PREFACE

Johannes van der Steur left the Netherlands on September 10, 1892. As a missionary, his task in Indonesia started with spiritual activities in the Dutch army barracks at Magelang, a small town in Central Java.

The year of 1892 becomes the starting year of the Pa van der Steur Foundation which aim is to heed the interests and to take care temporarily or continually of orphans, children uncared for, and neglected children of all nationalities. (Please read : About Us)

This aim was adapted to the exigencies of the time which also included health services, education, and homes for the aged (note : the homes for the aged were not continued).

In keeping with the "testament" he left to his pupils : "Not my name, but my work should be perpetuated", this book has been written with the aim of giving a picture of the beginnings, growth and development of Pa van der Steur's work over the course of 100 years.

This long history has certainly yielded a lot of experience and contains wisdom of various kinds. We hope this will be absorbed by his pupils or by any parties connected with his work at present as well as in the future.

A FATHER OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN

The number of children taken care of by Pa had increased very rapidly, from 4 children in 1892 until 1,100 children in 1941. Then Oranje Nassau had become an unusually large concern. (Please read : History)

Its premises covered around 5 hectares, situated beside the highway at Magelang, next to the Resident's office. It was divided into three parts : a boys dormitory, a girls dormitory, and a special dormitory for children of less than 10 years old.

Between the boys dormitory in the northern sector and the girls dormitory in the southern sector a road was built. The whole compound consisted of about twenty buildings, used as repair shops, tailors and shoemakers quarters and houses for nurses, employees and drivers. The drivers at Oranje Nassau were seven in number and most of them drove the school buses for the children who went to school in Yogya. Pa himself lived in a building that doubled as his office. The back part was used as a hall for nursing sick children and lay close to the dispensary. In the Oranje Nassau compound a church was also erected which was able to accommodate 600 children. In this church Pa also offered his catechisms to the children. Besides the buildings, the remaining large piece of land was used for playing grounds and for a garden. This garden, worked by the children, yielded vegetables and fruit. When the children moved to Jakarta in 1949, the Oranje Nassau compound was taken over by the Government, and it remins in Government hands to this day. The Foundation also has a tract of land of about five hectares at Badran, Temanggung, which is taken care of by a guard.

A RESOLUTE BUT LOVING FATHER

By 1942 the number of pupils had reached 1,100 boys and girls of various ages. Educating, taking care of and administering so many children was a complex process. After Moe had passed away, Pa worked virtually alone and was helped only by his pupils. He was a father in the real sense. He not only provided food and clothing but also education for his charges. The children were sent to various schools according to their respective talents and capacities; there were those who went to the AMS (Algemene Middelbare School, on a level with the Senior High School), to Teacher Training School, the School of Agriculture or to the Pharmacy School. For clever children, scholarships were provided up to college level, and there were even those who were sent to school in the Netherlands. All this goes to show how great was Pa's love for them. He wanted his pupils to have a good life and future. Maybe encouraged by his desire to have his pupils become accomplished persons, Pa was a strict disciplinarian. Even so, he always showed his very great affection for his pupils. When they were at breakfast in the morning, he distributed snacks allowance to those who were studying at secondary schools. After this he visited the sick pupils, both in the dormitories and in the hospital. He also visited the other patients. Every Sunday morning he distributed postage stamps, sometimes with a few pennies. As the children fought to get them, Pa looked very happy. When the little children entered the bedroom, Pa stood at the door holding out his hand. The children immediately tried to get hold of Pa's hand, and at the same time he gave each child a "good night kiss".

When he happened to be ill, the nurses forbade the children from playing close to his room, so as not to disturb his rest. But Pa often asked why he did not hear the children. Even when he was ill, Pa always remembered and thought of his pupils.

Even though Pa's pupils numbered in the thousands, if one of them passed away, he was very sad and felt greatly bereaved. He always went to the graveside of the pupil though the distance from the hospital to the "Memento Mori" cemetery on the outskirts of Magelang was great, while he himself was already ageing. He always marched at the front of the mourning procession followed by children carrying banners with Biblical verses. Behind them came hymn singers and all the children of the dormitories. Pa always had time for the children. If any of them came to him to tell him a mouse had been trapped in the toilet, he would interrupt his work to go and see, followed by some of the other children. If a mouse really had been trapped in the toilet, Pa would give the child who had trapped it a tip of one gobang (two and a half cents).

A BELOVED FATHER PASSES AWAY

The news of Pa's death spread quickly and within a short time Oranje Nassau was filled with thousands of people. The children who had left the institution and had spread to various cities converged on Magelang. The public living at Magelang as well as in various villages flooded in too, and there were even many who came from the mountain slopes, traveling on foot for many kilometres. They all came to take leave of Pa and to pay their final respects to a man who had done everything to show his attention and love for this fellow human beings regardless of their ethnic group, faction or nationality.

Pa's career was marked by struggle and hardship, but his life had been a blessing for many people. The unforgetable memory of his pupils is of the few moments before he passed away. They were called one by one into his room to receive his blessing and the small children to receive his kisses.

Finally, Pa's remains were taken to their last resting place at Memento Mori, Magelang which was filled with thousands of people. Pa had gone to his final rest. His legacy consists of his spirit and the work he pioneered. In keeping with his testament, not Pa's name but his work was to be perpetuated by his pupils.

FACING TROUBLED TIMES

From the time Pa was imprisoned until the time he passed away, Oranje Nassau at that time was unceasingly visited by hardships and difficulties. Food and clothing were hard to get. Therefore the big children after coming home from school, had to look for food, both within the city of Magelang and outside the city. Pushing carts, they often had to walk for many kilometres looking for sweet potatoes or cassava. In 1947 when war broke out anew, the children were compelled to leave Magelang and take refuge outside the city. Guided by their caretakers, the children had to walk many kilometres to the villages in order to find a safe haven. Finally they settled down in Tonoboyo, a village on the slopes of Mount Sumbing. There they were put up in the houses of the local population while the children of less than ten years old were housed in a school building.

At such times, naturally, the essential needs of the children such as food and clothing were very hard to meet and thir health was very poor. For that reason it was not to be wondered at that many of them got ill, and some died. This was indeed a very sad situation and a great trial for the children and for their caretakers. After the situation had become a little safer, the children went back to Oranje Nassau and things went on again as usual although conditions got more and more difficult : sometimes the children ate only a few pieces of boiled cassave or a little porridge each day.

REMEMBERING THE PUPILS'S LIVES AT ORANJE NASSAU DORMITORY

In 1929, Pa's pupils numbered 900, consisting of 600 boys and 300 girls of various ages and levels of education. They lived in a dormitory built on a piece of land of several hectares, at Kampung Meteseh, Magelang.

They were split into several groups according to their ages or their levels of education and each group occupied one hall. The other buildings included a dining hall that could take up to 600 children, a shop for sewing clothes, a room that served as dispensary and nursery for sick children as well as a chapel that could accommodate 600 children. We can imagine how difficult it was for Pa to nurse, administer and educate so many children. Even so, he tried hard to make life in the great van der Steur family proceed in an orderly and regular way. Therefore every activity was strictly regulated and had to be carried out in a disciplined way by every pupil. On the other hand Pa also made serious efforts to get his pupils everything they needed : clothing, food, education, health, sports, recreation and especially faith in God.

To his pupils Pa gave training in responsibility by assigning special tasks. The simplest task was the washing and storing of a plate and a spoon by each child. Primary School children, after returning home from school dan after lunch, had to take turns at doing the chores. There were those who swept the compound yard, cleaned the gutters, etc. It should be stressed here that Oranje Nassau did not employ outsiders as sweepers or gardeners. The maintenance of the compound was done by the children themselves. Every Thursday the dining hall was cleaned by Primary School children of the seventh grade and by Junior High School students. The other rooms were also cleaned regularly.

During the major vacation all the halls were totally cleaned, and so were the cupboards or clothes cabinets, and the students of the Technical School, helped by the other children, renovated the buildings.

In 1932 the number of children rose and new rooms were needed. These rooms were constructed by the Technical School students themselves, while the Junior High School students and Primary School pupils helped them by transporting stones from the Progo River. Although Pa assigned everyday duties to his pupils, he never neglected their education. He sent every child to school in accordance with his or her age and talent. Intelligent and diligent children were given opportunities to continue their studies through the colleges. Children who were facing entrance examinations for Junior High School were given special tutoring. Children who went to Senior High School had compulsory study in the recreation room every evening from 7.45 PM to 9 PM. Boys that dropped out of Primary Schools continued their education at the vocational school, while those who graduated from Primary Schools continued their education at the Technical School. Primary School girl drop-outs helped in the girls dormitory, while Primary School graduates could attend the Home Economics High School. All this indicated how great Pa's attention was to the children's education.

As a missionary Pa made great efforts to strengthen the faith of the children as much as possible. At the Oranje Nassau compound, a chapel with capacity of 600 was built. In this chapel Pa led the service himself every Sunday and on Friday he taught the catechism to the Junior High School students. Once in a while Pa was asked to conduct a service in the Protestant church near the city square; he made his pupils join in. A habit he implanted in his pupils in building their faith was the saying of prayers at the beginning and at the end of activities like eating, sleeping and studying.

In another part of this book we touched upon matters that were greatly stressed by Pa in education his charges : discipline and austerity. Pa often said to them "Life is hard". Therefore every child had to train himself through strenuous, orderly and regular effort. For example while having a meal together the children were not allowed to speak. For their cupboards and clothes each child had a number of his own, so that even when the children numbered in the thousands their clothes could not be mixed up with those of their fellows. The men who carried out the duty of arranging the children's clothes were Jan Verboom and Piet Veerremans. Jan Verboom knew the number of the clothes for each boy or girl by heart, although those pupils had left Oranje Nassau long ago. When he was ageing and his eyesight had deteriorated, Jan Verboom was still able to remember the number of the clothes of each pupil just by hearing his or her voice. It should be pointed out that the Oranje Nassau pupils were given uniforms according to the level of their school or their ages. The Elementary School children had playsuits for their house clothes of a light-blue colour, their school outfit was made of bleck-lined cotton, while the girls had blouses of black-blocked cotton. The cildren who had graduated from the Elementary School had high collared jackets and white shorts. Other regulations concerned hairstyle : a crewcut for children going to the Elementary School dan the Junior High School; this stipulation however did not hold for pupils that attended the Senior High School.

Pa firmly instilled orderly living habits and discipline in his children and those who violated the rules were punished by him. But this did not mean that Pa did not attend to the other things really needed by the children, at Oranje Nassau a soccer field was available as was a field for Dutch basketball. Two of the sports very much enjoyed by the children were soccer and kasti (a children's game similar to baseball). One of the Oranje Nassau pupils, Gerrit van de Burg once became a NIVU (Netherland Indies Soccer Union) player and went to the Netherlands for a friendship game. Another sport favored by the pupils was marathon running. Everyday the sport fans covered a distance of 12 kilometres between their dormitory and Kali Bening. Equipment for weight lifting, bar exercises and gymnastic swinging was also provided for use at the dormitory.

Those who showed an interest in the arts were also given an opportunity to display their talents. Every Saturday night after dinner, boys and girls who already went to the Junior or Senior High Schools came in troops to the recreation hall to see the night's recreational show. Pa always appeared at this program with his pupils. There, a Hawaiian band composed of senior pupils enlivened the show. For the Junior High School children it was made compulsory to fill out the program with a few attractions, e.g. singing or poem reading. If one of the pupils should be bashful and did not dare appear on the stage, he or she could ask one of the schoolmates to substitute for him or her. The only loss to the pupil was the transfer of their weekly pocket money to the schoolmate who had substituted for him or her.

As well as sports and arts the children were also given opportunities for recreation. At certain times, Pa rented a film at the cinema building and the children went to see it together. In the long vacations the pupils were taken out to enjoy the beauty of the tourist places around Magelang. A quite unique departure was the habit of the older children in staying awake the whole night. Feeding themselves from a basket full of fried rice, coffee, and fried bananas, they kept chatting all night long, and there were also those who engaged in fishing in the Progo River. The Progo River was one of the most attractive places for the children. Here they could swim or play in the water, although on one occasion five pupils drowned while swimming there, an incident that greatly shocked Pa. One of the children's hobbies was quite dangerous but very popular, namely hunting. The pupils made their own shotguns and gun powder. Although the shotguns were very simple, they were effective, and give a lot of fun to the children. With these weapons they hunted civets, turtles, and squirrels. This hobby also claimed a human victim, namely one of the children who was killed when he was accidently shot in the chest. Nevertheless this tragic accident did not frighten them off and the hunting went on as usual.

These are just a few illustrations of the children's life at Oranje Nassau. Actually there were many more events and activities that made great impression on the children who engaged in them, but it is of course impossible to recount all of these. Although sometimes there were events that stirred emotions or even saddended them, the children's time at Oranje Nassau constituted an unforgetable part of their lives.

THE CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPPING OF THE BUILDING

After succeeding in acquiring the 2 hectare land, the next step was to construct and equip a building for the pupils. First of all a boys dormitory was erected for which the ground was broken on the 3rd of June, 1974, and by August 1975, the dorm was ready for use. The structure had two toreys, with an area of 1,224 metre square, and was able to accommodate 150 pupils, while two rooms were also available for the caretakers and one hall for the office of the Executive Board.

After the completion of the boys dorm, construction was continued by building the main kitchen, warehouses, and rooms for the servants. After this a girls dorm was built, which also consisted of two storeys, with an area of 915 metre square, about 50 metres from the boys dorm. On the ground floor there was a large hall which not only served as a dining hall but could also be used for other purposes e.g. for receiving visitors and for studying. There was also a terrace that was used as a playground for the children.

Several years later the Executive Board considered a new idea, namely to utilize the structure to be built for extending the work of the Foundation. After finishing the dormitories, the Executive Board began to build schools which started in 1979. And finally it was also decided to set up a Home for the Aged and the male students of the Senior High School were moved to the boys dorm at Pondok Gede.

On November 3, 1984, the ground was broken for the Home for the Aged, and one year later, on the 31st of October, 1985, the inauguration took place. The building had a capacity of twenty four people. After the Home for the Aged had been opened, the Board complemented the school facilities at Pondok Gede by building an auditorium in 1987. The shape of the auditorium was a replica of the church in Magelang that had been erected by Pa. The 300 metre square building was able to seat 400 children. During daily activities this building was utilized for extra curricular pusuits and school festivities. With God's blessings, the Foundation Board's determination to complete the provision of services and equipment and to develop Pa van der Steur's work had been realized.

To know Pa van der Steur services of Home for the Aged and Health Service, please read the story about them.

THE COMMEMORATION OF 100 YEARS OF PA VAN DER STEUR'S WORK IN INDONESIA

For the Executive Board of the Pa van der Steur Foundation, heir to the work pioneered by Johannes van der Steur starting on September 10, 1892, the year 1992 was very significant. How could it be otherwise? Because in this year Pa van der Steur's legacy attained the age of 100. This fact certainly awakened the feelings of the Executive Board and the great Pa van der Steur family of former pupils and caused them to give thanks to God, because it was only through His guidance that the Executive Board of the Foundation had been able not only to continue its work at the Orphanage, but also to develop Pa van der Steur's work in the fields of health, education and care for the aged (note : the Home for the Aged is no longer continued). In order to express this gratitute, the Executive Board of the Foundation formed a commission to commemorate the centenary by carrying out a series of activities. After several meetings, the Commemoration Commission chaired by Dr. Jerry Lohy and Secretary Drs. Freddy Maspaitella, assisted by some other members, decided on a series of activities beginning on September 8 and ending on September 19, 1992. These included a thanksgiving service, a visit to Pa van der Steur's grave in Magelang, competitions and medical check-ups at the schools, a film show, a clean-up campaign in the areas of the Orphanage and the schools and as the grand finale of the programme, reception on the 19th of September, 1992 held at the girls Orphanage at Jl. Matraman Raya 77, Jakarta.

The party visiting Pa van der Steur's grave left Jakarta on September 9, 1992, and was seen off by the Executive Board of the Pa van der Steur Foundation and the Commission, before the thanksgiving service began. The party consisted of several members of the Executive Board of the Foundation, the Oud Steurtjes and a group of contemporary pupils numbering in all 25. As well as cleaning Pa and Moe's graves and strewing flowers there, the party also paid a call to the former Oranje Nassau dorm at Meteseh. The visit to the graves and the tracing of their roots undoubtedly had a profound meaning for the party, especially for the Oud Steurtjes, because the journey refreshed their memories and impressions of the time they lived at Oranje Nassau, whereas for the contemporary pupils the visit to Pa's grave and to the former Oranje Nassau dorm hopefully bestowed in them an appreciation of the value of Pa's role and his life's struggle, his care for his fellow human beings and the significance of his love towards his fellow human beings regardless of their ethnic group, nationality or religion.

After seeing off the party visiting the grave, the extended Pa van der Steur family held a thanksgiving service. The service was headed by the Reverend Leo Hale, STh and was enlivened by a choir of Pa van der Steur's Kindergarten and Elementary School pupils and Christian High School teachers. After the service, the programme was led by one of the Elementary School teachers, Mrs. Hendrika, followed by a session of handling out presents to the winners of the competitions for the Kindergarten, Elementary and Junior High Schools. Then came an intermezzo of several dances and vocal group performances presented by Kindergarten pupils and orphans, after which tokens of appreciation (in the form of parcels) wsere given to employes who had served for more than 10 years at the Pa van der Steur Foundation. The feast held at the school, went on for several days. It started on September 8, 1992 with competitions such as volleyball, basketball and soccer for the fifth and sixth grades of the Elementary School and the students of the Junior High School. For the first and second grades of the Elementary School there was a painting and regional costume contest, while for the second and fourth grades of the same school there was a competition in skills and dancing. The competition for the Kindergarten pupils was run by the teachers and parents, while the ladies of the work group handed out prizes to the winners and all participants. After the competitions for the children, the teachers and school employees did not fail to enliven the atmosphere with volleyball competitions and tugs-of-war.

The whole programme of competitions was witnessed by the Board of the Foundation and the Commission. When it was over, the proceedings were rounded off by a display of magic tricks presented by Mr. Korompis. Further activities consisted of the showing of an educational film for the pupils of the Kindergarten, Elementary School, and Junior High School. This was held on September 16. The next day's activities included check-ups and health counseling for all students and pupils by doctors of the Christian University of Indonesia headed by Dr. Jerry Lohy. The Junior High School students were offered instruction in First Aid for accidents and narcotics cases. The doctors had to wait for more or less 700 children because they attended another programme, but the activities were finished on time and did not interfere too much with the schol programme.

The festivities at the school were wound up on September 18 with a "clean-up the environment movement" joined also by the teachers and the employees. The series of activities to commemorate 100 years of Pa van der Steur's work, implemented at the school, hopefully brought not only happiness to the students and pupils but also a feeling of belonging to the great Pa van der Steur family.

The series of activities and festivities started on September 8, 1992, was completed on September 19th by a reception at the Pa van der Steur Girls dorm at Matraman Raya 77, Jakarta. A few moments before the reception started, a downpour soaked Jakarta, so that the programme started 30 minutes later than planned. As well as the members of the extended Pa van der Steur family, also present were guests from agencies and Government Departments, e.g. from the Agency for Social Affairs of the Jakarta Special Region, the Dharmais Foundation, the Coordinating Agency for Activities in Social Welfare of Jakarta, the Executive Board and caretakers of the Orphanages in the entire region of Jakarta, as well as special guests and individuals.

After the report of the Commission had been presented by Dr. Jerry Lohy, the programme, led by Mrs. Sylvie Panjaitan, was continued with speeches by the Chairman of the Pa van der Steur Foundation, the Executive Board, members of the Coordinating Agency for Health and Welfare and the Deputy of Governor of Jakarta Special Region whose speech was delivered by a representative. A no less important programme was the handing over of citations to 30 persons who were reckoned to have participated a great deal in Pa van der Steur's work. Among those were Mr. A. C. Bernard who had served for more than 35 years, Mrs. J. Pondaag who had worked hard for 29 years for the Foundation with her pupils and Mr. Yoyo Hidayat and Mr. H. Sarmada who had been instrumental in founding schools organized by the Pa van der Steur Foundation. After the conferment of the citations, the evening was continued with a performance of dances and songs by the pupils. Quite interesting was a short drama which depicted Pa's meeting with the four children whom he first took care of. This meeting, which took place 100 years ago was the beginning of the huge endeavour that made Pa a father to thousands of children. The programme continued with the cutting of the tumpeng (rice cone), performed by Mr. A. C. Bernard, SH as the Chairman of the Pa van der Steur Foundation, followed by a dinner and an informal and friendly meeting.

When the reception was over, the entire programme of the 100 years commemoration of Pa van der Steur's work in Indonesia was finished. The varied activities and the merry feast had lent a most profound significance to the whole extended Pa van der Steur family's evening, and the sense of familyhood and service will surely continue to develop into the future.

We should all keep in mind the commemoration and the hopes that were conveyed by the Chariman of the Foundation through his speech in this programme. "In the midst of a rapidly developing modern society the challenges we face are becoming greater and greater and more and more varied. Therefore the teachers, employees, and the whole extended family of Pa van der Steur should increase their discipline and service".

IMPRESSIONS

One hundred years of Pa van der Steur's work in Indonesia have gone by with their attendant joys and sorrows and many memories dan hopes had been in printed upon the former pupils.

Pa van der Steur of course expected that they would live on in peace and harmony as members of a large family and would be able always to maintain their integrity and continue their work in Indonesia.