Zoë Maralette Thiel

Otto Thiel’s youngest daughter, Zoë, was born on 26 October 1931 when he and his wife were staying on the farm, Burnsleigh, near Hartbeespoort Dam. She first went to school at Kameeldrift near Hartbeespoortdam and then attended the Iona Convent in Pretoria. Her parents then moved to Nigel where she went to the Nigel Convent. She finished her schooling at Potchefstroom Girls High School and then trained in music and as a shorthand typist in Springs. Zoë is the youngest grandchild of Gustav Thiel. Zoë was not yet 12 years old when her father passed away in Nigel where they were staying with his son Vollie. Zoë married Tredwin Herbert Tonkin on 6 February 1954 and they had 4 children, all born in Nigel.

Tredwin worked for 41 years for the gold mining company, Goldfields of South Africa. For the first 21 years he worked on mines in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State and was then asked to go to Rooiberg Tin Mine between Thabazimbi and Warmbaths where they spent the next 9 years. They were then transferred to Glenover Phosphate mine between Thabazimbi and Ellisras. In 1983 they went back  to the Leeupoort Section of Rooiberg Tin Mine where they stayed at the top of a hill in the hunting lodge of Sir Abe Bailey. Tredwin and Zoë were transferred back to Rooiberg Tin Mine and managed the Rooiberg Hotel until the mine was closed down. Not wanting to break service they were transferred to Vlakfontein Gold Mine near Nigel to open up a shaft at the Nigel Cemetery. As Mine Overseer Tredwin managed the closing down of Vlakfontein mine when it came to the end of its economic life. Tredwin then retired after having worked for 41 years for Gold Fields of South Africa. During this time Zoë did relief work on the mines. The first few years of their retirement were spent in Dunnottar and Springs until 2002 when they moved to Anerley on the Natal South Coast.