WILD AND TAMED

1990

COURIER

I joined a firm working courier jobs. Took me all over the country, often staying over night. Saw a tremendous amount of the UK this way.

Left after a yr as my car was taking a hamering.

MILITARY DATA

Whilst NATO still had bases in Germany, I became part of a team contracted to do the auditing from their offices in Birmingham...boring work but enjoyed the atmosphere even though office work was not really me

LINDA HARRISON

She lived in Yorgo's building & we got on really well. Here was a girl who was undemanding,caring & respectfull, all a man would want in a wife.

She worked in the hospitality industry.

We spent a good fair time together...had time with her father in the charming town of Droitwich & then up to Yorkshire to her Mum in Filey. On the way, we stopped off at the Thuey's in Little Ouseburn in the Dales. 

(Tina had been on a visit to the UK in 88 & I had taken her up to the Thuey place in my old Datsun banger. She didn't trust the return journey so took a train. I was back home having a cuppa before she even changed at Leeds!)

Linda & I also had a day in Scarborough which I really liked.

Sadly our relationship took a tumble when a tumultuous event was about to happen & it never got re-ignited.

1991

GOODBYE DAD

I was out working on the community paper I had set up at one of the school classes I was teaching. On my return home I had a message from the police. Dad had died!

He had died of an heart attack...he was 73. Yorgo, Maria & Linda were very good. I flew out to SA & was met by James & Tina We stayed with friends...Grindley-Ferris in Stutterheim. They were really good to us.

After the funeral which was well attended, James helped with all the paperwork. They left for home in Sandton while I began the huge task of sorting out the estate. One of Dad's MOTH friends was the lawyer.

And so Linda & I never got back together. I was happy for her. She had found a man whom I hoped would make her happy

HEPBURNS

They had been family friends of ours since way back in N Rhodesia on one of the neighbouring small farms.

Bobby Sr was visiting from Eng with his son David when Dad died. In fact, it was they who raised the alarm as Dad had missed a date with them & he was always punctual & disciplined.

Bobby Sr died a few yrs later back in Ulverstone, Lancs.

His son Bob Jr settled in Perth, Aus but also died a few yrs back.

Janet the daughter, after many yrs in Natal also went out to Perth where she is, I believe to this day.

David never married but lived with a wonderful & beautiful woman,Maureen who was English & had 2 children from a marriage. Shane & Tracy are in the JNB area, I believe with their own families. I had mentioned earlier we did, as kids hang out together a little.

David & Maureen moved to a coastal town Cintsa West & later Cintsa East. David was a builder & so constructed all his own magnificent homes.

Sadly Maureen died still relatively young & David never recovered...

I stayed with him a few times bringing Charmaine my future wife & her mother with us.

It was stunning & we had some great braais  & visits with neighbours.

Dave's little Terrier was always having to chase the monkeys from out the house, having come to steal food. His parrot Joey was over 60 & possibly still alive today. Joey had in fact belonged to Louis & Lennie van der Heuval, a Belgian/Dutch couple we also knew from back in Rhodesian days.

They had also moved to EL...Louis died in 73 but Lennie was well into her 90's when I last visited her in 2011...could not reach her after that

Sadly David died in 2017 in his early 70's

DE BRUINS

Fiona & her husband Alan stayed on at the house for a while.

Barry, her brother helped with the maintenance & remodeling out buildings. I spent some time with the family who were good friends with my parents. being of Dutch background.

Barry was a friendly fellow but an adventurer that often bordered on recklessness. He was a builder & p/t cowboy.

He roped me into opening a shabeen with him which got raided by the local thugs on its opening night. He wanted me to go in to the taxi business with him...I declined. Off course he had loads of other ideas.

A whole bunch of us visited Mpongo game reserve one Sunday & got attacked by ostriches.

JORDANS

The family had also been with us since those great Kariba days in the 60's.

They had us round for a condolence dinner...incl. James,Tina's fiance,she & me.

In later visits I would see them & the last time I saw Norma was in 09 before she died just over a yr later.

I did see Herbert who had moved into assisted living by then in 2010 for the last time. He died a couple of yrs after.

Eric the son was a strange one...seems to have made a lot of money doing something...who knows...he said,'Telecommunications'... Great big crazy looking house though.

His sister,Veronica had married  an Italian, Tony who seemed a nice guy. As with Eric she had 2 children. They were settled in Zurich,Switzerland.

MAZDA BAKKIE

I was left with Dad's pick up which needed some attention, which was duly done & it served me well during my time in SA.

It had a conopy & this is where 64 liked to sleep.

Rats were a bit of a menace & they would steal his food which really annoyed him. Funny thing though, they would store it under the hood as the engine would stay warm a long time. I bought some Rat X...deadly...problem gone!

The vehicle was used to run our entertainment business as well. 

Sold it to a chap who did some mechanical work for me...so it went to a good home.

GRINDLEY FERRIS

We stayed wth this lovely family in the small town of Stutterheim, about 70km north of EL. Dad had formed a close relationship with them.

They had a great old style home with porches all around on the edge of town.

Rob was from N Rhodesia & great friends with the Hepburns & still close to Dave. Sally was English. They had 2 boys & 2 girls.

Clare was 17 & undecided about what she wanted to do although she said she would like to practice law. I picked her up in Stutterheim & took her back to EL where she spent a day with Pete's wife in the the law office she worked in.

She is now settled in Australia. Graham is in Cape Town & the younger daughter was studying in Newcastle Upon Tyne before moving to Australia.

Later I met Rob who had moved to near Port Alfred on the coast. He was a game warden although his background was in agriculture equipment.

They have now retired to Cape Town

ATTERBURY

Mollie McQueen & her husband were great friends with my parents through the Sappers Club (Military engineers)

I had continued to keep in touch,staying with her for a few days once or twice. She died after having moved in with Rosemary some yrs later. I shall miss our chats. She was an interresting lady.

Her daughter was Rosemary who was married to John. They had Jenny, Jamie & John. I would visit with them often & loved being in their company.

One weekend John sen. took me out on his sail boat which was great fun.

Sadly John & Rose were divorced some yrs later. Jenny had a failed marriage. She lives in England with her daughter. Jaimie has a good marriage with children living in Gonubie. Rose now lives with them after selling their lovely home. John Paul lives in England.

John remarried & still lives in EL.

COORAS

Jimmy had been a friend from school days but we drifted apart.

I did go & see him a few times. He was getting married. I saw his dad & mum...they were always lovely people. His dad died some yrs later...not sure how his mum is.

Jimmy was always artistic & made a good career out of jewelry design. I also sold & gave away a lot of the stuff from the house to his brother Themi & another mate from school days-Findlay.

MARZO

My boss from Hepworth days Bob Marzo & I met up at his home. He was always into new ideas.

Later on they moved out to Gonubie where he was also involved in mobile catering.

They moved back to EL & lived in a cottage on their son's property. Mary, Bob's wife died & he became quite different, as though he wanted a final fling at life. I visited with him on my visits to SA. Sadly, he died in 2016...he would have been in his early 80's...He left 2 boys & a daughter...triplets. Unfortunately one of the sons died in 2019 from an epileptic fit.

RADIO TOUR

Pete Gladwin & I undertook a tour of radio stations across the nation. We borrowed Alan, Fiona's husband's Chevy which lost its starter motor making our journey very interesting.

We had meetings at SABC ALGOA in PE & stayed with some of Pete's friends. Then up to Lesotho for Maseru Radio. We stayed in Lilieshoek in Ladybrand which would become significant in the future.

Over to Radio Bop in Mafeking, Radio 5 & Metro in JNB...on to Swazi Radio in Mbabane.

We slept in the car in Vryheid & then a meet in Durban with East Coast Radio on a scorching day. That evening we stayed with the Lutmers in Hibberdene before returning to EL.

I did some broadcasting with a local station affiliated to SABC Algoa who later contacted me offering me a contract.

SANDTON

James & Tina lived in a nice complex with a pool.

They had Toby & Tibby their cats.

I was there a few times including with Pete Gladwin & Derek Grainger on separate occasions. I would nip into The Sandton Mall to watch the wealthy parade & flaunt.

ISRAELI DANCE GROUP

I started doing some reporting for various journals & one of the stories was about a Folk Dance Group from Israel who were excellent. They were from Nazareth & lovely people.

GRAINGER

Derek came to visit. We traveled about & he took a trip up north. We spent time at the folk club & with Barry. Derek was amazed at Barrie's antics & the methods used by SA'n builders. We would go to the beach with 64 who would fetch poles from the waves. Derek said he never felt safer as all the skelms would cross the road when they saw 64!

OCEANOS

On 3 August 1991, the Oceanos set out from East London, South Africa and headed for Durban. Captain Yiannis Avranas (born ca. 1940) had been an officer for 20 years and a seaman for 30.

Oceanos headed into 40-knot winds and 9 m (30 ft) swells. Usually, there would have been a "sail-away" party on deck with musicians and British entertainers Moss and Tracy Hills. However, due to the rough seas, this was held inside in the Four Seasons lounge; most passengers choosing to stay in their cabins.

The storm worsened as the evening progressed and when the first sitting of dinner was served, the waiters could hardly carry the trays of food without dropping something. Eventually the ship was rolling about from side to side so badly that crockery and cutlery began sliding off the tables and potted plants were falling over.

Flooding At approximately 21:30 UTC+2, while off the Wild Coast of the Transkei, a muffled explosion was heard and the Oceanos lost her power following a leak in the engine room's sea chest. The chief engineer reported to Captain Avranas that water was entering the hull and flooding the generator room. The generators were shut down because the rising water would have short circuited them.

The ship was left adrift. The water steadily rose, flowing through the 10 cm (3.9 in) hole in the bulkhead and into the sewage waste disposal tank. Because there were no check valves to stop it, the water flowed through the main drainage pipes and rose through the ship, spilling out of showers, toilets, and waste disposal units.

Realising the fate of the ship, the crew fled in panic, neglecting the standard procedure of closing the lower deck portholes. No alarm was raised. Passengers remained ignorant of the events taking place until they witnessed the first signs of flooding in the lower decks. At this stage, eyewitness accounts reveal that many members of the crew, including Captain Avranas, were already packed and ready to depart, seemingly unconcerned with the safety of the passengers.

Rescue Efforts As no alarm or announcement was given that the ship was in trouble, several passengers went to the bridge to look for the captain but found it unmanned. Entertainer Moss Hills then used the radio phone to broadcast a mayday until a ship answered. Nearby vessels responded to the ship's SOS and were the first to provide assistance. The South African Navy along with the South African Air Force launched a seven-hour mission in which 16 helicopters were used to airlift the passengers and crew to the nearby settlements of The Haven and Hole in the Wall south of Coffee Bay. Of the 16 rescue helicopters, 13 were South African Air Force Pumas, nine of which hoisted 225 passengers off the deck. All 571 people on board were saved.

Moss Hills organized the orderly evacuation of passengers by the helicopters and is generally acknowledged as the leading hero of the event. Hills and fellow entertainer Julian Butler directed the efforts of the entertainment staff, which included Tracy Hills (Moss Hills' wife) and Robin Boltman to assist the passengers. According to Boltman, "later in the morning, Captain Avarnasi even contacted me from shore to ask how things were going.''

Butler, Moss Hills and Tracy Hills were among the last five to be rescued. After many officers and crew abandoned ship, women and children were given priority when loading the lifeboats by cruise director Lorraine Betts.

Later, as the ship developed a severe starboard list that rendered the remaining lifeboats useless, the remaining passengers had to be airlifted onto South African Air Force helicopters by means of a safety harness. Betts again insisted that women and children be rescued first.

Final Moments The following day at approximately 15:30 UTC+2, the Oceanos rolled over onto her side and sank by the bow, eventually striking sand 90 m (300 ft) below the surface while more than 60 m (200 ft) of her stern remained aloft a few minutes before also slipping below, coming to rest at 32.12093°S 29.12029°ECoordinates: 32.12093°S 29.12029°E on her starboard side almost at right angles to the coastline, with her bow facing seaward. The last 15 minutes of her sinking was captured on video and broadcast by ABC News.

Aftermath Captain Avranas and many crew members were criticized for leaving hundreds of passengers behind with no one other than the ship's onboard entertainers to help them evacuate. Avranas received extensive media coverage as an example of wrong professional behavior while in command. Avranas tried to defend his actions by claiming that he left the ship first to arrange for a rescue effort, and then supervised the rescue from a helicopter. He justified his actions saying the "ship was in darkness and the batteries on the crew's walkie-talkies had died, meaning that he had no communications with his crew or with other rescue craft". Avranas was quoted as saying "When I order abandon the ship, it doesn't matter what time I leave. Abandon is for everybody. If some people like to stay, they can stay." A. Klaudatos, head of Epirotiki Lines, was quoted as saying: "Of course the crew members assigned to the boats have to enter first in order to assist the embarkation of the passengers", "as regards the captain abandoning the vessel, this is untrue and he has maintained his position throughout in assisting the rescue in the most effective way"

Epirotiki Lines had lost two other ships within the three years preceding the sinking: the company's flagship Pegasus only two months before, and the MV Jupiter, three years before.

A Greek board of inquiry found Avranas and four officers negligent in their handling of the disaster. The Oceanos wreck lies at a depth of between 92 m (302 ft) and 97 m (318 ft), about 5 km (3.1 mi) offshore. Divers have visited it, but currents are strong so diving is difficult. Photographs taken in 2002 show that the bridge section has collapsed.

The captain & some of the crew stood trial & were given lengthy prison terms.

All this happened when I was arranging travel plans for my return to UK at a travel agency. My agent was a pretty young girl who was so excited as the company was giving her a free cruise from EL to Durban on you guessed it...

We had been down to the docks to see the ship as a local millionaire had hired the boat for the day for his daughter's wedding. The passengers were put up in a local 5 star hotel.

We also heard that the port authority had advised the captain not to sail that evening as the storms in this area were notorius...it is not called the WILD COAST for nothing. The captain said he was pressurised by the ship's directors back in Athens to sail on schedule

In fact Moss Hills has been involved in other sinkings on cruise vesels before & after...each time being instrumental in the rescue.

Motto...If you go cruising & he is the entertainer...GET OFF QUICK