SEEING the photographs of the historic cemetery on Paarl Mountain (Paarl Post 2 April) brought such fond memories to mind.
As a child that was our pathway into town to buy groceries and visit our grandparents that lived in Paarl South where the Paarl Mall is now situated.
We had to pass a tree that used to be at the entrance of the graveyard, called ‘Welcome Tree’.
Walking through the winding paths between the graves with nobody to bother you, was quiet and restful.
I usually rested on the grave of two English soldiers Leonard and Henry White (I think two brothers) who died during the war, and always wondered about them so far away from their home.
We used to read the names of the prominent Paarl residents and worked out the dates.
We were afraid at night because some older people said they saw ghosts (I never did).
My late father told us that he was a home guard during the Second World war. Their duty was to make sure that all the lights were out, when the sirens went off.
There was always a light in the graveyard. They usually rushed to investigate, to find nothing unusual. It may have been a prankster - they never found out.
It is a wonderful suggestion to restore the graves for future generations because of the historic graves of slaves like Jason Adams, Wiltens and others buried there, and some of our ancestors.Margaret Fortuin, Magennis St, Paarl
