Page 139 - The Diary of A. H. W. Behrens

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1881
on my photograph of 1914. Father did the singing and I did the brass band. The congregation sang well and the wind players played well, but more about this later. – Much work! –
Since I was engaged and my bride would be coming out in 1883, I needed a house and had to build it myself so that it would be completed in 1883! I had a salary of ₤ 3 per month, otherwise nothing. The Mission granted and gave me a full ₤ 30 on top and Missionary Chr. Müller drew up a plan for me, but that plan could not be built for ₤ 30. Then Köller’s widow gave me a gift of ₤ 50 for building and for ₤ 80 I built myself a house of burnt bricks that I baked and fired with black workers and then I did the bricklaying etc. Often, I still worked on the bricks, set them and packed them when the moon was shining. Missionary Müller made the doors and windows; trusses and caps were sawn from Tambotie blocks that had been dragged from the fields. With all this work a somewhat run-down Englishman helped me, Mr Gordon, whom we had taken up when he was left alone and was in difficulties. It took many months until the house had been completed. My father helped me wherever and however he could.
My baptism pupils progressed well with our continued classes so that I could end my first baptism school in 1881 and could baptise them all. Among them was Koos Segale, Willem Matgabe and Davide More. (see church register).