In Feb 1972 we purchased 56 Daphne Road in Maroelana, Pretoria. This was a simple, small 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house in an small, rather unknown suburb. But it was in a good area, only a few blocks from the Pretoria Country Club, Waterkloof, Lynwood, Brooklyn, etc. We paid R20 000 for the house. And even that was a stretch for us as the maximum bond was 75% so we had to put down a R5 000 deposit. We financed that by selling the Camaro + a loan from Henry and Med. Starting out in the housing market is never easy. This period was particular difficult as when we purchased the bond rates were 6% but increased to 14% by 1975, more than doubling the bond repayment. They were tough times, only saved by the fact that Jenny started teaching.
I was working at the CSIR, 10 mins drive away and there was a bus to the CSIR that passed within one block of the house, so we only needed one car, which was a big saving. Doug went to Brooklyn Primary initially which was only 5 mins away, and then moved to WHPS (Waterkloof House Primary School) when Jenny started teaching at St Mary's DSG. Sue went to Sungarden pre-primary then St Mary's.
I cut my teeth learning to build on this house as we could't afford builders. Some of the work included:
Stripping and replumbing the kitchen (with the help of a colleague at CSIR who's father was a plumber. This was using galvanised piping, so not easy...)
Replacing the entire kitchen. (The existing cupboards were rotten and I demolished the entire kitchen in 30 minutes with a few kicks.)
Tiling the kitchen floor and walls. We used a lovely tile with red and brown floral pattern on a white background, which I later cursed as it showed the dirt easily and I always had to mop it after virtually every meal when Rebeca was off duty.
Wall papering the dining room and lounge, including the dining room ceiling with a striking floral. When we sold the house, a heard a prospective purchaser comment when they saw the ceiling: "Must have been hippies living here"! We were probably under the influence of 'flower power' when we decorated.
Hot and cold plumbing to Rebecca's bathroom for a shower. There was no hot water there, nor even a basin.
Electrical and plumbing to the outside room to turn it into a laundry
Adding a second bathroom and dressing room for Jenny.
Floor to ceiling shelving in the study
Adding on the family room. This was innovatively designed by an architect to be seperate from the house but connected by a link. It divided the front and back gardens and transformed the house. It also had open beams and high knotty pine ceilings, which made the house lok far more modern.
Building the swimming pool
Adding a carport for the second car we eventually acquired.
But the main work was establishing a garden as the house had only bare veld with not a single plant apart from a number of fruit trees (plum and peach). We bought gardening books and set to learning how and what to plant. It was hard work but fun.
July 1972 Starting the garden. Jenny & Sue
July 1972 Starting the garden. Doug, Sue and Jenny . It was family affair!
Dec 1972 Within a few months there was an attractive herbaceous border
Sue watering the garden...
1975 Border well established. Jenny, Sue & Doug. We followed the advice in our trusted garden books and planted small pots. (Helped in our case that we could not afford big plants! ) But sure enough, as the garden books had told us, within a year or so they had outgrown the bigger pots!
The go-carts I made for Doug and Sue. They had endless fun as it was possible to go all round the house in them.
... and Doug
1976 Tony, Jenny, Sue. looking from the street, house almost invisible
1978 The garden well established and looking lovely. Very satisfying.
1975 Sue and Doug enjoying a run in the front garden. It was not a large stand, but there was space for games.
1975 Doug and Sue climbing the one tree that existed - a mimosa. One birthday, I set up a foofie-slide from the tree. The kids had fun.
1979 Doug and Sue in front garden
1979 Sue & Tony
and a magnificent Pride-of-India
1979 Doug and Sue in front garden
1978 Sue in front garden
1976 Doug and Raffles in back garden
Raffles was a very large, male Alsatian! He scared the living daylights out of many...
1976 Henry, Iris (from UK), Jenny, Tony, Med, Sue & Doug
Med and Henry visited often even though our space was limited. Doug would move into Sue's room (using a double bunk) and I made a pull out double bed to use in Doug's room. This bed, made form Kiaat, is still in use at Betty's in 2025, 50 years later!
The back garden had an ugly, unusable 'hole', so we filled it in with a swimming pool. It made for a very attractive entertainment area opening out from the family room across a stretch of lawn to the pool. We planted a plane tree to provide shade in summer. It was of course far too big for this small garden and by the time we left the house in 1981 it was already filling the space. We had actually planted several large trees and when Sue visited the house years later, it was 'lost in the jungle'. A 2025 Google Earth view indicates many are still standing.
Hole in back garden
We knew a pool was coming so we just let a creeper ramble over the area.
1974 Sue and Doug jumping into the pool excavation
Having fun in the finished pool...
1979 Doug & Sue & Granny Heher.
1980 Sue
There was a park along the spruit just a block from the house and Doug, Sue and Raffles had endless fun playing there. Swinging on a giant swing, learning to ride their bikes, playing frisbee. These were carefree times where they could go off on their own for several hours. And that was when Sue was just 5 and Doug 7
1976 Sue, Doug and Raffles setting off for the park
Playing frisbee
Big swing
Doug learning to ride
Doug sending Sue off on a swing
....the story continues 1973 - 1979 Doug, Sue & family holidays etc