WILD AND TAMED

2000

WORTHING

We settled into our nice little townhouse in West Worthing. 

There were good neighbours & a safe neighbourhood.

The walk into town was not far & Worthing was a nice town...I believe it has grown considerably.

James came to stay one time ...his Dad was ill & later died

NURSE CHARMAINE

She had the privilege of sponsored training in SA & in fact, SA was in those days turning out highly trained medics & were known for their high standards...Today...well🙃

Whilst in Worthing she continued to work for the agency that contracted her but the work was drying up...she was not getting as many shifts as before. 

INSURANCE COLLECTOR

I took on some P/T work working for London Victoria collecting premiums...no I wasn't bouncing & banging heads although some folks needed it.

Some of the premiums were silly figures incl. hapennys🤪

I had to do all the accounting & banking,etc...& all for a bunch of crooks...yes banks & ins co's...all!!

GOODBYE MAESTRO

Charmaine was driving the Maestro but rear ended someone in Brighton.

Although she got home, the car was in a mess & a right off.

It would be the ominous forebodding for the future.

LUNCH?

Did some P/T work delivering lunches to the elderly & infirm in Worthing.

Actually it was good fun & well paid

PITZA

Also worked for a pizza parlour where I picked up some healthy tips & even a free meal... enjoyed the work

YES COLLEGE

I was back at the school I had been at in earlier years, but it was a trek taking 3 trains to Eastbourne.

Rising at 4 am, I prepped the day before catching the 7.15 from West Worthing station nearby.

I was shattered, often in the door after 7 pm...Char was good with my lunches & a hot meal when I got back. I was in bed by 8 pm.

She was no longer working so it was a blessing to have work until our next move.

GOODBYE TOUR

We took off for Seaford to say goodbye to Evelyn...I would not see her again...she would die the following yr.

We stopped at the Sayers in Crawley Down & then up to B'ham to see David Stowe.

On to Stoke & all at UCB...went on to Heswell & stayed with the Youngmans. Took a trip to Chester , the beautiful county seat city in Cheshire

SA BOUND

...We stayed at Pretoria Gate & all the shenanigans whilst setting up a contract for Char in Saudi Arabia...I would be working in SA teaching at radio stations.

James, Tina's husband left for England. I had then moved to Roosevelt & took care of the place whilst she visited him.

2001

CCFM

I flew down to Cape Town & stayed at the Thomas home in the guest apartment in St James.

Every day I would go across the road to the beach. I had about 5 spots among the rocks I would use, where I stayed for about 90 min catching the sun, watching into the rock pools & reading. It was a real delight as I could look out over False  Bay toward Gordons Bay, Strand & beyond.

I ran a Broadcasting school for the folks at Cape Community FM, formerly Fish Hoek Radio. They had good facilities & eager staff.

The school was held in the evenings & I tried to make the classes as enjoyable as possible. Everyone seemed to benefit.

On the 2 w/e I was in St James I would stroll into Muizemburg or go the other way; south toward Kalk Bay where I bought the most delicious panini pie.

All too soon it was over...I stayed a week with Tony & Amanda. Sadly he seemed more interested in other women, treated Amanda's boys badly & neglected his own. His ex...Irene was lovely though.

Tony was a wolf & preditor...I was only to come to that realisation later.

We went to his church in Milnerton which was radical & that is putting it mildly...zany would be more accurate. Tony would drag me along to these healing sessions where a load of garbage was spoken.

I had set up another Broadcast school & just before I left on the bus for Gonubie & Mollie McQueen for a visit, I came down with a UTI...very painful...anti biotics helped clear it up & so the long journey went fairly smoothly.

CANELANDS & JIVANNADI (nr DURBAN)

I left Mollie & East London afer a few days & head for Durban.

Christo van Eerden whom I had met in 96 picked me up at the airport.

The mission was very rudimentary & I was given a room which was comfortable.

The station was now built & air conditioned which was a blessed relief. We had a similar format as that at CCFM but I would say a lot more fun as there was less natural talent but made up with great enthusiasm.

I made some life long friendships with the missionaries including the Viljoen fam...Van Eerden fam & the Van Huysteen fam.

The Viljoens were great entertainers & I would often have meals with them. Christo in his log cabin was a great intellectual & we had many a long conversation on so many subjects. Danie van Huysteen was very much into his theology & I would accompany him to his outreach in Stanger further up the coast.

There was Frikkie Kellerman, a doctor who became the principle of the Accelerated Christian Education school on site.

The UTI flared up again & he was very helpful...spent the day at McChords Hospital having some intimate investigations done including sitting in a maternity clinic for a scan...The young pregnant women thought it was very funny & we all had a good laugh...NO I WAS NOT PREGNANT.

There was also a general dinning room where meals were served.

I was invited to a church on a w/e by a local in Phoenix, a suburb of Durban to speak at his church. The vast majority of the locale was of Indian background & which was the target area of the mission... a difficult task because of resistance from fam & friends & the demonic world these folks operate in.

I left with extremely fond memories & headed back to Tony Sands for a spell before I got fed up with him & flew back to JNB & continued the prep work for our migration to Perth, Australia

OZ BOUND

Char returned from Jeddah.

We raced around finishing off all the paperwork for visas & flights.

I had set up a contract for Charmaine at a hospital in Perth.

So finally we were off via Kuala Lumpur.

MERCY IN MT LAWLEY

We were given accomadation in one of the hospital apartments looking out over the Swan River.

Mercy was really a Catholic hospital but hardly practiced any theological medicine

PERTH

The city sat about 2/3 down the west coast of the state, the biggest in Australia...most of Europe would fit inside

There was a lot of mineral mining incl. most of the world's opals...the coast was the real gem sporting a wonderful ecosystem plus marine life.

South of Perth was the wine country centered around Margerets River.

Tourism is a big income to the state...many venturing into the wide expanse of the deserts featuring the Simpson & the Gibson; very dangerous without the right precautions.

Downtown was a modern well heeled metropolis with the Swan snaking its way through the city. 

Eating & coffee houses are important factors in Australian life & off course sport & the outdoors

We would often go up to the suburb of Morley for our shopping & coffee...& the iconic Kings Park which overlooked much of the city, river & coast.

In fact it was a good life...Little did I know this idyll would come tumbling down

HYUNDAI

We bought a brand new cherry red Hyundai for a great price.

It was a great car & although these many yrs later I still think of it as a new one...

WORK/STUDY

I 1st worked on a short contract at a school down town. I took the train to work so it worked out well.

Unfortunately, the school was a money pit & were not interested in discipline or morals. My favorite students were the Japanese again.

I then picked up a really good job doing extra lessons for those children whose parents felt it was needed. I became the Dep Principal & admin organizer.

The organization was looking to expand in the south in Albany & whilst I enjoyed Perth, I did really like Albany & was offered the post of setting up & becomming principal there...but it never would happen...😥

We also worked on location...at a Health Center in the suburbs & a school in Rockingham...not far from Ronni's mum.

I also did teaching at a specialist school & private lessons.

Inbetween I advanced my IT skills at a college & did some  care training for when the need might arise.

CHURCHES

We tried a number of churches incl.Margeret Court's (former World & Wimbledon tennis champ...60's/70's)

Also Riverside...the biggest in the city...sadly all apostates...although I did go see Darlene Zschech... a show performance.

Went to a Riverside cell group & whilst I was still a novice in Biblical knowledge, they were so keen for me to give Bible teaching instruction to them which whilst they were lovely people, showed how much they lacked in the simple understanding of God's Word...one which says PRAY, STUDY,DISCERN, TEST & ASK GOD FOR REVELATION.

We did find a home at Beachway in Osborne Park...again such friendly folk & we found a SA'n family there who were great support during a most difficult time which was to come.

CLARKES

There was a scheme for new immigrants where the Federal State would help in house purchase.

We chose our house...on plan & put up a deposit for a corner plot in an area ...Clarkes...quite far north of the city, although still within Perth. the house had 4 bedrooms, a double garage & a big plot. It was such an exciting venture. We would go up to the area & see other houses going up & thinking ours would be soon as well...BUT...

FREEMANTLE

...which is in fact the Port for Perth.

I liked Freo...it had an older world charm to it & was less fast paced than Perth.

We would visit quite often taking in the coffee shops, restaurants...good fish & chip shops...& of course the docks with its huge market

CAVERSHAM/TUMBLEGUM

I have referred to these places, but now it was Charmaine's experience too.