Jacqueline “Jaja” Moore (born: Quatre Bornes, Mauritius)
Age: 88
Rosary: My godmother gave me this rosary when I was seven years old at my first holy communion. They snatched my bag in Joburg and I thought I lost it but thank goodness, it was in my shopping bag and not my handbag. I am very grateful to still have this in my life.
Photo’s of girls on horses: These are my daughters. Brigitte was eleven and Mylene was seven years old. On Sunday mornings I would take them for horse riding lessons. Mylene fell asleep and fell off her horse. We still laugh about it today. These were some of my happiest days.
Safety pins: One belonged to Brigitte and one to Mylene. They were the safety pins for their nappies. They were the most beautiful babies.
Red Heart: My oldest daughter Brigitte gave this heart to me for mother’s day, with all her love. She wrote a card saying “to the best mother in the world”. My two daughters bring me a lot of joy.
OK Magazine Article: This is a card that was sent to me from London by my youngest daughter Mylene. When I opened the envelope I started crying because I was so emotional.
Cross made of shells: This was given to me by Mylene, she got it from an exhibition that her sister curated. The shells remind me of my life in Mauritius. I immigrated to South Africa during the 2nd world war when I was 12 years old. I traveled on a troop ship with my mother and 4 siblings. The journey took two weeks and my mother got very ill with dysentery. It was tough. The ship was full of soldiers and my mother had to fight off sexual advances. She was offered the sanctuary of the Captains cabin until we arrived in Durban. When we finally arrived she took us to a restaurant where we ate our first hamburger and drank our first Coke.
Card – Pierre De Robillard: My first nephew became the counselor of Germiston, I was 15 years old when he was born and we are very close. I’m very proud of what he has achieved.
White necklace: My first husband was named Henry. I loved him very much. He was South African and we were married for 19 years. Henry and I gave this necklace to my mother for her 60th birthday. It is made from coral and it’s quite heavy.
Transvaal track suite: This tracksuit top belonged to my second husband, Denis. He earned his Transvaal colours and honors blazer for baseball. Later in life he was lucky enough to coach the Wanderers Club juniors and even accompanied them at a tournament in Rhodesia.
Brooch: When I was 18 I had a boyfriend. He was the first love of my life. He gave me this brooch. It was made by a well-known jeweler in Johannesburg. It was very sentimental at the time and can also be converted into a pair of earrings. I’ve kept it all my life.
Handwritten recipe book: In 2001 I broke my ankle and was in a wheelchair. I was getting bored of knitting so I decided to write a cookbook for my daughters. The recipes are mainly family Franco Mauritian recipes that I learned from my mother and grandmother. My family love cooking and I want them to remember me when they cook and eat together.
Daisy Goldstein (born Istanbul, Turkey)
Age: 93 (died: 7 November 2019
Coin with chain: I was living in Israel at the time. One morning after a big storm I went for a walk on the beachfront and found a coin with a picture of Pontius Pilate on it. I remember saying out loud ‘I am here and you are not’. I lived through the Holocaust and spent so much of my life running from anti-Semitism. I took the coin and put it on a chain. I haven’t taken it off in 40 years.
Loose coins: I don’t know why but I fell in love with coins. I got these from the Ministry of foreign affairs in Israel. They are genuine not bluff bluff. They are very valuable and you need permission and a certificate to take them out the country.
Sculpture with 3 faces: I bought this sculpture at a shop in Israel. I Iooked at it and said ‘I can also make this’. I spoke to my daughter EIlize and said ‘should I put faces on them’ and she said ‘no’. So I came up with my own design and ran with it.
Slender sculptures without faces: I made these dolls. I’ve lived in 5 different countries but my years in Israel were some of my happiest. This is where I found my hands. I shared a studio space with a man that became a dear friend of mine and I had an agent that sold my dolls all over the world. They sold like hotcakes. I could barely keep up with the demand.
Boat: My husband was part of the South African navy. He loved the sea and he loved to sail. Eight years ago I took a trip on the Queen Mary with my sister Gizelle. We stopped at the Island of Madera and it was there that I bought two little boats, one in memory of my late husband, and one for my son Allen.
Trophy: My husband was a wonderful golfer. He played golf at the Maccabiah Games – the international games in Israel. I was so proud of my husband. My husband was a fine man. We were together for over 60 years – that’s a lifetime.
Thank-you card: As a pensioner you have to keep busy and keep contributing. You can’t get lazy. Last year I knitted 100 dolls for underprivileged children. They are born with nothing, so each one gets a doll and a blanket. I’ve got a few ladies in this old-aged home to help me. This is the card they wrote to thank me.