Ek is op Stellenbosch gebore en het destyds op Vlottenburg, buite die dorp, gewoon. Ek wonder steeds oor die naam Vlottenburg, miskien was daar baie jare gelede ‘n vlot op die Eersterivier. Die naam van die Plankenbrugrivier kom immers van die eerste plankagtige houtbrug oor daardie sytak van die Eersterivier
Ek het in 1962 by Laerskool Bloemhof met sub A begin. Vir hierdie rede is ek ‘n ere-Oud Bloemhoffer. Ek was in juffrou Laubscher se eerste Sub A-klas. Sy het pas die vorige jaar klaar gestudeer. Ons was 29 kinders in die klas. Toe my suster ‘n paar jaar later in haar Sub A-klas was, het sy intussen mevrou Visser geword.
As ek na die sub A-foto kyk wat ek vandag nog het, herken en onthou ek vir juffrou Laubscher en sommige van my klasmaats. My beste vriend van destyds, Leon Mostert (die Mosterts het naby ons gewoon), is op die foto en Isabeau van Velden staan langs my. Die Van Veldens het ook nie ver van ons af gewoon nie en Isabeau se pa en my pa het saam tennis gespeel. Verder herken ek (in alfabetiese volgorde) vir Nadine Arangies, Riana Botha, Pietie Carinus, Karin Fischer, Braam Joubert, Joey Koen, Hannes Myburgh, Waldo Rust, Egmont Sippel, Kobus Theron, Danie van Niekerk, Danie van Tonder en Folkert Wever.
Klasmaats en vriende het deur die jare gekom en gegaan en vandag het ek nog kontak met George Bezuidenhout (Pretoria), Jannie Linde (Kleinmond), Dirk Loots (Prieska) en Leon Mostert (Paarl).
Ons was ook in sub B in Bloemhof. Daardie jaar was daar ‘n sentlegging en ons is gevra om elkeen ‘n sent vir ‘n oog te bring, dus twee sent elk. Een dogter in die klas se kommentaar was dat sy dit nie sal kan doen nie. Haar pa het pas ‘n kar gekoop en hy het gesê van nou af gaan elke sent vir daai blêrrie kar.
Dit is ook die jaar wat ek amper dood is, want ek het op pad na die skoolbus voor ‘n rooi vragmotor beland toe ek oor die straat gehardloop het. Ek was lank afwesig uit die skool weens my beserings. Tot vandag toe nog is ek baie versigtig vir die hoek van Ryneveld- en Victoriastraat voor Wilgenhof, waar ek seergekry het.
Na sub B is al die seuns saam na Paul Roos Laerskool, waar ons in Standerd 1 begin het. Standerd 2 was vir my baie moeilik, want ons moes blokfluit speel. Ek kon nie die blokfluit bemeester nie en om daardie rede het die onderwyseres (ek het haar van vergeet) niks van my gehou nie. Ek het vandag nog steeds baie respek vir mense wat kan blokfluit speel. Aan die einde van standerd 2 het die onderwyseres vir my gesê ek is anders as al die ander kinders. Ek wonder vandag nog wat sy bedoel het. Was dit ‘n opmerking oor die blokfluit, ‘n kompliment of ‘n belediging?
Ek onthou dat 1 Maart 1966 ‘n fantastiese dag was. Omdat dit die skool se 100ste verjaardag was, het ons ‘n spesiale dag vakansie gekry. Die meisies was baie jaloers, want hulle moes skool toe gaan.
Ek was pas in Paul Roos Gimnasium toe ek my skoolmaats onder tragiese omstandighede moes agterlaat. Albei my ouers is in ‘n noodlottige motorongeluk oorlede en ek, my broer en my suster moes ander heenkome in pleegsorg vind. Ons het na Pretoria na my oupa en ouma Botha verhuis. Ek het in Pretoria aan die Hoërskool Menlopark gematrikuleer. Om hierdie rede is ek baie opgewonde om die reünie by te woon. Ek gaan gewese klasmaats sien wat ek meer as ‘n halfeeu gelede laas gesien het.
Na skool het ek ekonomie aan die Universiteit van Pretoria en aan die Universiteit van KwaZulu-Natal gestudeer. Die grootste deel van my loopbaan was by die SA Reserwebank, waar ek in 2012 afgetree het. Synde gekant teen inflasie, ondersteun ek steeds die SA Reserwebank se beleid daarteen en gebruik die uitdrukking inflation is ungood™, waarop ek ‘n handelsmerk het.
Ek het my in die universiteitswese begewe na my jare by die Reserwebank. Hier het ek geleer dat Henry Kissinger reg was met sy opmerking the reason that university politics are so vicious is because stakes are so small. By die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand was ek hoof van die Skool vir Ekonomiese en Sakewetenskappe en daarna was ek tot my aftrede tussentydse hoof van Wits Bestuurskool (WBS).
Sedert hierdie aftrede is ek besoekende professor by WBS en werk ek as ekonomiese konsultant vir my maatskappy, Jannie Rossouw Consulting (Edms) Bpk. As politieke ekonoom lewer ek mediakommentaar en doen ek radio- en televisie-onderhoude. Ek skryf ook vir verskeie publikasies.
In 1981 was ek en Danie van Tonder saam ekonomie-dosente by die Militêre Akademie in Saldanha. Hy was permanent daar aangestel en ek is vir ‘n drie maandelange militêre kamp daarheen opgeroep omdat die Akademie ‘n tydelike vakante doseerpos gehad het. Destyds moes jong manne diensplig en kampe doen. In daardie tyd het ‘n baie groot geluk my te beurt geval.
Ek het by my suster se studentekoshuis op Stellenbosch aangegaan om haar te groet en ‘n baie mooi eerstejaarstudent in die portaal gesien. Ek het dringend ‘n plan gemaak vas te stel wie sy is. Haar naam was Sunélle Ehlers. Ek en Sunélle moes wag tot sy klaar onderwys gestudeer het, maar ons is reeds meer as 35 jaar baie gelukkig getroud.
Ons woon reeds sowat 35 jaar in dieselfde huis in Waterkloof, Pretoria en Sunélle hou skool by Nuwe Hoopskool vir kinders met spesiale leerbehoeftes en serebrale parese. Ons het twee kinders. Malherbe is ‘n kommersiële hommeltuigoperateur (drone pilot) in Pretoria en Carina is ‘n ouditklerk in Kaapstad. Sy is getroud met Aron Hyman, ‘n ondersoekende joernalis by die Sunday Times.
So dit is ‘n opsomming van 50 jaar se lewe, wat in ‘n oogwink verbygesnel het. Ek het darem een stokperdjie. Ek het ‘n paar klassieke motors (ek kan glad nie self aan hulle werk nie) en my stokperdjie is klassieke motortydrenne met Sunélle as navigator.
Biographical Note on Jannie Rossouw for the Reunion of Paul Roos
I was born in Stellenbosch and at the time lived at Vlottenburg, outside the town. I still wonder about the name Vlottenburg: maybe many years ago there could have been a raft (vlot) on the Eerste River. After all, the name of the Plankenbrug River comes from the first wooden bridge over that tributary of the Eerste River.
I attended Sub A at Bloemhof Primary School (today the building is an art museum) in Ryneveld Street. For this reason I am an honorary Old Bloemhoffer. I was in the first Sub A class of Miss Loubser. She had completed her studies the previous year. We were 29 children in the class. When my sister was in her Sub A class a few years later, she had meanwhile become Mrs Visser.
When I look at the Sub A class photo that I still have today, I recognise and remember Miss Loubser and some of my classmates. My best friend from the time, Leon Mostert (the Mosterts lived near us), is in the photo and so is Isabeau van Velden, who is standing next to me. The Van Veldens also lived close to us and Isabeau’s father and my father were tennis partners. Furthermore, I also recognise (in alphabetical order) Nadine Arangies, Riana Botha, Pietie Carinus, Karin Fischer, Braam Joubert, Joey Koen, Hannes Myburgh, Waldo Rust, Egmont Sippel, Kobus Theron, Danie van Niekerk, Danie van Tonder and Folkert Wever. Classmates and friends came and left over the years and today I still have contact with George Bezuidenhout (Pretoria), Jannie Linde (Kleinmond), Dirk Loots (Prieska) and Leon Mostert (Paarl).
We also completed Sub B in Bloemhof. That year there was a coin collection and we were each asked to bring a cent for an eye, so two cents each. One girl in the class commented that she wouldn’t be able to do it. Her dad had recently bought a car and he had said that from now on every cent will go to that blêrrie car.
That was also the year I almost died, because I was hit by a red truck when I ran across the street on my way to the school bus. I was absent from school for a long time due to my injuries. To this day, I am very vigilant at the corner of Ryneveld Street and Victoria Street in front of Wilgenhof, where this near-fatal incident had occurred.
After completion of Sub B, all the boys went to Paul Roos Primary School, where we started Standard 1. Standard 2 was very difficult for me, because we had to play the recorder. I couldn’t master the recorder and for that reason the teacher (I have forgotten her name) didn’t like me at all. Today I still have a lot of respect for people who can play the recorder. At the end of Standard 2, the teacher told me that I was different from all the other children. I still wonder to this day what she meant. Was it a remark about the recorder, a compliment, or an insult?
I remember that 1 March 1966 was a fantastic day. Being the school’s 100th birthday, we got a special day off. The girls were very jealous because they had to attend school on that day.
After a short period at Paul Roos Gymnasium, I had to leave my school friends behind amidst tragic circumstances. Both my parents died in a fatal car accident and my brother, my sister and I had to be placed in foster care. We moved to Pretoria to my maternal grandfather and grandmother Botha. I matriculated at Menlopark High School in Pretoria. For this reason, I am very excited to attend the reunion. It is an opportunity to see former classmates whom I last saw more than half a century ago.
After school I studied economics at the University of Pretoria and at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. I spent most of my career life with the SA Reserve Bank, where I retired in 2012. Being opposed to inflation, I still support the SA Reserve Bank’s policy against it. I use the expression inflation is ungood™, on which I have a trademark.
After retirement from the SA Reserve Bank, I ventured into university life. Here I learned that Henry Kissinger was right in saying the reason that university politics are so vicious, is because stakes are so small. At the University of the Witwatersrand, I was head of the School of Economic and Business Sciences and until my retirement I served as interim head of Wits Business School (WBS).
Since retirement from the university, I have served as a visiting professor at WBS and work as an economic consultant for my company, Jannie Rossouw Consulting (Pty) Ltd. As a political economist, I provide media commentary and do radio and television interviews. I also write for various publications.
In 1981 Danie van Tonder and I jointly lecturered economics at the Military Academy in Saldanha. He had a permanent appointment and I was called up for a three-month military camp to the Military Academy to fill a temporary vacant teaching position. Those were the days when young men had to do military service and military camps. During that period, I had a fortuitous encounter.
Paying a visit to my sister’s student residence in Stellenbosch to greet her, I saw a very beautiful first year student in the reception area. I made an urgent plan to find out her name, which was Sunélle Ehlers.
Sunélle and I had to wait to be wed until she had completed her teaching studies, but we have been very happily married for more than 35 years.
We have lived in Waterkloof, Pretoria, in the same house for some 35 years. Sunélle teaches at the New Hope School for children with special learning needs and cerebral palsy. We have two children. Malherbe is a commercial drone pilot in Pretoria and Carina is an audit clerk in Cape Town. She is married to Aron Hyman, an investigative journalist at the Sunday Times.
So, this is a summary of more than 50 years of life, which have flown by in the blink of an eye. At least I have one hobby. I have a few classic cars (which I cannot personally work on at all) and my hobby is classic car rallies with Sunélle as navigator.