The Magdalena Van der Westhuizen Foundation supports the Fine Arts of genuine collectors and artists with such items as those being shown on this site.
Magdalena Van der Westhuizens' ancestral roots were in South Africa. The daughter of Johannes Van der Westhuizen and Marie Antoinette (De Beer), grand daughter of Helmut De Beer of Kimberley on whose family property diamonds were discovered.
Despite the glamour of wealth, she shunned materialistic values, especially after seeing the divorce of her parents over her fathers gambling that saw her mother's inheritance disappear into a bookmakers bag one weekend at the races.
She chose to immigrate to Australia in 1949, with just 100 pounds Sterling to give her children a new life and hope for the future, away from the turbulence and rise of 'Apartheid'. She had the rare ability to sense trouble on the horizon because she was a humanitarian and considered all people equal irrespective of the color of their skin. Feelings for 'die broederbond' were never part of the equation even though as an 'Afrikaner' she passionately loved her country. She became a milliner extraordinaire and designed and made hats for such people as Queen Frederika of Greece and notable Australians in the public eye but never did she waiver on human rights.
She retired and chose to move to Bali to be with her son Nicholas in 2000. In peace and humility she passed away into Gods' care on Easter Saturday, April 7th, 2007 aged 92.
“Let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil and cling to what is good. Repay no one evil for evil and cherish goodness in the sight of all mankind”. We give thanks to God for a wonderful mother who knew what it was to go without so that her children could have a better future. That was her philosophy in life and the way she lived and treated all people. She stood far taller than those around her. She had a tender heart for the Papuan Melanesian people and wished that all people would recognize the plight of these troubled people, from what was known previously as Dutch New Guinea.
The formation of a Foundation in her memory, is in the process of registration.
