Where the Blue Gums Whisper

A couple from the Highveld had to overcome a number of obstacles before their “stone prison” in the shadow of the Soetmuisberg mountain really felt like home.

- By Marian van Wyk. Photographs by Henrique Wilding

Strangely interesting” is how Renette Opperman sums up her and hubby Derick’s first impression of the barn-shaped stone house they bought in 2017. The house might look as if it has always been here on the outskirts of Napier but, in fact, it is a fairly new building in the shade of an avenue of blue gum trees.

Renette’s story starts with a stoep discussion that took place in Middelburg, where Derick worked as an engineer and she ran her own graphic design studio. These days, they are “semi-retired”. Renette has an online store, The Album Company, which sells traditional photo albums and journals, while Derick says he “does what Renette tells him to do”.