The Blankers Family

by Rev. Reingard Knausenberger

The Blankers family have been an integral part of our community for decades, Christine and Carel with their five children building strong core strength for and with the community. Their commitment carried the services and festivals and manifold activities of our community life, often initiating ideas that still live with us today as our ‘Joburg tradition’. They stand for all those in their generation, who now have expanded their horizons beyond Johannesburg, yet remain unforgotten here where an essential part of their destinies have been woven together with ours.

Christine-Maria has been working in the area of international humanitarian projects in Stuttgart and Geneva. More recently she has been directly involved with the migrant issues that have arisen in Germany. She lives in Stuttgart, is married and gave birth to a very special little boy last July.

The baptism of Elias with parents Christine-Maria and Michael Preuß

The baptism of Elias Kiran Preuß born 31 July 2018

​Batya has an internet presence that is well worth taking note of, which highlights her extraordinary entrepreneurial talent and empathetic heart. Look up Chancen International, especially about an initiative in Rwanda. She is based in Berlin, Germany.

Almost exactly nine years ago Carla moved to Germany after she matriculated at Michael Mount Waldorf School. After first finding her feet in the new surroundings as an au pair and from being told that she didn’t qualify to study at a German international university, she obtained her BA degree as an educational scientist from the University of Tübingen two weeks ago. In this time she married, worked part-time at a psychiatric clinic with children and youth, and received her beautiful little girl Eloise Sybil in May 2018. She and Christine-Maria live close to each other in Stuttgart.

Beatrice, Ingmar and Carla Lampson with Eloise, Bernadette at the baptism of Eloise Sybil Lampson born on 21 May 2018

Godmother Sonja van Breda

Grandmother Christine

Carla with baby Eloise is centre with Ingmar behind and Carel to her left. To her right is Christine-Maria in the wheelchair, Michael Preuß with baby Elias, Batya kneeling, Christine and Batya’s partner behind. To Christine’s right Bernadette with dark hair and Beatrice in blue dress. On the left of the photo some of the Lampson family

Carla with her thesis, just graduated with BA educational sciences

​And now the twins have begun their individual journeys after always having shared their life together until December, when they left Stellenbosch University, Beatrice with Honours in Social Work and Bernadette with a B.Com Honours degree in environmental sciences.

Beatrice has just boarded a plane to take up a job in London.

Bernadette began work in January in the Cape Town office of an international environmental company.

Mother Christine is loving her class at the Michael Oak Waldorf School in Cape Town, as well as being a grandmother, friend, advisor and much more to the many souls connected to her heart. 

And Carel, whom we see faithfully on Sundays, well, let’s see what the year will bring him as he travels around visiting his truly vast family between South Africa, Germany and Holland.