WILD AND TAMED

1970

SA MOVE

We flew home to Lusaka via J'burg where we stayed overnight. Mum & Dad were now living in the Shell Park in their caravan. It was a nice setup & we spent a large portion of our summer vacation living there. We made some friends & generally were very comfortable.

In early January we set off for SA leaving N Rhodesia for the last time. We had said goodbye to everyone & sadly left Jumpy & Tessy with a farm. After stopping off at various points we arrived in EL where we set up home in Eastern Beach Park. It was a great spot with easy access to the beach & promenade.

Dad began work at an engineering firm & we headed back to school although Tina was a day pupil now. Mum & Dad would visit me in King a lot & by April they had bought a house in the suburb of Selborne which had a school of the same name nearby.

I was enrolled there mid year after saying goodbye to all in King.

SMUTS RD

Our house was built in the '40s & had a lovely charm. This was the 1st time I had lived in an urban environment (apart from boarding school). I was given my own room.

The garden was well developed although Dad & Mum did much to it over the years.

The Italian Consulate lived there prior to us moving into it. No TV...that would only come to SA in '75. We would have the home in our family until 1991.

The suburb of Selborne was fairly well healed with many of the children attending either Selborne for the boys or Clarendon for the girls

EAST LONDON

EL was a fair sized city of about 100,00 at that time.It has grown hugely since then

After receiving bikes I would cycle everywhere exploring the city, beaches & parks which were plentiful. Over the years I would be engaged in surfing with my friend Garth van Niekerk, golfing with my friend Andrew Coates & hitting the town for eats & the fliks.

Later I would hit the night spots with various friends, sometimes the worse for wear. There would be often a core of friends & we would meet up at w/e for good times, sometimes canoeing whilst drunk...dumb I know.

Many of these times were with my mate Rob Demereitz with whom I had gone to school.

SELBORNE SCHOOLS

I enrolled at a local school, Selborne Primary & moved on to the College later on. These were a mixed bag of times, some wonderful, others abysmal. I enjoyed sports & excelled in rugby, tennis, track & field, cricket & even played some field hockey.

We traveled to other schools in other towns & took the train up to Queenstown once a year for our games. There was great rivalry with Dale as well & I seemed to excel against them. It was a bittersweet feeling. I got my school colors for tennis.

I was involved in the military band playing the drums. We played concerts around town as well.

A few of the other music boys & I set up a business, selling fly-cattys using some potent berries we had found as ammo. This was a lucrative but dangerous enterprise that was soon stamped out.

I also won the General Knowledge competition one year. Selborne had an excellent reputation, both academically, sportingly & for discipline. Still, I seemed to get up to all sorts of mischief at the school and with our neighboring girls' school.

These were days of corporal punishment & the guilty were read out Monday mornings for their beatings as a result of the previous weeks' misdemeanors. It got so regular for me that I just simply waited outside the headmaster's office Mondays without waiting for my name to be read out much to the amusement of the office secretaries. One Monday though, I was not on the list but had waited at the office never the less. I must say I did detect a smirk & snigger from the head when he said I could have the canning anyway seeing I enjoyed it so much. I was not amused at his sarcasm but was back at his door the following Monday so it was business as usual.

We had a tennis match & I had to cycle to it down at the Buffalo club. On the way a break cable got twisted in the spokes...I went flying over the bars & landed badly breaking 3 fingers.

The surgery was done that evening after much waiting & pain. I stayed overnight in the orthopedic ward & couldn't wait for my escape the next am.

Oh, what joy to get the caste off in 6 weeks so I could go about attempting to break something else...I was 17

At 21 in PE, I did it again playing sport...now all 5 got done...no anesthetic this time as an overnight in a ward was more terrifying than the excruciating pain of the doc pulling them straight. 

Got fed up with the caste & cut it off myself...evidence of deformed fusing is there to see to this day.

In later yrs bust a thumb,also in sport...went through pain & that was it...can't bend it as far as it should.

Still have the bone jutting out on a pinky from when I thumped someone...later..later...read on.

GOLIGHTLY

Just down the road were twins Gavin & Kevin Golightly. We were classmates & became great friends. Most of our time was spent playing sports & they introduced me to British soccer & the local team...East London United. We had some great times as young boys do.

Both still live in SA.

DESJARDINE

Opposite us lived the Desjardins family. They were a Mauritian/SA'n mix & Giselle was their daughter. Tina got on well with her. I liked the family & we kept in touch over the years.

The parents moved to another part of town & passed away in later years.

Gisselle married and lived in Surrey (I visited with her there) before divorcing & remarrying. She now lives in Knysna, SA & has a grown-up daughter.They have now moved in to the Karroo...their daughter flying commercially out of Malta

VAN NIEKERK

Garth was a neighbor & we got on quite well. He was a little younger & came from the rougher side of the tracks. Perhaps he brought out the darker side of me.

I remember one summer when we spent so much time down at the beach, surfing & chatting with the girls. It was great fun & clean. There were the leaner times when he never had any money with 2 older brothers who I think were into illegal stuff.

Also, there was an incident concerning abuse, where both Garth & I were the victims of the same man. Were it not for God's mercy & healing, it might have damaged me considerably. I do wonder how things turned out for Garth. I lost track of him.

COATES

I met Andrew through the Golightly boys. We enjoyed various sports together and also attended the same school & after the Golightlys moved I spent more time with Andrew going to the ELU games but he was never a close friend.

ST SAVIOURS

The Golightly family went to church every Sunday & my parents thought we should join them. We got confirmed by some "bishop" as well. After the Golightlys left for PE we attended a few times... mostly hiding out at the Tech College where I practiced my tennis on the wall.

PETS IN SOUTH AFRICA

We picked up Dolly who was with us till 78. Such a gentle girl.

There was Jock a little Fox Terrier who was not with us long. His exuberance & escapes got him killed on the road.

Skipper was also still young when he died on the road.

Sam came next & was probably the star of them all. After Mum died he was a terrific companion for Dad who was heartbroken when he was put down because of cancer in the mouth.

At around the same time Trixie our tortoiseshell cat also died. She had been with us for 17 yrs. There were other cats as well. We also kept a few rabbits.

After Sam died Dad got 64 who was with him when Dad died. He was named after a soldier in WW2 in India where Dad had served. I inherited him & we had a turbulent time as I traveled so much. Eventually, I had to give him up to a farm near Joburg. By then he had lived in EL,Birmingham,back in EL then Joburg. I made errors & hope he had a good life in the end.

SUNDAY OUTINGS

These were regular & like Kariba we could each take a friend.

So we would have a braai or some kind of picnic, go fishing, often taking the boat. Sometimes to the beach, other times to a river or even to the mountains...wonderful memories.

SPORTS

To say I was besotted was an understatement. Mum always said that had I put as much time & study into my academic work I would have had straight A's all the way.

I played rugby & was pretty good, scoring many tries from my wing position or other back positions...all this at school. I tried a bit of field hockey which did not work out.

Tennis was my greatest success, achieving 1st team colours. Cricket was good too. In the early days, it was track & field with a headmaster saying they had never had such a fast boy.

I did some swimming with a little success Some table tennis later on, even a bit of judo.

Then there was soccer which I sadly became infatuated with, playing for various clubs including Turnbull Park whom with I had many good years & of training with the pro club...EL United. I did get a sportsman of the year award in 1976.

Today I enjoy watching rugby, baseball & cricket mostly. In 71 the All Blacks toured SA losing the test series, but I got to see them play the local province-Border as well as train at our school in EL.

Likewise, I saw France in 73. Italy in 74 who were in their early days of playing rugby. In fact, Border beat them. I also saw a provincial game against Transvaal which sported some of the all-time great rugby players like Dawie de Villiers, Piet Visagie & Frik du Preez.

Then England played SA in a match & beat them in 73. We were stunned but this Eng team was good & a precursor to what was coming. The following year the Lions toured & to this day many still believe had the greatest squad of players ever assembled. There was Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, JPR Williams, JJ Williams, Roger Utley, Willie McBride, Chris Old, Andy Irvine, Fergus Slattery & so many others. They pulverized SA & entertained us.

SCOUTS

I had begun my scouting in Rhodesia but now I joined the Sea Scouts which the Golightly boys were involved with as well.

There were some fun times but sadly the abiding memory was the bullying. We 3 got our own back many a time through craftiness & speed. I did get to go on a naval frigate & did plenty of sailing.

1971

DRAGONS PEAK

In the summer of 71 we travelled to the Drakensberg Mtns & spent a terrific vacation in a caravan park.

We rode horses, climbed & made friends. I was 13 but I 'fell in love' with a lovely girl Suzzette who was 15. The romance was to be a lost love. I liked her brother Johan or was it more that he was the access to Suzzie.

On our way back home we stayed at the Golden Gate reserve in South East Free State.

1972

DURBAN

We hopped in the Jordan's Combi & trundled along to Durban for a short break. Norma was visiting her mum & we stayed with the Lutmers. I also got to visit Johan & Suzzie...still no joy

PLETTENBURG BAY

We took off with our Gypsy Caravan for what would be one of the best summer vacations in Dec of 72. Our destination was the beautiful SW coast of SA.

We made friends with a family from E TVL & The Weepeners...Ted & Bobby & their 3 daughters Lyn, Carol & Sandra. With the boat & a Christian group organizing outings etc, we had a terrific time.

Nearly got done by a very poisonous puff adder & took our small boat out into the breakers from the lagoon... not clever...but all went well.

We were back in 75 & met up with the Weepeners who were based in Knysna, a little along the coast. Again a fantastic time. I had spent the early part of my vacation with Golightly fam in PE before taking a bus on to Plett.

1973

HAMBURG

Again not the German city but a small community 60 miles from EL on the coast.

Dad bought some land & we were going to build a house there, also to be used for their retirement. We went there quite often fishing & braaing. The development never happened as politics began to move in the wrong direction culminating in the disaster SA became.

SUGAR TENNIS TOURNAMENT

In the summer of '73 I witnessed the yearly tour circuit around SA at it's EL venue...Selborne Park.

I was intrigued & snuck in every day of the tournament. (Don't forget I lived in the neighborhood & knew the area very well) These were professional players, although not of the very top rank & file. Some did go on to bigger things like Colin Dowdeswell who won the EL tournament.

CHOIR

Through Andrew, I sang with a church choir. We dressed up in the typical garb & did some concerts as well. We got paid too.

The abiding memory was the tea after Sunday evening services & the cycle home.

BERLIN

No, not the metropolis in Germany but named after it.

A tiny hamlet as it was then between EL & KWT. Dad worked a contract there developing a large industrial site. Sadly in subsequent years, it did not live up to it's potential.

I spent a day there with Dad cycling around. Dolly our dog came with us too & it was one of the great memories of my life. Simple things give great pleasure.

1974

SOMERSET WEST

Temperatures were in the low 40's when we left for the fair Cape in Dec 74. We hitched our caravan & took the Karoo route staying in Somerset East for the night. A further night in the wine region in Worcester & then encamped in S West.

We had great times with the Weepener fam who lived in the town & took day trips incl C Town. On our way back via the coastal route we stopped in Plettenburg Bay a few days before heading home.

1974

SOUTH WEST AFRICA

In April we flew to SWA, stayed in Windhoek & took a rental up to Outjiworongo & then on to Etosha Pan, a fantastic game reserve.

With an abundance of animals, we also saw Cheetah...the area being the main region for these beautiful cats. Also the pink flamingo that abound the salt pan.

Then we spent a night at a guest farm & a couple of nights in Swakopmund on the edge of the desert on the Atlantic Ocean. We visited Walvis Baai as well. This section is being written whilst on a visit now to the very same town in 2017...43 yrs later.

1975

MORGAN BAY

Quite close to EL was a small seaside village, mostly known for its tourism. We pitched our caravan & spent a lovely time riding horses bareback, fishing & playing swingball...remember that. Mum's friend from Holland; Hope was with us too.

1975

KRUGER PARK

In the spring of 75 with Mum's friend Hope we took off with our caravan for the World famous Kruger Park in NE South Africa. We stopped at Port St Johns on the Wild Coast in Transkei. There had just been some filming of the soon-to-be-released film based on the Wilbur Smith novel...SHOUT AT THE DEVIL. with Roger Moore, Lee Marvin & Barbara Parkin. The German Battleship was portrayed on the river being held up by scaffolding.

The Kruger was good but not that good...too much pandering to the wealthy tourists. We also called in at friends the Sanders in Malelane who fruit farmed & the Woithe's who farmed sheep at Morgenstern before returning home.

1976

DRIVING LICENSE

The big day arrived. Dad had been teaching me & I took mum's Mini Traveller to the test station.

Well who do I get but a ginormous cop to examine me. He was hardly able to get into the car & I could see he was extremely uncomfortable.

He said..."Drive off up the road, turn right, right again..." And before you know it we were back at the station. I thought...not good, I must have failed. he said that there was no need to go further & do all the skill set of maneuvers as it was clear I could drive & promptly wheezed & squeezed out of the car.🤭

In later yrs I went on to do advanced driver training plus emergency training.

1977

DISCO DAYS

It was the height of the disco & I loved it. My favorite haunt was the appallingly named Hades Disco which used to run out of the Holiday Inn in EL.

The Bee Gees were Alive. Saturdaynight Fever had just aired so white suits all around. Then came Grease. No leather for me though. Cocktails, dancing & girls. There were other venues in hotels, clubs & bars, some also had solo or group entertainers, many with which I formed friendships.

Those heady days ranged from EL to Joburg & Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.

1977

IST JOB

Near our home was a shopping mall & there was a steak house serving very good food. I was a waiter there & also got to eat the good food. All I can remember was that the 2 owner brothers were huge...probably ate too much of the stock!

1977

GATELY ENGINEERING

Through a family contact I landed a job as an apprentice (5 yrs) fitter & turner...ME a F & T?? And what a whole long month that was before I got fired...totally unsuited to the work.

I used to watch the turners working on the lathes making gears, etc & think This is not what I want to be doing for the rest of my working life. Part of my duties was to clean up & sharpen drills which I got moved on from after destroying expensive drill bits.

Then to bend iron bars on a bender...got measurements wrong & many were useless... Finally worked on a puncher making holes in small steel squares. At least I got that right.

I worked at that in the boiler maker's house where we goofed around. Ended up with Arc Eyes...very painful. I was relieved to be fired as it was Mum who had organized the job & at least I wouldn't have to give her some excuse for resigning.