In order not to create problems between the two of us he was soon given the nick name “Swarte Bart”, and that was the name with which he also entered the family gossip. We met again at the family reunion in 1987, almost 50 years later. My four children,

after meeting this new cousin, came to me and said, rather accusingly:  But Swarte Bart is not black at all!

Bart Heyning (1920)

I grew up isolated from the Heyning family because my parents were divorced, and then getting quite a surprise when my Dad sent me a plane ticket to the 1987 reunion and suddenly meeting all these people with the same surname and realizing I had some cousins!! (up until then, I knew Dad had sisters because they sent birthday cards, but that was it). Funny how families work sometimes.

Laura Heyning (1969)

And then, 72 years later, Julius, grandson of Bart (1920),  studied at University in Melbourne and meets Laura who lives there. They tried to understand how they were related, and when he asked who her father was she answered “Bart Heyning”.  When they sat together and studied the family tree, he said:  hey,  I should call you aunt Laura.  This time shé threatened to slap his face.   Some progress in the family!