Letters from Friends

Eddie Bernhardi
Gareth, you know, we just carry on with our normal lives every day, as if everything is okay, we are all so self focused and self centered. Just accepting everything as logical and automatically working out well. Until I get into bed tonight and see that you have liked one of my posts sharing a Sunday afternoon braai with friends and family and then the whole thing jerks me to a halt !! I then suddenly realise that there are you, Gareth, not having the luxuries that we so take for granted. Not having a braai, not having family and friends to socialise with. It almost makes me feel guilty....but I know it shouldn't. But it does. Tonight I just want to tell you and share with you my feelings and respect for you and the situation you are in. There are so many of us that think if you, pray for you, are with you in spirit. You share our joys with us on facebook. But you know what...every day that passes is a day closer to your freedom. That is for sure. We all know that and believe that.....all of us who are your facebook friends. And you believe it too.....I know it. Be strong Gareth...always on our minds and thoughts. Keep it up partner.....and may I have the privilage to personally shake your hand one day...

Thank you so much for your letter, it is perfect...I can print it from here and scan it in with all the rest once we have received them all.  It is so great to be joining as a network of friends and family for Gareth and I thank you so much.

I promise to keep everyone updated as we continue on this journey.  I am hopeful that there really is a great light at the end of this tunnel

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

I write to you, in plea with regards to Gareth Timothy Rutherford who is a British citizen, under the care of the British Embassy and is imprisoned in Kuwait and has been there for the past six years.  

We understand Gareth has discussed with you the details of his imprisonment, from his arrest, right through all of these long years, details of which he shares in his blog http://gareth54.blogspot.com/?m=1

We understand you are limited in your influence and we as old friends are very much hoping that a mass appeal in writing would somehow help to secure some additional help.

We make an urgent plea to you, this is a man who is no danger to society, missing out on living the very best days of his life.

Gareth worked as a engineer, both in South Africa and abroad.  He was a respected colleague and friend to everyone, always willing to go the extra mile and give a helping hand wherever he could.  Sadly, this very kind nature, willing to help any friend, was his demise and we are all desperate for him to be able to leave his Kuwait prison on compassionate grounds.

I have known Gareth since I was 12 years old, more dedicated husbands, friends and fathers are hard to find.  Gareth only went abroad to work for much better remuneration, to give his wife a better life and his son a private education.  
He seldom drank and never did drugs, being vehemently opposed and saved many of our teenage friends from falling into regular drug use.  In fact his drug of choice, were at least 2 pots of english tea a day!

Gareth's mother is now extremely ill,  in a government hospital and desperate to see her oldest son.  His father is very elderly, quite fit but getting frail.  
Gareth's wife has divorced him, she lives in Cape Town South Africa and allows no contact with his 16 year old son, in fact he has had no contact with his son since his incarceration 6 years ago.  
This is very sad as Gareth so desperately needed his wife's support over these years.  

Please please consider giving an exceptionally good man some additional assistance, he really yearns to see his mother before she dies and to use his last few productive years wisely, to make up to all his loved ones.

Please any additional information, do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely
Tania du Plooy

0027823736664 CT

002482792770 Seychelles

Dear Gareth

Know that your time there is coming to an end. God is preparing you for the time when you are out of there. You will see that every moment in Kuwait meant preparation for the day you are together again with family and friends. You just remember you can and must hold your head up high. You are the son of the King of Kings. You are a co-heir with Christ. You are above and not beneath, you have been bought with a price and protected with a blood covenant. Your are the apple of His eye. So enjoy your time there as it is coming to and end in Jesus Name.

Gareth, I have such great memories of you and your brothers and admiration for the respect you guys always showed us girls when growing up. Much like our silent big brothers, so to speak. This is more than can be said for some of those who grew up with us in Kalk Bay. I feel that these connections are never lost. Your parents were such kind and soulful people. I didn't know much about your dad but Your mum kept us entertained at art classes with Peggy North and co. She was such a lovely lady. Treated us like her own.
Shushed us to sleep when we were tired and safely dropped us at home.
Such fond memories of her and Peggy.
I think I remember you driving that Tartan bakkie and ALWAYS smiled or greeted us.
We interacted often with Tammy and Peter through Alison, Sean and Robin.
You are a part of our history and that deserves remembering and honouring. You may not know it, but we quietly felt safe in our community because of people like you and your family.
So it is, again, I who should thank you for the silent reassurance of safety, respect and the smiles.
Lyn marie adams

Instead of protecting me ! Of all that detail .... I told u ; I knew it was going to hurt me .... Now it's in my brain , and in my imagination .....
I drowned with u reading those lines .... Do u hate me ! While I was trying to bring joy to u in every way I knew .... I was going to record the sounds of the early morning symphony when the birds start singing ...
As if it's not enough feeling Jesus's passion of this month ... I used to think one day I was going to have the stigmata .,.. And now u and your writings ... What did I do ... U still do not know how I somehow can feel and see other people's sufferings , and that pulled me down ; and I try to go up .. up like a butterfly flapping my colorful wings to put smiles on every persons face .... Then something like this puts the arrow in my heart and I fall from my height recognizing that I can do nothing because I am just a corpse !

I have cut and pasted this from messages i sent to your facebook page some days ago. Which it seems you may not have received or read.???I have more to discuss when you. Reply to this....Tillers, many thanks for the warm encouragement. I really felt a bit pathetic whining like that when in actual fact I am so privelaged and well looked after here. Bonz will bear this out when he updates you. I was so takenaback and humbled by the rallying support and encouragement that continues to bless me. Im walking on air. We had three good visit sessions in Bosses private offices and I was so specially pleased to see dad looking so fit and relaxed.
Last time things not so familiar were quite bewildering even with the consular staff leading the way. Some big hugs and time enough to get through all that needed saying. This mail connection continues to forge a pathway to so many in every corner of the world.
Susie now with new ipad in daily contact and getting tec savvy.
Well that may take a little while yet.tsk . Miracles around me every day and I am covered by continuous prayers by so many and more I dont even know. It is so visible and active and I go with the flow, its way easier.
More join with me every day and I share with them as much as I can about everything and its so liberating.
Some I gather still feel a bit awkward about the whole debacle, but Ive got over that and readily launch into detailed or shortened exerpts of what happened then and now.
All this info is disseminating fast and I get more sanguine, relaxed and confident as the info, so long confused and suppressed, is finally pieced together and coherently presented.
Yes its too late now to protest but I will have my turn to testify and to confess to my many failings with relish !!.
Debra visits Susie and smss me quite often.
And we're both on fbook.
I am a bit timid at times and rarely initiate contacts. Learnt that Im divorced which was news and a relief.
Still no contact with Mike or L, but not through lack of trying. So many are now aware of this drive, to penetrate L's iron curtain, I must be patient so as not to put the brainwashed kid into any awkward corner with his mom. It will resolve in its own time and I will share that too with all who have shown so much care.
So at great risk of boring you I have gone on a bit longer than I had intended but had to think of a better way to make up for my inconsiderate silence and to thank you for keeping the wheels on with susie, my dad, and all the mess ive caused.
Also greatly bouyed along by your encouragement and kind words. Much love to you and Jennetta,
best
G

Tillers..!!
Many thanks for the news and encouragement. I sometimes have a bad signal in my room so only pick up mail and news when i get up close to the well concealed routers here boosting our fones.
Its been great now susie has an ipad but we both are a bit slow on the uptake of all this new technology.
Im now so much better having such communcation freedom after so many years in the dark.
I even get ebooks from friends.
This device is a bit small but im used to it already. Im in touch with so many every day i hardly ever get out my room. Bonzo and tams visit was nice but now we have daily comms far more relaxed and easy.
Linda has gone her own way which im quite pleased about.
Debra drops me a line every now and again. I can send mail to gerard or warren hoek for bonzo but ive been a bit slack about that. Kim and yianni from fhoek continue to visit me here every 2weeks and bring me bit that i need. There is nothing that i really need but if i can get something nice every now and again.. i dont really need to martyr myself .. i get it.
Marmite.. pbutter.. slippers.. watch and radio. Rechg batteries.
Yianni brings all.. but the managers here all run the extra mile for me and my visitors , and have good relnshp with annie and co from uk emb.
I have been a bit slack about keeping in touch with south afr emb since maria left but i will give them a ring when the election dust settles.
Susie may have forwarded some of my rambling mails which i am pleased she does. I have been watching with great interest the progress of Shani Krebs.. a saffa who was jailed for 18yrs. He wrote a book which has only recently come out.. about his journey and his new life. 
I was initially a bit sceptical but have been following the whole thing on fbook and bookclub reviews.. and huge interest.. encouragement and joy by thousands. Hes also a pretty good artist and produced quite a lot of works while in prison.
He has also made many friends amongst his wardens much like i have here. Anyway.. there is so much interesting stuff on the net.. but whatever happens.. clearly i must definitely keep up with my journals even though mostly i cover everything in my net mails.. sms.. messegers.. and fbk links.
I prefer to send this in chunks because i hate losing any of it and can never rewrite it like the first time. Also this tiny mobile keyboard is so much slower than a pc or laptop and plagued with typos which take even longer to repair. Tam and bonz said that my 100 monthly pounds will reduce to half sometime soon. Nick frank gavin behr and yianni have been chipping in huge amounts and im really a bit spoilt with so much more than i need. 
This phone is a galaxy s5301 costing about 80dollars outside.
But in here i paid equivalent of 280kd or. $955. Heavens about 12 thousand rand.!!!
Anyway.. as things go here.. im reasonably comfortable and well adapted.
Boarding school.. army.. and 5yrs of basra sort of got me pretty well acclimatised to living amongst this lot of creepy crawlies..
My friends room where i sit to get better net performance.
Fridge mwave bigtv.. and more .
We are very spoilt here.
Police just did a quick walk through so there was as always a bit of a scuffle as all the fones get buried.
As it happens.. some of them are so kind and turn a blind eye.. often sitting down for tea and a bit of banter.
My block... this block.. 3 has about  50 inmates in for crimes right across the range.
Murder..rape.. fraud.. bombers.. drugdealers and traffickers all bundled together.
To get into this block.. one has to have a referee quite high up and so the make up is quite clear of bad apples.
We are not subjected to searches as intense or as frequent as the other blocks.
When they come to my room.. they dont touch anything when other rooms look like hiroshima.
Well it wasnt always like that but as time has gone by.. my reputation and privelages have improved.
So i may make it sound so nice but its what you make of it.
I dont have to sit in rush hour traffic.
And im taking it easy one day at a time and soaking up all the friends and their lives and the cascades of support and concern.9pm.. we are locked in our separate cells.
Some 6 .. some 4.. some 2.
And some like me.. alone. 
Its so much better because mostly they all behave like our mine workers or road gangers and have very warped idea of hygiene.
I stay quiet and set what i think is a good example. .. because they watch my every move.
They see all that i do and hate me for my comfortable capability.. but say nothing.
Im mr fixit here.. like everywhere.. and all that i fix i clean.
I often spend more time cleaning a kettle or a cooker than repairing it. 
Same like how your car goes much better after a full valet than just a service alone.I hear that the cape weather has taken a bit of a dip to winter.
Here each day hotter than the next as we approach another season of dust storms.

Every year they seem to get worse. My aircon is in fair condition and i keep it clean and dont mess with it.  Im hoping to buy a small bar fridge for my room soon and will have to get authorisation first.
There are a bunch of third country nationals in the passage outside my room.. all mopping and cleaning with soap water and dettol.
They do it every day because the inmatrs here mess so much.
They spit on the walls and floors and throw papers and cigg butts everywhere and just dont care.  They leave taps running and waste thousands of litrrs a day with their ritual washing.. but still dont shower. They smell and try to cover it eith perfume... but it doesnt work. Not one has ever seen or used a scrubbing brush on himself or the floor.
A whole new desert culture.. and it takes a lot of getting used to.  Well.. to be quite honest.. i tried for years in iraq and again here.. i can bear with it.. but never get used to it. I gave it my best shot.. even crossing my legs till my knees felt like corksrews at meals on the floor diving into trays of chicken and rice using one hand and no implements.

No umplements...Well .. yes... ump !! Umph to all that.
I sit mostly how im most comfortable...and use a spoon now....not my bare hands.
And then i close my door and read and write and email.. and they mostly leave me to my mad western ways.������
Hoping all is well as can be.. thank you again for your positive resolve on attaining some solution for this .
Love to all.
Best
G