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Judy's parents deserted her and her sisters.
First, Judy's mother abandoned them, and then their father followed suit. Judy's sister, Mary, who was 7 at the time was left responsible for herself, Judy, and their other sister Dora. -
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Judy Westwater's Life
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Judy's mother returns pregnant and in a relationship with another man named Paddy.
When Judy's mother returns about seven months later, she is pregnant with another mans baby. Judy's father finds out and tells her that she is only allowed to live in the house if she gives the baby up once it's born. -
Judy's father takes her away from her mother and sisters.
Judy's mother did not give up the baby when it was born, so Judy's father takes her out of anger and runs. -
Judy, her father and Freda move into the back of a shop in Patricroft and work as caretakers.
Judy's father takes her to live with him and his girlfriend, Freda. They move into the back of a shop in Particroft. Judy's father is out all the time, and Freda is not nice to her. This is where the abuse begins. -
Freda started being abusive towards Judy. She locked her in the backyard everyday while she went to work.
Since Judy's father was always out, he was not there to witness the abuse Judy went through by the hands of Freda. Each day, Freda would lock Judy in the backyard when she went out to work, with no food for the entire day. She told her that she had to sit in the middle of the yard and was not allowed to move, no matter the weather. It stayed this way for months until Judy gained some courage to sneak out of the yard to find food. Judy was three years old at this time. -
Judy got caught by Freda while escaping from the backyard.
After sneaking from the yard multiple times, she is caught by Freda the one day. As punishment for not staying where she was told, Judy was beaten and lost hearing in her right ear. She has never gotten that hearing back. -
Judy's father and Freda beat her nearly to death for being a "bad girl".
When Judy's father came home from work one night, Freda started telling him how bad Judy was. She told him that she was disrespectful and a bad child. For this, Judy's father tied her to a chair and forced soot from the fire down her throat. He then whipped her across the face multiple times before sending her to bed.Judy was sent to the hospital the next day, where she stayed for weeks, because this beating almost killed her. -
Judy is sent to the St. Joseph's Orphanage for three years.
St. Joseph's Orphanage
After being in the hospital, Judy was sent to an orphanage. It was obvious how she was being treated at home. At the orphanage, Judy had a hard time adjusting to all of the children and rules. She was used to being locked away at home and never interacting with other people. -
Judy is released from the orphanage to live with her father where the beatings continue.
After three years at the orphanage, at the age of seven, Judy was sent back to live with her father and Freda. She was terrified. When she returns, Freda and her father treat her as their servant and beat her if she does anything wrong. Her father did not allow her to have any friends, and she was forbidden to speak to anyone. He also believed that he was the messiah and he held spiritualist meetings, conning people of their money. -
Judy was raped while left alone on the beach at The Isle of Man.
When Judy was eight years old, Freda and her father decided to take a trip to the Isle of Man. Each day, they left Judy alone on the beach and didn't come back to pick her up until late at night. The one night, Judy was raped by the deckchair man. When her father and Freda came to pick her up, they got mad at her for getting her dress dirty. Judy never told anyone about the rape for many years. -
Judy is suddenly told that she will be spending Sundays with her mother.
After seven years away from her mother, Judy is suddenly told that she will be spending one Sunday each month with her and her family. Judy was very excited, but after being there she realized that her mother's husband did not approve of her being there. It was also very awkward for her with her sisters and mother. Judy's sisters did not remember her, and her mother did not know what to do with her. -
Judy's father forces her to write a letter to her mother telling her she doesn't want to see her or her sisters anymore.
After a few months of Sundays with her mother, Judy's father forces her to write a letter stating that she wanted to live with her father permanently. She had to tell her mother that she didn't want to see her or her sisters anymore and that she was happy with her father. -
Freda cut Judy's hair to look like a boy in preparation for their trip to South Africa.
Judy was told that they were moving to South Africa. A man that her father knew made a deal with him so that he was able to be a spiritualist there, In order to sneak Judy out of the country, Freda cut her hair and dressed her as a boy. -
In preparation to leave for South Africa, Judy's father sent their dog, Gyp, to the pound and got rid of all of Judy's belongings.
Gyp was the dog that Judy's father brought home a while back. He was Judy's only companion since she was not allowed any friends. When Judy's father and Freda were preparing to leave for South Africa, they sent Gyp to the pound. Judy lost her best friend. They also got rid of all of Judy's belongings. -
Judy is taken onto a Ship dressed as a boy so her father and Freda can sneak her out of the country. They lock her in the cabin for the whole trip (4 weeks)
For the trip to South Africa, Judy was locked in the cabin of the ship. For a four week journey, Judy was locked away in the hot cabin, not let out for anything. She also had to pretend like she was a boy while on the ship. -
After four weeks, the ship docked in Durban. From there, they travelled to Johannesburg.
After four weeks, Judy was let out of the cabin. They had arrived in Durban, and from there travelled to Johannesburg. In Johannesburg, they lived in a run down home where Judy's father continued his spiritualist readings. -
Judy started middle school at North Hulme.
Judy started at a new school where she was an outcast. She did not have any friends and she did not agree with some of the things the teachers taught her. Judy was not afraid to stick up for what she believed in, but that got her into trouble at school. Judy tried whatever she could to make friends, but she had no success. -
Judy runs away to 'Wilkies Circus' in town and meets a boy named Carl who lets her stay there and help him with his chores.
Wilkie's Circus
When Judy is 11, she gets the courage to run away. She goes to 'Wilkies Circus' in town and meets a boy named Carl. Carl is her age and travels with the circus. He finds Judy a place to sleep and lets her stay and help him with his chores around the circus.Judy stays for six weeks and has more fun there than she has ever had. -
Judy's father finds her at the circus.
After six weeks of hiding out at the circus, a girl from Judy's school comes and sees her. The girls mother tells Judy's father where she is and he comes to get her. When he takes her home he beats her nearly to death, only stopping when Freda makes him. -
Judy is kicked out of the apartment building because her father has not been there to pay the rent.
Judy's father was never at the apartment that they were staying in and he didn't pay the rent. Judy did not know where to find him, and in result of this was kicked out of the apartment and forced to live on the streets. For the next nine months, Judy scavenges for food and lives in an old bottle shed. -
Judy ends up back with her father again after nine months.
After nine months of living alone on the streets, Judy is found by a woman. She asks for her address, and not thinking Judy gave her her father's address. Her father came and got her and she was once again in his grasp. Her father and Freda ignore her and give her no sympathy. Judy then promises herself that she will graduate high school with honours and then go live with her mother in England when she's 17. She also gets a job so she can afford the flight to England. -
Judy has graduated high school with honours and she goes to meet her mother, who it turns out was not waiting for her where she said she would be.
After three years of working towards her goal, Judy has finally made it. She has graduated high school with honours and has booked a flight to London to live with her mother and sisters. They arranged for her sister to meet her when she arrived, but she was not there. Judy found her way to her mother's house and learned that they were on holidays. -
Judy realizes she is not welcome with her mother and sisters so she leaves.
When Judy finally found her mother, she stayed with her and her family for a few weeks until she realizes that she is not welcome. Her mother is not nice to her and her sisters team up on her to get her in trouble. Her dream of having a happy life with her mother was just that: a dream. When Judy accepts this, she leaves and never returns. -
Jusy gets a job as a trapeze artist for the Austrailian Air Aces.
when Judy leaves her mother's, she gets an apartment and starts looking for a job. One day she is reading the newspaper and sees an ad for the Australian Air Aces. They were looking for a trapeze artist for their act. Judy gets the job and is finally happy for the fist time in her life. -
Judy creates The Pegasus Children's Trust.
Pegasus Children's Trust
30 years after living on the streets of South Africa, Judy creates the Pegasus Children's Trust. This organization provides street children with basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. -
Judy helped set up another centre outside of Cape Town.
<a
href='http://think.stedwards.edu/tltr/sites/think.stedwards.edu.tltr/files/files/Development_of_the_Pegasus_Children.pdf' >Judy's Centres</a>
In an effort to help children suffering abuse, Judy set up another centre outside of Cape Town. This centre provided children with food, clothing, shelter, and educators to help them recover from their traumatic events. -
Judy is still helping children like herself escape poverty and abuse.
Judy Westwater has dedicated her life to helping children faced with poverty and abuse, She has The Pegasus Childrens' Trust, Khayelitsha, and other centres that she has set up. She also makes a point to visit South Africa a few times where she lived on the streets years ago.
