HELM, Ernest Daniel ^{1 3}

  Events

• Alt Birth, Sep 3, 1872. ² Source adds that he was born at Wyders River.

• Education, 1885. ² At age 13 to 14 he was sent to Oudtshoorn school, ren by his grandfather, B.E.Anderson.

• Occupation, 1189. ² At age 17, he was offered and took a job with C.Searle and Co. of Great Brak River.
This company was started by Chales Searles and wife Pamela shortly after following his brother Richard Searle to Blanco in 1859.
The Searles were a profoundly religious family, were great friends of thmissionary endavour in the southern Cape, and developed a close association with the ministers of Pacaltsdorp, who would often preach in Great Brak.
In 1879, Charles Searle senior accompanied B.E.Anderson of Oudtshoorn to England in a successful drive to recruit more missionaries to the Cape. Thereafter, the Searles and Andersons developed a friendship and would visit each other often although seperated by the Outeniqua Mountains.
Ernest's oldest sister Janet married Richard Searle of Blanco, a cousin of the second generation Great Brak River Searles.
Ernest did very well for Searles and his commision sheets were most impressive. He managed to send two children to University. He spent his whole working life thus based in Great Brak living in the house which Searles (the Company) had built for them. All four children were born in it. Although he never learned to drive he believed in buying the best cars nd had a full time driver Andries who lived in the "Village".

• Marriage, 1912. ² Ernest met his future wife, Marie SCHOEMAN, the Principal of the "Coloured" school in Great Brak. Harry HINTON and his wife Annie (nee Searle) ran Belhambra, a boarding house where both Ernest and Marie were lodgers.

• Family, 1933. Ernest bought two of the very first plots of land on the "Island" (Encircled by branches of the Great Brak River now boasting at least 100 houses) These plots, now owned by the Helms, subsequently became second homes for the 6th, 7th, and 8th generation Helms and their families.

• Death, Aug 8, 1940. ² He was in bed and his wife Maria asked him what time it was. He raised his hand to reach for his watch which was in the pocket of his waistcoat that was hanging from the bed post. As he did so his hand dropped and he was gone, victim of a heart attack.

Ernest married Maria Magdalena SCHOEMAN, daughter of Philip Rudolph Botha SCHOEMAN and Catharina Elizabeth HONIBALL, on Feb 21, 1912 in Albertina, Cape Colony, Southern Africa.^{1 2} (Maria Magdalena SCHOEMAN was born on Dec 24, 1886 in Albertina, Cape Colony, Southern Africa,¹ died on May 28, 1972 in Cape Town, Cape Province, Republic Of South Africa ¹ and was buried in Searle Memorial Cemetery, Great Brak River. ².)