Besøg fra New Zealand.
Aner fra nær og fjern begyndte at strømme til det lille Beværterhus midt i Vintersbølle Skov. Klokken nærmede sig 12.00 og dagen var lørdag den 30. juli 2016. Begrebet "fra nær og og fjern" var lige netop denne dag den en meget præcis beskrivelse. Folk fra lokalområdet, fra det øvrige Sjælland, fra Hovedstaden, ja helt fra Fyn kom de - og dette år blev helt særligt ved at også aner fra New Zealand mødte op til Apeltræf 2016. Med fra New Zealand var Peter John Hansen, tiptipoldebarn af Georg Andreas Apel, hans kone Norma, deres ene datter Erica og mand, James.
Dagen startede med et glas samt velkomsttale, der samtidig var årets slægtstale. Anne-Marie og Kasper stod for talen, der i dagens anledning blev holdt på både dansk og engelsk til ære for vores gæster fra New Zealand. Seancen startede fint ude foran Beværterhuset, men en byge havde besluttet sig for at passere forbi, og hele forsamlingen måtte trække indenfor i det lille Beværterhus' største rum. Læs Slægtstalen
I ægte statsbesøgsstil blev slægtstalen krediteret af vores gæster ved en tale af Peter John Hansen - læs talen:
After a generation away from Denmark, contact with the family, for us, was lost as the settlers became New Zealanders. They initially, along with Maori, English, Irish, Scots, Chinese, Scandinavians and Yugolsavs formed a large multicultural melting pot, the beginnings of New Zealand society as it is today - a modern, liberal, friendly and just society of which we are all fiercely proud. A new language and culture was created - Kiwi!
We were very pleased and excited to discover there was an extended family in Denmark who remember the family who emigrated to New Zealand. It has taken a while to find you, but we are here at last.
It was good to meet Steffen on his visit to New Zealand and show him the area where his extended family settled in Mauriceville and where we had read Alice Apel's message in the church visitors' book.
The decision to leave such a beautiful country as Denmark, and their family and friends must have been very difficult to make. They would have been concerned about the dangers of the voyage out and what awaited them on their arrival.
Having arrived safely and travelled to Mauriceville, they were confronted by huge tracts of dense bush, mountains and the wet and cold. They lived in a temporary camp until they could build their slab huts. Living in these conditions was obviously difficult, to say the least, but through hard work and determination they fulfilled their obligations and progressed.
Life in the bush was incredibly dangerous and injuries and death were not uncommon. The issues associated with food and shelter, not to mention the mud and the cold, had to be dealt with. However, Hans and Ane had family and community who supported one another in this unique situation. They demonstrated the values of determination and hard work in such an isolated settlement and this legacy has extended through the generations that have followed. My father, Len, and I and my family were very aware of the contribution our forebears made as we continued farming in the same area; though without the same challenges and sacrifices the settlers made.
We have compiled a booklet and a few photos and some information that may be new about the family history and the area they settled that you may like to look through.
Thank you all very much for including us in this gathering, providing the delightful lunch and showing us the area where our family lived and worked.
Thank you to Kasper for compiling the family tree and providing contact with New Zealand. We really appreciate it all.
Thanks to Anne-Marie and all of her family for welcoming us to the area yesterday and to Steffen for his fantastic cycling tour of Copenhagen.
Herpå stod den på dansk frokostbord på sammenskudsmanér, hvor alle havde taget en dansk frokostret med. Det var en sand luksusfrokost med alt hvad hjertet kunne begære. Vores New Zealandske famile kunne her opleve den danske traditionelle madstil.
Efter frokosten viste Anne-Marie Apel Jacobsen rundt i Vintersbølle Skoven og turen gik til Blegen, hvor der blev fortalt om tidligere tiders store arbejde med blegningen af stof. Det er et historisk øjeblik hvad end det er første gang eller hvert år at nærme sig Beværterhuset, og tage gåturen ned på Blegen vidende om det store arbejde der engang blev udført i skoven og på blegen.
Vel tilbage ved Beværterhuset står den som traditionen byder på kaffe og Apelkage samt nærstudie af slægtstræet, der er lagt ud i sin lange form på bordet i Beværterhuset. Stadig flere navne kommer på træet, og selvfølgelig var vores New Zealandske gren blevet opdateret. Efter dagen var slut blev den lange papirsudgave af slægtstræet foræret til Peter og Norma, som kunne tage den med tilbage til New Zealand.
På gensyn til næste Apeltræf 2017.
Materiale fra 2016
Billeder 2016 - Ovenstående billeder er taget af Kasper Beck Hemmingsen.
Apel-træf 2016 - folder
Indhold: Program, Tema: Jubilæum – tilbage til rødderne.
Apel Slægtstalen 2016 - tale
- af Anne-Marie Apel Jacobsen og Kasper Beck Hemmingsen.
Gæstetale 2016 - tale
- af Peter John Hansen