Our residents – Louis, is from Durban, and Barbara is from Camps Bay, although her family moved to Durban when she was six. The couple met at university, was introduced by a friend, and has been married for 56 years as of this December.
Louis worked for Unilever for over 30 years alongside notable figures like Whitey Basson of Checkers fame. Before joining Unilever, he spent a couple of years as an undertaker, a choice influenced by his father, who owned an Avbob Agency in Durban where their family lived above the business. Barbara attended Natal Technicon and became a home economics teacher in Stanger on the North Coast, eventually becoming a lecturer at TEC in Durban before retiring. Their life with Unilever took them to various places, including a beloved stint in Nairobi, Kenya. Louis has always been active in his spare time, starting a graphic design and publishing business with his son, which began with a newsletter for the golfing estate they lived on in Mount Edgecombe, just outside Durban. They built this into a successful business, and after selling it, Louis turned his attention to charity work, getting involved in a variety of charitable activities in Durban. So when they finally retired to The Somerset, Louis naturally continued his charitable endeavors, helping to found ‘Seed of Hope,’ which offers various programmes and commodities to the needy in local townships.
Seed of Hope
It all started when the Meyers chatted with a waitress at the Clubhouse. Ruqayyah Daniels mentioned the soup kitchens she and her mother ran in a nearby village. Louis expressed interest in getting involved, and the initiative quickly grew. Realising that the soup ran out quickly, Louis sought a more sustainable approach and, through his church, discovered other outreach programmes in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village. He was particularly impressed by a woman named Fiela, who ran six soup kitchens – despite having grown up under a bridge. Her dream was to start a vegetable garden, and with Louis’s help, various gardens were developed at local homes. Although Louis was the initiator, many other Somerset residents have joined in, including retired captains of industry who contribute their energy, connections, and capital. They identified a piece of land to develop larger gardens to feed and occupy the local people. There’s always great energy when people come together to do something for others, and when Easter came around this year the call went out for Easter eggs for the kids in the village. Instead of the 150 eggs they were hoping for, 900 eggs were collected and handed out to delighted kids.
Seed of Hope expanded their efforts to support other outreach programmes with clothing, blankets, and other essentials. A former math teacher even offered to teach math to the village kids. During a recent taxi strike, which disrupted food supplies, especially bread, Seed of Hope stepped in to help. They are also exploring ways to help talented individuals in the village establish small businesses.
Retirement can often lead to depression as people who once led busy lives find themselves with little to do. Seed of Hope not only assist those in need but also provide a sense of purpose to The Somerset residents who might have thought the important part of their lives was behind them.
