When our eldest daughter Cheryl and her husband Pierre told us they were leaving South Africa, I was dissapointed. I have never wanted anyone to leave South Africa, least of all the Guptas. Like whoever, I also had a dream, and the country needed all the dreamers, especially those that would have big positive dreams. They were needed to build a New South Africa, a better place for all South Africans.

It was however not all bad. Their first stop was Ireland, and both their children were born there. We naturally got to visit them in Ireland, and I loved the place, especially the folk one would meet in the countryside. We all know that Ireland is a wet place, and so the Delports headed South again, to Perth in Western Australia. My wife Edith has ties to Australia that were reaffirmed when her big sister and her family also left South Africa and settled in Perth.

We (Edith, Cheryl, Bruce and Heather) visited Perth during January 1992, We were headed for Melbourne where I would spend the first semester at Monash University. Thanks to the support of the university we were very comfortable there, and everyone benefited from, and enjoyed, the visit.

Since then we have been back to visit the Delports, and on one occasion, we were accompanied by our son Bruce, and Heather together with her husband Andrew and their children. I enjoyed all these visits, but once again, it was never going to be home for me. The Delports however did settle, and have flourished.

So what am I going on about. Well it is to celebrate our grandchildren, we love them all. Also the Springbok Rugby World Cup victory, and finally the bokkie either side of blog title. It was carved into a table top made by our Perth grandson during his school woodwork class, and yes, they still teach woodwork at school in Oz!