A single red rose on a simple stone cross, anchored in dark soil against a background of green grass. All that is engraved on the gravestone is Martha Pier. The next Instagram photo shows a square concrete block, also with a red rose and the name Gustav Schulz Walter Pier.
And, invisible, the fresh footprints of a descendant from Africa who was fulfilling her burning desire to track down her ancestors.
‘I’ve always been fascinated by the history and legacies of previous generations,’ says Carin Smith, art director and a talented, creative stylist for Ideas. ‘My mother and I are always picking up pieces of old porcelain and wondering about the stories behind them. Heritage is very important for both of us. I read a lot of history and listen to podcasts. History is one of my passions.’
Carin’s paternal grandmother, Karen Hella Pier, was among the German orphans who were brought to South Africa after the Second World War by the Lutheran Church. She was adopted here by a German family. She was 12
