Book Description

Some might say we are what we inherit. Others may suggest that one ought to ponder over where we come from, claiming that it serves as a moral compass and guides us on our journey through life. Our lives would scarcely be interesting if we were able to predict the details of our destination. Instead one should savour the experiences and embrace the journey. Amelia Binneman was a farmer's daughter, a Boer woman whose light shone brightly. From the outset she had a clear perception of the life she wanted, a life etched in her dreams and expectations. One night of passion during her final year at school changed everything. All the dreams she had and the pledges she ever made, were in jeopardy. It prompted her into leaving the Cape Colony and joining her parents on a journey to Springfontein, a remote village in the Republic of the Orange Free State, where they began farming. The story is told against the background of the Anglo Boer War in 1899 and describes Amelia's journey of survival, taken by women and children. It tells of the gold rush on the Witwatersrand and how the leaders chose war while grasping at greed, allowing the option of peace to pass them by. It explores the lives of ordinary people who were caught up in the turmoil of this war, some of whom were incarcerated in refugee camps. It tells of an intrepid group of people, who abandoned their farm to escape the dominance of the British, and who were given refuge by a Koranna tribe in a settlement near the Basotholand border. It is here that Amelia meets the benevolent Chief Thaba and the intimidating Pulani, a sangoma with whom she forges a relationship and discovers a remarkable cure for one of the many ailments that ravaged the lives of children during the war. After learning that her mother Helena and companion Mieta were captured and relocated to a new camp at Norvals Pont, Amelia and her son Daniel attempt a daring mission to rescue them. The story describes the events that led Amelia's father Christoffel Binneman, to assist Generals De la Rey, De Wet and others, before they assembled at Melrose House in Pretoria on the 31st May 1902, to sign the Peace Treaty of Vereeniging. It describes the futility of this war.