Autobiographical Sketch 1969

BEATRICE PHILIPPA DRYDEN DYMOND POWRIE

Krugersdorp Branch

Date Born: 26th September, 1917 : Mossel Bay C.P.
Married to: C. Kenneth Powrie : 4th September, 1943
Children: Judith, Timothy, Jane, Leslie & Ronald
Father: Richard George Dymond
Mother: Ethel Dryden

I was named Beatrice because it means Blessed, and Philippa after Robert Browning's “Pippa Passes” and a novel, “The Girl Philippa”.

My mother was my father's second wife. My father had nine children by his first wife, Ann (Nancy) Margaret Dickson, and five by my mother, I was the fifth.

My father's first wife died in 1891 and he married my mother in April, 1898 when he was fifty and she was twenty.

My father, and his younger brother, Charlie Dymond, were born at Callington, Cornwall, England and came out to this country in 1867 when my father was 27 years old. He worked in Cape Town for three years and then moved to Mossel Bay where he eventually became the Senior Partner in the firm Hudson, Vrede & Co. in the “South African Who's Who” (1914, 8th Edition) it says of him “The development of Mossel Bay is largely due to his enterprise and it is one of the most progressive towns on the South Eastern seaboard. He has been a member of the Harbour Board since 1897, and also of the Chamber of Commerce and has been a Director of the Mossel Bay Boating Co. since 1900.”

His eldest son, Walter Wenmoth Dickson Dymond, married my mother's younger sister, Theresa Isabel Dryden and this started our genealogical mixup - as you will see.

His sixth child, Ida May Earp Jones, was the first white woman to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

In 1880 my maternal grandmother and her sister came out to this country with their husbands and children, for health reasons. Great Aunt Isabella Dianah Hughes (Mrs. Capt. W.H. Mason) died of Tuberculosis less than a year later, her second baby daughter dying with her.

My maternal grandparents were John (Jack) Little Dryden, Sea Capt., and Marie (Minnie) Elizabeth Hughes. They had lost their first two children, the first at 8 months, the second at two months, and my mother, their third child, was three years old when they came to this country. Their fourth child, also born in England, died at Knysna. at the age of two years, but they had four more children born in this country, all of whom survived.

Their fifth child, Capt. Walter Dryden, was the first South African to captain a Union Castle Liner - the “Rochester Castle”. Their sixth child, Theresa Isabel, married my half-brother, Walter W.D. Dymond and their seventh child, Winifred Enid, married my husband's father, Kenneth Oldham Powrie!

So, father and son Dymond married two sisters, Ethel and Theresa, and the third sister, Winifred, married a Powrie. Then, Winifred's son, Kenneth, married Ethel's daughter, me, and Winifred's daughter, Pixie, married Theresa's son, Richard Paul. Paul is therefore my first cousin through his mother, my nephew through his father and my brother-in-law through his

Richard Paul Dryden Dymond has had an interesting sea career, like his uncle and grandfather before him. He was the officer chosen to go over to England during the last war in command of the contingent which went to receive the three frigates, “Cape of Good Hope”, “Transvaal” and “Natal”. My husband was at this time the Yeoman of Signals on Paul's ship. Paul was also the officer chosen to plant the South African flag on Marion Island to claim it for South Africa, and he walked ahead in the middle of the street in Simonstown to accept the symbolic key, when Britain handed the command of the Harbour back to the S.A. Navy. He was later S.A. Naval Attaché in Portugal and then Commanding Officer of Simonstown Harbour, and was one of the pall-bearer at the funeral of the late Dr. H.F. Verwoerd. He recently retired as Commodore.

After presenting my father with three daughters, my mother had her only son, Michael, who died a few hours after birth. I was born eleven months later, as compensation, on my mother's birthday, the youngest of a large double family, who would most probably never have been born to that family if it had not for the death of my brother. I have been very conscious of this fact since my fourteenth birthday, when I first discovered I had had a brother of my own. I remember that my mother always called me her Benjamin.

When I was 8 months old the family moved to Cape Town and I grew up in Tamboerskloof. My father died when I was 7½ years old and I grew up a difficult, headstrong, untamed child, used to running wild on the hillside a short way away from our house. In my early teens I wrote a poem which illustrates my youth. It was called

“Escape” –

I escaped one afternoon,
Away from convention and the tedium of a Sunday afternoon at home.
Up on the hill, with the sound of the wind in the trees.
What a boon!
There were clouds in the sky,
Little fluffy ones, and the sky so blue.
White star-flowers were shining 'mongst pine needles,
Lovely and shy.
Freedom of soul!

What a glorious thing to throw wide my arms, gasping in
The wonder which seems too good to be true.
This, my goal.
I found a throne.
There upon a rock I sat, truly monarch of all I surveyed,
The grasses, like so many courtiers, blowing low in the breeze,
To me alone.
The wind and- I ran races
Until I found three little pypies nodding and dancing on their stems,
I bent to look into
Their lovely faces.
I rambled on.
The hill was deserted, At first I was glad, then sorry
others could not share it too.
(This poem has remained unfinished until now, thirty two years later, when I write the last words.)
This glory in Creation and the beauties of this world,
Has never gone.

I really had a wonderful childhood and youth, a “Tomboy” who beat the boys at high-jump, long-jump, and running but, at the age of eight, I was thrown off the end of the old Pier in Cape Town and told to “sink or swim”. Although I later used to dive for pennies and do water ballet, I never became a good racing swimmer, I presume, because of that first shock, I could never master the art of breathing out into the water. However, was the only female member of the Pier End Swimming Club who was allowed to take the row-boat “Father” out alone. One day a friend of mine, Davy, and I, both of us in our late teens, took four younger people out in her. When we got to the end of the breakwater, a South-easter squall blew up, blowing us out to sea, and we were making poor headway back to the pier. The pier life-boat at was sent out to tow us in and Davy transferred over to help Barney row her, but to be towed home was an indignity I determined should not be! The tow-rope never had a chance to get taut, well, maybe the squall died a bit or we had got into more sheltered water, but still, I kept that rope slack the whole way back!

I learned to ride horses bareback on Camps Bay beach, taking them into the water for their paddle. As a matter of interest, the horse I first learnt to ride was “Ranger”, also owned by Roy de Beer, owner of the famous white horse “Philly” who was given the “Freedom of Camps Bay” and who died a short while ago. Philly was black in those early days, only turning white as he got older. We often used to drive up onto the top of Signal Hill during the day and submerge a few beer bottles in a dam up here and then in the evening we would go up as a party, on horse-back, with a couple of guitars, and sit and sing and drink our beer.

Sometimes we would go for an early morning ride along the Pipe Track on the Twelve Apostles Mountain and eat our breakfast over a camp fire along the way. Breakfast never tasted better!

One New Year's Eve we had been out all night in a party, going from house to house with our guitar and piano accordion, singing and wishing people a Happy New Year. We got home at dawn, changed and after an hours' rest -upon which my sister Dorothy insisted, because she said accidents happened when people took risks because they were overtired, we went off on a ride.

Roy said to keep up or drop well back when they went for a gallop, so my horse would not breathe in the dust of the other two - this was on the path round Lion's Head - needless to say, I kept up !!!! Another day he and I rode beneath a swarm of bees - Oh I could tell lots of stories of the fun I had as a youngster.

My girl friends and I played marvellous games of all sorts, using our imaginations. One serial, which continued each afternoon, was about four sisters, the youngest of which had been captured by a savage tribe and made priestess in their Temple of the Dragon. We made these games up as we went along, and when, after “many months” of searching we finally found our youngest sister, she said that she had become so happy in her role as priestess, that she refused to come home with us! We all wept real tears over that afternoon's episode, with the rest of us pleading frantically with her to change her mind!

Once, when I was only about nine, I had a piece of balcony rail about 4'6" long, called “Pauline” after my cousin, whom I greatly admired at that time. Pauline went all over the house with me and even lay on the side of my bed at night, but I can't remember how long that lasted. I expect I was teased out of it pretty soon!

My mother brought us up to “Dare to be different”, to be an “Individual” and so I had a most interesting and ofttimes very humourous life, and a very independent one.

When I left school I trained for two years at the S.A. College of Speech Training, doing Elocution, Dramatic Art, Lip-reading, etc. I achieved my L.L.C.M. (Elocution) and was doing my teacher's year when I left to train as a pupil teacher at the Montessori School, Wynberg. During this time I was also doing Ballroom Dancing in the afternoons and evenings, training under my sister, Dorothy Dymond - who still runs a studio today, although in her late sixties. In 1935, my partner, Sonny Barnes, and I came first in the Novice A. (couples who had never danced in competitions before) 2nd Western Province and 3rd S. African – the Finals being held in Durban that year. A funny thing happened on the way to work in the morning after the W.P. Championships. I always travelled to Wynberg on the same train, in the same seat and another woman always sat opposite me. The morning papers reported the competitions and this woman sat there and looked at the paper, then stared at me, looked at the paper again and then at me, and I sat and blushed scarlet, but nothing was said.

During my late teens and early twenties I was a bit of a rolling stone and fitted in four and a half years of school, in between, training as a Merle Norman Beauty Specialist, doing office work and teaching English to a German woman. I ran my own Nursery School for a year and my own School of Dancing for a while.

The following year we won the W.P. Championships and came fourth S. African, the competitions being held at 1:00 –2:00 a.m. (having been scheduled for 10 p.m.) at the ball run by the Empire Exhibition, held in Johannesburg that year. A year later I turned professional.

After the Novice A. Competitions Sonny and I were offered free training in England for International competitions but I was too young, too scared, too lazy or lacked the required self-confidence to accept the offer.

Just before the war broke out I was teaching in the Peter Pan School, which was run by my cousin, Peggy Dymond and me. In the afternoons and evenings I was teaching dancing and my partner and I were planning to go over to Hollywood to train for film work. He promised me a return ticket, so that if I didn't like it, I could come home in six months, but war was declared a few months before we were due to leave; anyway I'm quite sure I would never actually have gone. This brings to mind how I used to get into bed every night and say “Now where was I?' and then imagine a serial story which reached a stage at one time when I was going off on a ship, overseas, and leaving my family at home. I remember today how, in my imagination I watched the ship pulling away from the quay and my family down below, waving good-bye and how I cried myself to sleep over that! That's why I am sure I would never really have gone to Hollywood, but anyway, the war solved that problem, although it presented several others.

In that September when war was declared, my cousin, Ken Powrie was doing his R.N.V.R. training and he was soon seconded to the Royal Navy and went off to serve in the Mediterranean Sea (he will tell about this) but, not before I had already fallen in love with him because of his sun-burned nose! He was there for two and a half nerve-wracking years, for us both. While there he designed and had my engagement ring made in Cairo and sent it down to me.

In 1941 I joined the W.A.A.S. and was stationed in Cullinan, Transvaal, where I spent 21 very happy months and was raised to the magnificent rank of Corporal. Just before my third stripe was due I was transferred to Cape Town because of my mother's health, and lost my stripes again in the transfer. Shortly after that I was discharged on medical grounds; my heart they said. My doctor laughs about this today and says it was just nerves, but I know better. I was one of the foundation members of the Springbok, Legion- and quite active in this and when the doctor examined me she asked me what was worrying me and I, joking as usual, answered “The future of South Africa, amongst other things.” I was discharged forthwith! Later, when the Communists began taking over the Legion, I resigned, because I had no time for them.

I went back to teaching dancing with my sister Dorothy. Her partner, who also taught Ballet Dancing, was putting on a Ballet which was to be entered in the Eisteddfod. Three of her girls went down with typhoid and she had to replace one of them, with me - she and another girl took the other two places. I was in the place of Hermia, with a solo bit to do! I had done ballet when I was much younger, but had not done it for years. However, we were awarded a gold Medal.

Shortly after this Ken. came home from the Mediterranean and we were married two months later on 4th September, 1943.

It was the following year that he went over to England with Paul Dymond, to fetch the Frigates, as already mentioned, and he was there, doing Northern Approach duty when Judy was born on 17th April, 1945 and she was three months old already when he first saw her.

When Judy was nineteen months old, we moved to Krugersdorp, Transvaal, and Timothy was born there on the 2nd August, 1947 and we decided that our family was complete!

In May 1950 a friend of mine asked me “Have the Mormon Missionaries called on you yet?” I replied that they had not.

“Well, when they do, you must ask them in just to listen to their lovely accents - you don't have to listen to what they say!”

Meanwhile the Church of England Padre had called on me just a short while before that and during our, discussion I had said “But I don't believe that,” or “I don't believe that either”. He challenged me to do the thing which prepared me to receive and accept the gospel when the missionaries presented it to me. He said “Forget what you don't believe and read the Bible to find out what you do believe. Write out a list of the things that you do believe.” I did just this, reading the New Testament, and my list started with 1. I do believe there is a God. 2. I do believe that Jesus is the Christ. 3. I do believe the Bible to be the Word of God.

This surprised me because my mother had studied and passed on to me Theosophy, Yogi-ism, School of Truth, Unity Church of Christianity, etc. She believed that every time the earth needed a Saviour, one would be supplied and that Jesus Christ was only one of many. Also, she far from accepted the Bible to be special word of God, although she quoted from it so often.

The spiritual climate created by my reading the Bible and writing the list of beliefs – I regret that space does not permit me to tell of some of the fancy and very interesting ideas that came into my mind on, the subject! – was just the perfect one for the reception of the message brought by the Missionaries. When they knocked on our door I said “Oh yes, I've heard about you, come right in.”

We joined the church three months later; I, because I knew that it was true, and therefore was duty-bound to support it, and Ken, so he says, to keep me company. Elder Payne, in his last two Months of mission said that he had never lost his temper with any other investigator, but he used to get really mad with me for arguing in favour of reincarnation. In the end he said, “Pray about it,” and I did, because I knew I was right and I wanted to prove him wrong! The answer came to me one morning in a vivid flash of light inside my brain, “either you must believe in reincarnation or you must believe in resurrection – you cannot believe in both.” I investigated the two ideas and decided that I believed the Bible, so I accepted resurrection, and joined the church.

My mother taught me the Law of Tithing, in principle, although as far as I know she never paid tithing herself. A month before we were baptized, when the Missionaries, who were staying with us paid their first month's rent, I said to my husband, “Now can we start paying tithing?” I believed that tithing was the Lord's due, although it still did not seem to matter to me which church we paid it through, so we have been paying tithing ever since, for one month. longer than our membership.

We also decided to have a larger family – Elder Harrison said I was still young enough to have four more, but that fourth one has never come.

Eleven months later Jane was born on 23rd August, 1951, Leslie followed on 23rd February 1954. and Ronald on 23rd January, 1959 - we began to wonder if the “23rd” has any special significance for us!

Throughout these last eighteen years I have held positions in every Auxiliary – but not in the Genealogical Society - 2nd counsellor in S. School, Relief Soc. Pres., Branch and S. School chorister, Chapel Gardener, Primary Pres. and Secretary. I have been relief sec. in other Auxiliaries, Teacher Trainer in S. School and I have taught on every subject in R. Soc. and all different classes in S. School - except only Relief Teacher in the Investigator's Class. I have taught in M.I.A_. and was dance director for a short time. The very first meeting I ever attended was S. School with the two missionaries – Sister C. Fouché and I being the only other people present. If we had seven out to sacrament we did well!

In the early days of the Krugersdorp Branch, in the Scout Hall, I used to do the Deacon's work of washing and setting out the Sacrament cups, even filling them with water, and I was the only organist the poor Branch had at one time when Sis. Fouché was on holiday. I remember walking outside crying my eyes out because I did not want to play and Derryek Vice would just sit and wait patiently for me and I knew that the meeting was being held up by me so I would blow my nose and discipline myself into doing my duty.

The church soon made me so busy that when I found Leslie was on the way I gave in and resigned from all the various Societies to which I belonged at that time and was active in. Convenor for Soil Conservation in the National Council of Women, (here I must mention that at one time, the N.C.W., women were asked who would be prepared to serve on Jury duty and I was one of the only two women in the country who volunteered, so the scheme was abandoned.), Executive Member of the S.P.C.A., Member of the Homecrafts, United Party and Torch Commando, serving as Chair-lady in the Krugersdorp Fundraising committee of the Torch Commando. I must say that I was happy to out of politics and want no more of it.

It was shortly before Leslie was born that Pres. David O. McKay visited our country and I was there to see and hear him and to shake his hand. An extraordinary church where ordinary members can get to shake hands with the President of the Church!

One of my hobbies, besides gardening, is tree planting – all over the country, wherever I can influence anyone to plant and protect the right kind of tree. Isaiah says “The life of a tree is man’s life.” And we are told that the desert must be made to blossom as a rose. I believe this to be a sacred trust and that the members of the Lord's own church should do their best to help restore the earth to its former glory and that we should not wait for the Millennium to start planting! Israel did not wait and their efforts have restored the “Latter rains” which were prophesied for the latter days.

My autobiography would not be complete without a tribute to the person who has most influenced me throughout my life. Now, seven years after my mother's death, she seems to influence me more even than during my childhood, because the things which she taught me are coming to life in me more and more each day.

She taught me to sing myself to sleep with hymns, my favourite being “Hushed was the Evening Hymn,” with the lovely “O give me Samuel's ear, the open ear O Lord, alive and quick to hear each whisper of Thy word. Like his, to answer at Thy call and to obey Thee first of all.”

She taught me to be “In the world but not of it.”, to leave the earth a little better place for my having been here. She taught that it was not enough to refrain from doing evil, for this is but a negative virtue, but that we must accomplish as much good as we can, by “living up to the highest that is within ourselves.” She called me “MacGIusky the Reformer” after a book she had read by that name.


She taught me that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” and that we should live for what we could put into life and not for what we can get out of it. Because of her teachings I know that it is more important to serve and teach and lead in the church in order to help prepare he Kingdom of God for the return of the Saviour and to help others to attain to the highest possible Degree of Glory than it is to worry so much about what we are going to get for ourselves. This is merely selfish and if we are only in it for what we can get out of it, we will most likely soon give up because we don't feel we are getting enough! I've seen so many fall away from the Church because they felt they were not receiving all the blessings that were due to them!!!

She taught “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill towards men.” She said, “It is not what you have to face up to in life that counts but the way you face up to it, or, as is engraved on her father's tombstone, “It is not life itself that matters, but the courage we put into it.” She taught me to prove that I had the courage of my convictions.

She died on the 6th May, 1961 and just over a year later I did my Genealogical Workshop Course and sent her work into the Temple. My father's work had been sent in some years earlier, with no reply. One day I was walking into my room when a sentence just came into my mind, “It's alright, you needn't worry, your mother has accepted the gospel.” I stopped short in the doorway, my hands pushing against each side to steady myself and asked out loud, “And my father?” The answer came, he accepted the gospel long ago and your mother was only waiting for his confirmation before she accepted it.” A while after this my father's sheet came back from the Temple.

Again, sometime later, when we were sitting at supper one evening, I looked up at my father's photograph and exclaimed “Look Ken, Daddy's an Elder now.” He asked how on earth I knew and I said “Look at him, you can see he is.” He looked at the photograph and said that he believed that I was right - I have never seen this in the photograph since then.

This is my story, in skimpy skeleton form for I have lived a very full, active life, but I pray that it might be of some help and inspiration as well as interest to readers.