WHEN Avril Brand lived on Robin Island her home was overlooked by the old Irish cross used by exiled Irish Catholics as a place of worship in the 1800s.
The majority of these Irish expatri- ates were banished to Van Diemen’s land by the ruling British in the 19th century, with a pit stop on the South African island to be used as labour- CHa DOM BOLom OND EN ToNe
For others life in the small west Af- rican island had become unbearable due to foreign rule and famine and the boat was the best hope of surviv- al, even in another land that colonists fought and killed for.
Almost two centuries on and like many South Africans, Avril and her husband Gerhart made the journey to the native home of those exiles in the hope of finding peace and a new life.
Now settled in their west Clare cot- tage, the photo on the mantle piece is not that of de Valera but of politi- cal hero Nelson Mandela, and on the walls, vibrant paintings of native Af- rican animals replace the traditional Sacred Heart.
With reminders of their homeland peppered around the walls, their new Tullybrack house is now home and life in Ireland has quickly become the way of life for the former Robin Island tourist guide and her former prison warden husband.
Born in Cape Town, Avril and her husband moved to the wine region of
South Africa after they got married. Then for six years they lived on the world famous Robin Island.
Her husband was the prison warden on the island for six of the eight years it functioned as a “regular” prison and signed the amnesty of the last political prisoners to leave the infa- mous prison when he first arrived.
At the time Avril worked as a tour- ist guide for the prison services and later worked for the Robin Island Museum when the prison became a national monument.
It was through this job that she met Mandela numerous times as he brought friends and dignitaries on a tour of the prison he was incarcer- ated in for almost 20 years.
Looking at the signed picture that takes pride of place in her sitting room she recalled, ““What a man. He always remembered a face.
“Our greatest hope was Nelson Mandela and we had a great few years (after he became president),”’ she said.
After the election of Thabo Mbeki, Avril said that the great African hope was gone as “reverse racism” replaced apartheid.
“As an ex-prison officer, even though he worked there after all the political prisoners had been released, it was impossible for my husband to get work,’ she said.
Violence became commonplace as robberies, rape, and torture were inflicted randomly. Many of those to meet a torturous end were friends of the Tullybrack residents. Life was
becoming unbearable.
“When you start going out with a revolver and sleeping with a revolver, and you know you will have to shoot to kill, it is time to move, because you have stopped being yourself,’ she said.
In 2002 her husband saw an adver- tisement for jobs in Ireland.
‘He didn’t know where Ireland was so I had to show him on a map,” she laughed.
Always interested in history Avril recalled how she had read the history of Brian Bort: long before she ever thought of coming to Ireland.
She laughed as she recalls the re- action of friends and family to her proposed move.
‘People would say “oh you are go- ing to Ireland, that is a very danger- ous place,’ and they were having friends being killed left, right and Cons tonee
Her husband got a job with Tesco and moved to the country he was soon to learn a lot about.
Avril and one of her three daugh- ters followed soon after.
After six months in Dublin, they moved to Ennis where they lived for two years.
“Then we got the dog and decided to settle. Ireland really became home when we got the dog so we needed to get a home, and | wanted to get out of the town and into the country.”
The couple bought the house in Tullybrack and moved in with their rescued dog Butti (meaning little brother), who is probably the only
dog in west Clare that understands Afrikaans better than English and Irish.
“When we were coming to Ireland we decided to find out what Irish people are like and that we would adapt to how they live. We know a few South Africans here, but most of our friends are Irish. They find us weird and we think they are weird, but we are very similar. We have the same set of values, very similar cul- tures, likes and dislikes and a very similar history,” she said.
“T miss South Africa, but with sev- eral years passed you forget and start to romanticise. Then you hear what is happening and you realise how lucky you are.
‘The freedom you have here is in- credible. To be able to go for a walk with the dog without worrying what will happen is wonderful. Ireland is so beautiful. I don’t like driving so much because you miss the scenery and the changing of the seasons. You don’t have that in South Africa,’ she Cree
“And our neighbours are wonder- ful. They are still people in the sense that they still care and they are won- derful.”
Avril is better known in west Clare for her art. Although her first memo- ries of drawing are not necessarily happy ones, having being chastised as a child for her drawings in school, Avril is now happy to fill her days painting and introducing others to the art.
She has never had an art lesson in
her life, as art was not encouraged as a career path when she grew up.
Instead she taught herself the tech- niques needed to produce amazing paintings of wild animals and scen- ery.
Now Avril is inviting people into her home for individual lessons and one-day courses for small groups.
Those who avail of the course do not even have to bring their own materials as she provides all that 1s required for an introduction into the world of oil painting.
“I give people canvas to draw on – giving them paper is patronising – and when they have finished painting on the canvas they can take it home. They will have something for them- selves to encourage them to continue Oe RUNLn en tcame
While not everyone can draw, Avril believes that everyone can paint.
“I don’t like using photos in the class. Instead I bring them back to their childhood, to a time when you draw from what is within you. Chil- dren have no inhibitions,’ said the talented artist.
Ms Brand initially started the one- day course as a one-off experience, but it proved so popular that she is now holding introductory workshops in her home in Tullybrack during most Sundays.
Information on her art and her workshops are available from www. clareartist.com.