In my previous blog, I wrote of some of my earliest memories of Glenmanus and nearby Portrush. I wrote of a couple of stunt motorcyclists and their act, ‘The Wall of Death’, and how they boarded with my grand-parents at Seaview Farm. My memory of their act is so vivid, but I could not recall their names, despite my mother often speaking of those years when they returned for the summer season.
I posted the article and next day I received a comment from Australia, from Iris, who like me, also grew up in Glenmanus. She recalled the couple and said that she remembered their surname as being Goosen or similar. The name sounded Dutch or perhaps German but rang no bells for me.
The Northern Irish marriage records over 75 years old are accessible for a fee, so on the off-chance that they married in Ulster, I went to https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk/. And in 1938, I found a Theunis Christophel Goosen who married an Ena Birmingham in Saint Patrick’s Church of Ireland, in Ballymena. And both had their profession as ‘Amusement Caterer’. It looked as though I might have found them, but I wanted more evidence.
When I searched on the internet, I found a site focused on the Goosen genealogy (http://www.goosen.nu/index.php/documents/192-wall-of-death) and in it was an article about Chris and Ena Goosen.
I am almost certain that I have found the couple and how thrilled my mother would have been to read my little account.
Perhaps the warm and contented feeling I am experiencing tonight is a reflection of her approval, and maybe also that of Chris and Ena Goosen.
The Irish Rover 