Dear Wally.
Thanks for yours. I am glad the work goes with happiness & interest. Your Mother let us share a nice long letter full of enthusiasm. Your Uncle & I are particularly pleased about the demonstratorship. There is nothing like helping t[o] explain t others for making one’s own knowledge simple lucid & fixed in one’s own mind.
I am sending you a cheque crossed – so you will have to pay it into the bank & wait a couple of days before drawing it out.
Are you keeping an account of your expenditure? If you are & if you will allow me – I should like t glance over it when you come for the week-end. It will give me an idea of what is needed would I ever want to help another lad or lass.
Your Uncle has started a portrait of old Mr de la Bat - & he has also an artist-friend staying with him – so things are quite busy.
I haven’t seen your Mother for a little while – but hope t do so soon – We always have plenty t talk about when we do meet for her heart & thoughts are full of you four “children” & your doings. As ?we & women in the work-a-day world she is as proud of you as when you were little things beginning school!
Oom Piet’s love & mine t you
Your Aunt Julie
Dear Wally,
It was nice t[o] hear from Pieter of you & I’m glad you & he had a nice time together. He evidently enjoyed being the guest of the ‘Varsity students - & they have got a move on as regards the long talked of exhibition. I hope it will come to something – but whether I shall be allowed t grace the show, I have doubts. I think I’d be more in the way than anything else - & he’d better cool my heels elsewhere.
I enclose the cheque you want & hope it will be in time for your needs – I made application at once – but it takes some time t get & must then be paid int[o] the bank for 24hrs before it can be drawn out again. What a nice world it w[oul]d be t live in if there was no ‘red tape’. Saw that dear brave Mother of yours the other day – but she was looking tired. I just long for the time when she can get out of that boarding-house, & you lads make it your care – with Joan – to give her for a short while, what she has been giving you all, all your lives. Your coming home will cheer her up I know - & we too shall be glad t have you coming in & out.
With love from us both
Yours
Aunt Julie
On 14 June 1938, as a gift to Worcester, the Artist “offered to the municipality all his paintings remaining unsold at the time of his death, to form the nucleus of a Huguenot Memorial Art Gallery to be established at Worcester”.52
The following two letters from “Uncle Pieter” to “Wollie” date from 1938:
The Studio.
Oct.27th/38 [1938]
Dear Wolly. Your mother told me that you had mentioned money for the fees of the MSc. so I forthwith wrote for the withdrawal notice & here is the cheque for £25. I hope this will supply the needs of the Exam. Aunt J. [Julie] is still very poorly. Now that the eye is better (we had du Toit the Eye Specialist out)53
the gland on the side of the neck & throat is forming into an absis (how does one spell this thing?) [abscess] causing great pain & temperatures running up & down – the poor dear has already suffered so much.
Work well & happily - & all success
Love from us both Y[ou]rs
Uncle Pieter
The Studio.
Nov 16th ‘38.
Dear Wolly.
Pierre wrote to say he was coming home on the 26th I think - when he shall have done with his Exams. How far are you & how have things gone? Don’t take this for a question – I only want to say that we are conscious of your efforts & wish you every success. You can come to us or go to Dolly’s – they say you are welcome there – but you can share The Studio or the ‘boatdeck’ porch & stay here until you go to Kimberly. How are your finances? When y[ou]r.mother is away I suppose we ought to look after you. Auntie Julie has been wonderfully free of pain & has not much discomfort. We don’t know whether it is a real ‘turning the corner’ or only a lull.
I do hope something else will not come now. We have been cheated so often & had our hopes dashed that we are shying like a [sic] badly treated horses – But we must trust for the best. When you care to come, do – your place is ready. Love from us both - yrs Uncle Pieter.
Aunt Julie died on 28 December 1938. In her tribute to the Artist, his niece Joan recalls:
Julie was strong spirited but never very healthy. But even later when she became seriously ill, she wanted to protect Pieter. One evening, not long before her death, when all the visitors had left, he sat alone by her bedside whilst she dozed. That night he was also ‘in a lonely place, apart’. He wrote a letter to us and amongst other things, said: ‘Why didn’t Julie tell me how seriously ill she was?’
Her passing was announced in the Cape Argus of 28 December 1938 and Cape Times of 29 December 1938, giving details of her funeral service on Thursday afternoon at 4 o’clock [16h00] in St. James’ Church, Worcester, thereafter to the cemetery.
Amongst the Brown Family Papers (BC 597 A62) is the Human & Pitt memorial record for the late Julia Mary Naudé, with a long “Wreath List” and a cutting from the Worcester Standard & Advertiser dated 31st. December 1938 which has been typed out as follows:
Death of Mrs. Naude
Long Public Service at Worcester
WE regret to announce the death of Mrs. J.M. Naude, wife of the South African artist, at her residence, “The Studio,” Worcester, on Wednesday morning.
The funeral took place on Thursday. Mrs. Julia Mary Naude, wife of Mr. Hugo Naude of Worcester, died at her home, “The Studio,” on Wednesday morning after a lingering illness. She was 61 years of age.
Her remains were laid before the altar in St.James’ Church, Worcester, that evening, and on Thursday early morning a Requiem Celebration was said.
The funeral took place that afternoon from the church and was attended by a large and representative gathering drawn from all parts of the Cape and from all sections of the community of Worcester. The Rector (the Rev. W.A.C. Kingon) conducted the service, assisted by the Revs. A.J.S. Lewis (Capetown), W. Amcoats (St.Andrew’s Newlands), A. Pierce-Jones (All Saints, Roodebloom), R.E. Tattersall (St. Johns, Capetown, and W.M. Breach (St. Andrew’s, Ceres). Other clergy present and who assisted at the graveside were the Rev. J.S. Murray and the Rev. A.W. Glasson; and in the church were present Pastor E. Sprengel, Dr. W. Murray the Rev. D.P. Gordon, and others.
“A MARVELLOUS LIFE”
There were very many wreaths, and these filled the Chancel and were hung over the tops of the pews. The church itself was crowded, and a large number of [locals] were present. Mr. Harry Greenwood was at the organ.
Mr. Kingon, who addressed the congregation, chose as his text words, “It is the Lord.”
He said that it was not customary in the Anglican Church to preach a sermon on such an occasion, but he felt it would be most unbecoming, not only to the Church but to the community as a whole, if some expression were not made of appreciation of the marvellous life which had just passed from its midst.
MEMORIAL SERVICE
A memorial service will be held in St. James’ Church, Worcester, on Sunday (January 8) for [locals] of all denominations. The service will be conducted by the Rev. W.A.C. Kingon, L.Th. and the sermon will be preached by the Rev. D.P. Gordon.
Touching on the personal contact of his family and himself with Mrs. Naude and her parents, he said one could not help being overcome by the spontaneity with which Mr. Naude’s friends, both clergy and laymen, had gathered round him in his hour of trial. Mr. Naude had expressed the wish that there should be nothing sentimental about this service. Therefore it had its joyous side.
STRIVEN TO UPLIFT
The first hymn, “Now the Labourer’s task is O’er” expressed the conclusion of Mrs. Naude’s work in Worcester. She had laboured not only for the [more affluent members of the] congregation, but she had tried to uplift and stimulate among the [locals] that sense, and those ideals which they ought to have for Christ.
The second hymn had the lines, “Jesus my Shepherd, Husband, Friend.” That typified her attitude towards life, both material and spiritual. She had striven to uplift the [locals], irrespective of sect or creed; and she had told him that her inspiration had come from the Altar every Thursday morning.
The third hymn was triumphant, “Praise my Soul the King of Heaven” a definite act of thanksgiving to God for the life that had been given to Worcester, and the marvellous spiritual life she led.
AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW
“She has been an example to all women, and to men as well for that matter,” said Mr. Kingon. “Hers is an example that all Worcester can follow. Although it is a sad thing to lay her to rest, I ask you to look upon this service not as a bounden duty and service because she lived among you all these years, but to see in this what the closing of a chapter of a Christian life really can be.
“I exhort you to remember what she had done, to remember that there is only one thing in life – to live for Christ and to live in Christ. Take her example, look around you and see what you can do to improve conditions for [all] in that same devotional, quiet and unobtrusive way she went about her task.”
Mrs. Naude, he concluded, had been gathered to the Saints – gone to a well-earned rest.
AT THE GRAVESIDE
After the conclusion of the service in the Church, the coffin was borne to the hearse by six ex-Scouts, Messrs. Pierre de Kock, Scottie Sacks, N.C. Krone jun., D. Naude, G. Minnaar and Denis Walters.
A long procession wended its way to the Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery where the interment took place. Here the service at the graveside was conducted by the Rev. W. Amcoats, a personal friend of the family and for thirteen years Rector of Worcester:
Portrait painted by Naudé (author’s insert): oil on canvas 60 x 50cm, signed “H.Naudé” lower right (Roets, p.179, App.B no.13). The Hugo Naudé House inherited it from Mrs B.J. Amcoats (not in the 1979 catalogue). Curator, Anél O’Neill, said that Rev Amcoats gave the Artist accommodation in the Netherlands (communicated during a visit to The Studio on 26 June 2019).
The Rev. A.W. Glasson brought a message of sympathy from the Congregational Church and an appreciation of a “beautiful life” spent in the service of the town and God.
The Rev. J.S. Murray closed the service with an inspiring prayer.
A LIFE OF SERVICE
One day when the history of the development of social services comes to be written, the name of Julia Naude will figure among the names of pioneers in this important field.
Here at Worcester she laid the foundations of a model social service among [locals], inspiring others through her great spirituality and shaping its course with the practical-mindedness derived from her Scottish blood.
She was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, a daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. John Brown. Her father practised at Fraserburg and for a time at Worcester when he acted as locum tenens for the late Dr. Hugo. Her only surviving sister is Mrs. Dick, who lives in Natal. She was a grand-daughter of the late Mr. Henry Solomon, and a grand-niece of the late Mr. Saul Solomon, at one time premier of the Cape Colony.
ZEAL AND ENTHUSIASM
Her own mother was an ardent worker for women’s suffrage and temperance, and she inherited much of that fiery zeal and enthusiasm from her.
She married Mr. Hugo Naude in July, 1914, at Rondebosch, shortly after he returned from overseas, and they came to live in Worcester.
Here she first evidenced a great interest in the blind, especially in the blind girls for whom she had a deep and understanding sympathy. She felt that she ought to learn Braille, and her teacher was Mrs. Harry Greenwood, one of her intimate friends. She proved to be a quick and apt pupil. Few people know that she spent much time in copying works not already in Braille, which have been of great service to the blind.
Very few people do really know how much she has meant to Worcester in many different spheres. Her interest in the Boys Scout and Cub movements, of course, is known throughout South Africa. Hundreds of local boys thought the world of “Blanca,” as they knew her, and she and her husband came to be a definite force in the moulding of their characters. They both loved youth, and the boys of the Worcester scouts reciprocated that affection.
POWERFUL INFLUENCE
Fourteen years ago, the conditions under which [locals] were living received the greater part of her attention. She sought the assistance of people who were interested in welfare work, and from a small beginning the [Community] Nursing Association was founded, from which has grown a number of useful clinics.
The Association has become a powerful influence for the betterment of living conditions in the [local] quarters.
It was her idea, too, to call upon business houses and employers of labour to contribute one shilling monthly for each [local] employee to the funds of the Association, this contribution entitling the employee to medical and nursing benefits through the Association.
She was not only an organiser but a worker. She went into [local] people’s homes, picked up their children, talked to them and tried to impart some of her great spiritual sense to them. Much of it went home.
A [local] who had attended her funeral, stopped a representative of the Worcester S. & A. as he left the cemetery and said, “It is not perhaps known that Mrs. Naude helped many [local] students to acquire books for their studies. Some of them might have had to stop studying but for her help.”
And then her Church. There are only a few, mainly concerned with finance, who realise what the support given by her husband and herself meant to the church. She was a pious woman in the best sense.
Frail of body and physically unwell, she carried out all these self-imposed tasks, never neglecting the first charge of her husband and home. To her husband she was a complete partner, and to him her loss is irreparable. Worcester is the poorer for her passing, but “The Studio” has lost something that cannot be replaced.
To Mr. Hugo Naude we offer our sincere sympathy.
A LOVELY CHRISTIAN
Blanca Naude has gone and Worcester is a great deal poorer by her going. Only those who came in close contact with her could really appreciate her sterling worth – writes “One who admired and loved her.”
It is perhaps not well known, but for many years she has been in very poor health and yet she never spared herself in her efforts to ease the burdens of others – help always of a practical nature.
No one was ever turned away who knocked at her door for assistance. There was a special room for those who had nowhere to sleep. Her charities were numerous and her charitable interests many.
She identified herself with all local charitable organisations; indeed her great ideal was that a sort of Community Chest could be established locally.
The Salvation Army had a staunch friend in her and also the [Community] Clinic and allied [Community] Nurses Association. As a matter of fact she was one of the prime movers in the formation of the latter two. They will miss her.
Then the Sister Nannie Home and the House of Bethany to name only a few.
CUB-MISTRESS
But we cannot omit referring to her as the original local cub-mistress. Many boys are grown up who started with her as cubs. Lately she could not take the same active part in the rallies but a big slice of her great heart went out to her cubs. She was their Blanca – and now?
And what a lovely christian. Always ready and able to render practical assistance to those who had spiritual difficulties. Her Lord was to her a fact.
She worshipped Him in faith and truth. She loved her church and all it stands for.
And what faith she had in the power of prayer. Many were the instances of answered prayer which she told us of.
To many of us she was indispensable, but it willed God to take her from us. We mourn but not as those who have no hope.
Our sincere sympathy and all our hearts go out to “Artist” in this his sad hour of trial, with the prayer that he may receive the grace to bear it.
A photograph was taken by Olive Schreiner of Baby day at the Worcester clinic:54
