’s and Victoria College’s history.
copyright: Y Coetsee