SAReunited Farewell Messages

The response to the closure of SAReunited’s social networking section has been incredible, and we are now doing our utmost to reintroduce some of those features – more announcements within the next few weeks. But for now – here are just some of the many emails you so kindly sent to us. To keep updated on SAReunited founder Amanda Tsinonis as she travels around the globe with her family, please view Amanda’s Blog.

To Everyone at Sareunited,

Thank you for the amazing opportunity you gave us all to reconnect with friends from our past ! The joy these renewed friendships gave us, will long live on in our hearts.
May you ALL be blessed with everything you do and successful beyond your wildest dreams with every new project you encounter.
THANK YOU !!
Nadira Thiris 🙂

 

Sorry to see SAReunited end. I did not join facebook/twitters and such and don’t intend to! I will miss your site. Great site, good job, good luck. Will keep a lookout for you along the way with your updates. All the best Jade Ho

 

Hi,

I was sad to read your announcement.

Many many years ago I went to a school in Hoopstad and over the years found it fascinating to see the names of the students who also went there.

Thank you for your wonderful work and all the best with your future endeavours.

Regards,

Henry Blumberg

 

Hi Amanda and Team,

Thanks for all you have done over the years. I did enjoy the site and catching up with old friends (pre-FaceBook). You were ahead of your time!!

Thanks and best wishes for the future… Brennan

Greetings.

I was completely devastated after receiving your mail regarding site changes.
I almost thought it was being completely discontinued, but now understand it is a revamp! Please do not do away with the dating site..I found this very helpful and have actually recently referred friends who are looking forward to join.
Anyway, Amanda good luck with your new venture and travels…
I am sure you and your family deserve it after giving us such a great time on your site.
Phumi

 

Thanks to you all for your sterling efforts in what you have done.   Unfortunately I didn’t manage to find any of my friends from my days in South Africa and Namibia, although I did answer queries for several people who wanted to know about emigration to Australia.   Unfortunately this changes constantly and I had to refer them to the Australian High Commission in Cape Town where we obtained all our information before coming here.

Best wishes for your travel time – I still have so many memories of travelling through Africa by train – that’s how I came to Cape Town originally.

Margaret Wilkinson

Springwood NSW 2777

 

Thank you for all your tit bits – until we search again, God speed to you and your family where ever you venture.

South African born 07.02.1935 P E

 

Totsiens

Michael Wrathmall

 

I just wanted to send one last note of thanks for the lovely work you have done and to wish you everything of the best in your new endeavours

Regards,

Tonie

 

Amanda and Team,

What a professional farewell letter, I really appreciate it. God bless you in all your future endeavours – rest or work.

Lise Lourens

 

To Amanda,

Good luck with your new adventures. I have always liked the saying: If you do not like where you are , Move. You are not a tree.

I do not know if these adhoc emails will reach you but anyway …………….again good luck with the geography lessons.

John Brandow

 

Hi Amanda!

What a touching mail. It’s wonderful that Facebook has revolutionised the social network industry, but it is extremely sad that those who started the industry has been forced to make similar decisions. I’m an author, who also does freelance writing and celebrity interviews for magazines. That being said, if there is any way that I can contribute to your future projects then please let me know.
End of march I have a trip planned to Nigeria. After that I’ll be back in SA to promote my new book (www.jackhanger.com). It sounds like you’ll be travelling abroad yourself, so let me know what you have planned for SA people.
Thank you for all the years of effort and the impact you’ve had in the lives of other South Africans.
Wishing you all the best with your future projects.
Regards
James Fouche

 

Good day Amanda

Thanks so much for your lovely letter and sad to see you go.

My best wishes go with you and your lovely daughters on this journey to discover LIFE!  I envy you.

May God be with you and really bless you.

Good luck!

Magda Jordaan

 

Dear Amanda,

Thank you for sending the e-mail with the sad news. I am really sorry to see this happening.  I, for one, am not a Facebook fan at all, but unfortunately, this is reality.

Thanks for all you have done to try and get South Africans together. We will truly miss this service.

Have a wonderful trip with your family, and travel safe!

Kind regards

Thea and Coen Bothma

Kempton Park

South Africa

 

Just like to say thank you for SAReunited – I made contact with some old school pals and it was great.

Wishing you well in your new ventures

Kind regards

Ruth

 

I’m so sad to read your e-mail, can you tell me if this means Sareunited will be discontinuing the site?

If so, then all the best and thank you for putting old friends together again.

Kind Regards

Erol

 

Hi

Thank you for SAReunited! I have found some old friends and will be sorry to see this superb service go! I frequently pop back to look for someone so will really miss you!

Good luck on your trip – it sounds magnificent and I only wish I could have done something like that with my kids!

Vaya con Dios

Gerard

 

Hi

In response to the information mail I received from you this morning, just to say well done as the “pioneers” of putting & keeping people in touch. It was interesting to have seen how people from the same schools were grouped together. At times one would go and check just to see if any names from the past have shown up.

Best of luck with any future ventures.

Hendrik.

 

Dear Amanda,

Thank you for your email and for the service you have rendered over the years. We haven’t actually been in the social networking scene ourselves (perhaps we are slow uptakers and will still get there) but we certainly empathise with your experiences on the Internet, having started a South African-based green website ourselves many years ago. Before long we also had an experience somewhat like yours (most likely though on a much smaller scale) with a similar website who decided to render their services for free. For us it was an extremely humbling experience and ended up pushing us right against the wall. We were also forced to reassess our priorities and take a long hard look at what life is all about. In retrospect it was one of the best things that could ever have happened to us. Since then we also realised that our relationship with God, each other, our families and friends etc are much more important that any outcomes. Take heart – you’re in for a wonderful journey and the treasure you’re set to find is definitely infinitely better. Life really is all about relationships and quite clearly you already knew this in starting up such a wonderful initiative so we can only thank you on behalf of everyone for being such a blessing.

Lots of love from the two of us all the way down here in East London in South Africa.

Eunete and Simon

 

Dear Amanda and team,

Thank you so much for a wonderful time shared on SAReunited. I haven’t really used the site in a long time now, but thank you anyway. You guys did a wonderful job. I wish you all the best for the future and will log into sapeople now and then to read about your new venture/adventures! May God bless you and keep you safe as you travel around the globe and experience His wonderful creation!

Best regards,

Brigitte Searle

 

Dear SAReunited

I am not surprised that Facebook and the like have taken over, but you were the trail blazers and for that you will always have a place in history. I have lots to be grateful to you for, you put me back in contact with some of the best letter writers I have in my address book and they are good friends too. Courtesy of SAReunited, we have explored our shared pasts – laughed a lot, cried a little and laid a few ghosts to rest.

So with all my heart, I wish those involved blessings for the future and many thanks. Safe journeys.

Esther Greig

 

Hi

Your web page has given me information about schools, friends and the list goes on. I am sorry to read that you are closing down this web page. Not sure how Facebook works as I am one of the older generation that does not use Facebook. I wish all at SAReunited all the best in the future, and thank you for all the information I got.

Best wishes

Norman

 

Hello Amanda

I have enjoyed being part of this journey although the past 2 or 3 years found little time to use it.

However, through your site one or 2 of my pupils which I taught over 40 years ago, managed to contact me…through their contact and joining Facebook I have about 37 expupils writing to me…..this would not have happened without SAReunited.

What a pity you could not team up with Facebook and keep it going,

I wish you luck and joy on your new endeavour and hope you thoroughly enjoy it.

God bless.

Ann

 

Hi

I am so sorry to see you go. But thanks again for giving up all your energy to start and nourish this site for so long.
This was my original success story on your fantastic site.
I went to the Matric Dance with the love of my life Brian in 1977…He went to the Army after school and we lost touch, but never officially “broke up”. Throughout the years I always hoped I would bump into him. Then in June 2003, I subscribed to SAReunited.com and found Brian’s sister. She forwarded my email to him and he responded. I flew over to visit him in the USA…It was as though time had stood still…After a few more trips, he proposed and we got married on 22nd August 2004. Thank you so very much for your site, it truly has changed my life!
Juanita

 

I can now let you know that I am still very much in love and looking forward to my 7th anniversary!

Warm regards from a sunny Florida, USA

Juanita Hancock

 

So sorry to hear this news. I am not a fan of Facebook even though I understand that the world has gone this route. I find it far too invasive for me and I’m really sorry you will be closng down your site.

I’d like to tell you that it is through SAReunited that I’ve been able to hook up with people from my childhood. SAReunited is wonderful in narrowing a search down.  I am no computer boff but I know that its better to make searches easy for the user. Should you evolve to create another great website, no matter what it is, please feel free to contact me through the email address I have listed.

Thank you for your years of service and holding thumbs that you change your mind about closing down 🙂

Wishing you and the team all the best

Leanda

 

Thank you for all your hard work over the years. It was great fun to join and use SAReunited back in the day when it first started and it definitely filled a gap in the market for all us world travelling South Africans.
All the best in your new ventures.
Lyn

 

Hi Amanda

Strange – I was just wondering earlier this week what’s in it for you… sad to see the project end, but thanks for bringing it to us – it has helped a few of us re-connect after many years.

And kudos for setting up the extended geography lesson! You won’t regret it!

Some years ago we also took the scenic route home (9 months backpacking Europe, SE Asia, Oz, NZ, Fiji, Mexico and S America) – came home with no money, no jobs and a bond to pay, but wouldn’t change it for the world!

Good luck and enjoy -we’ll be following your blogs!

Chris Ackermann

 

Pre-Facebook days, I found several old school friends through SAReunited. In 2006 I also tracked down my sister whom I hadn’t had contact with for 19 years, and who wasn’t on Facebook but I managed to find the daughter of her former sister-in-law and reached her that way.  It’s served a wonderful purpose in the time you have been doing it, for many more people than I.

I wish you everything of the best for your future endeavours.

Regards

Tracey Sandilands

 

To all those involved in the running of SA Reunited…
Thank you for having been there for us all.  So many good contacts and friendships re-established, a lot of “aloneness” avoided and so many great positives experienced as a result of your work and efforts!  South Africans are just special of course and need to keep in contact with one another no matter where in the world we are.  You made this possible – and, in doing so, made a big difference to the lives of many scatterlings the world over.
Thank you, thank you and thanks again
Shelley, Germany

 

Hi,

I was sad to read your announcement.

Many many years ago I went to a school in Hoopstad and over the years found it fascinating to see the names of the students who also went there.

Thank you for your wonderful work and all the best with your future endeavours.

Regards,

Henry Blumberg

 

Very sad but understandable in a world of so much change. As we know as one door closes another opens. Your idea of travelling is awesome. It is YOUR time now for you & yours…enjoy!

Thanx for the opportunity 2 re-unite –you have touched in & on so many that I doubt you will know the impact SAReunited had.

Take care

Katarina

 

Hello SAReunited

It was great to discover you several years ago, and see what my old school mates were up to along the way. I am really looking forward to reading about the adventures of South Africans everywhere and (if you don’t mind) sending you snippets about South Africans I know. I am now back in SA after being away for five years and I rarely check in at the site. Nonetheless, I wish you and your family an amazing ride and the smile of God wherever you go.

Rosa Klein