Oranjemund Online

For all you old timer's , I stopped in the middle of town and took these pics, they are off the Old Cooldrink factory that is being converted into an African Fried Chicken joint, the Old Fruit and veg cafe, The back of the old cafe, there is a takeaway called seagulls on the corner and the bank, FNB, formerly Barclays Banks and the Youth Club..

I forgot this one

Correct  me .. but  looking  at  so  many  of  the  photos  .. our  old  town  looks  a  bit  run  down ??  The  furnimart  was  that  the  Veggiemarket  previously .. ??

Sandy, I agree with you. It seems people that have lived here in the last 10 years do not notice it and tend to compare the town with the other dry, bankrupt and dusty dorps in Namibia,If you've lived here for longer than 20 years then you can see the difference. There has been an improvement since  a new private company has been appointed to look after the Parks and gardens. The standard of Housekeeping however leaves a lot to be desired, with the majority of people not caring about their surroundings.... Sign of the times I guess!

:-\

Coming from a guy that point blank refuses to do any gardening thats pretty rich, if it wasn't for Mich you guys would live in a dust bowl... the jackels and gemsbok would avoid your house on account of it being a little to 'deserty' for their liking :)

Ya, but who waters the place and anyhow somebody has to braai the meat on the fire...... , not my fault she's a vegetarian....  >:(

Thanks Paul, glad at least my neighbour appreciates my attempt at gardening - probably piss yourself laughing watching me from your kitchen window!!!!!
Would you believe our resident gemsbok (pretty sure it was the same one wandering through the famous alleyway a couple weeks ago) actually chomped all my impatients growing outside by the front gate! Should I take that as a compliment or an insult????
Well, I will see you at the fence this afternoon whilst Mike is watching the rugby, drinking beer and braaing the meat - I've got some gardening to do!!!

Yahoo, head office has given permission for me to drink a few beers this afternoon, Bobby, I;ll have one on you.....

:D

Here we go again!!!!!

only one mike,just think,with technology now days we can have a VIRTUAL session bud,you enjoy,i am with you all the way mate.

Michele,

Same here, the gemmie chomped all the plants Melanie planted in the urn at our front gate, much anger and gnashing of teeth, I think we should plant some Marrijuna there, that way we can quickly track down the offending bok (It'll be the one trying to climb on a bicycle) and tag and release elsewhere !!!

Hey Paul, pretty good idea about the marijuana but what happens when our girls decide to pick the stuff for Flower Day on a Monday - can you imagine the poor girls already have a complex about being Alexanders and now they'll be done for bringing dope to school! Maybe we should get Stephanie involved then at least all of the Grade O Alexander cousins will be in it together!

Ha ha, classic :) In reality, if any of our girls brought dope to school, can principle Meyer ever really say: "Couldn't see that one coming!!!"... Now if your girls came to school wearning WP jersey's... now there would be an outcry (I can see Mike now... "Child abuse!!!")

Hey - speak for yourself!!!!!!! I don't have any "cool uncles" on my side to blame! (Anymore should I say!)

I'm sure I saw you in a Stormers jersey the other day - what happened to you???

Anyway, the girls are forced into wearing their Cheetah t-shirts on a Saturday - I'm sure that counts for child abuse!

Hey Paul! You still coming over the fence to braai on Super Saturday, before the rugger, say 12h30 for 13h00.........

I put a works request in to keep the east weather around for saturday!


:D

You may have put a works request in for the weather but you didn't put a request for "permission to have a braai" to head office!!!!!!

PS, Paul - Mike says to tell you that he obtained permission to braai this evening! Will see you at the fence!

So  many  memories   ...  another strange  thing  is  looking  back  on  the  years .. we  as  those youngsters  seemed  to  be  able to  compress  so  much  into  those   carefree  years  we  had .. when I  think  back on  some  of  the  timelines  they  seem  so  short now ,  but  then  for  us  they  were  forever ...  I  have  eventually  got  down  to  pulling  out  pictures .. sadly I  lost a lot  during  a  house  fire  in  the  80's ...  anyhow  there  are  a quite a  few   old timers  faces   and  some from  teenage  years  .. I will  ask   Eddy if  he has  anymore  boxes  of  pics  that  my Mom  had  stored ...  I  even  found  some  slides ...  only  pain  is  to  get  them  scanned .. Its  tedious   and  time  consuming   . I  am  even  considering  getting  them done  by  a  fotshop  .  got  to  see  what it will  cost ...

Yep! Yep! East wind braai...... lekker evening....   :D

There was a farewell held way back in the 80's for KannieWorry, they videotaped it, a lot of characters in it.... trying to get it off my dad to take a few snapshots from it... should be interesting....

It was held in Casey's

:)

Talking  about the town  and  how  it  has changed .. Old  timers  the old  shopping  center ..My  Mom  in  the  fancy good  dept >>

Hi Sandy,
The penny has just dropped ....... I didn't realise that was your Mom. Now that I see her photo, it all clicked! I can remember her well. She was in the fancy goods department for an age, if I remember correctly. I can recall going in there with my Mom, and the two would chat away for ages. She was a very warm and friendly lady. I hope she is well? I have seen your name on the forum, but couldn't, place you. I still don't recall what you look like, but at least I have now made the connection. Cheers.

Yes  Nicky   that   picture was Many moons  ago  ..   long  before  the  shopping centre  had  its  first  upgrade .. Mom  retired  in  1980 .. remarried  in  83 ... sadly  passed  on   january  2001 ..  also  now  a  long  time  ago ..      am  slowly  scanning  and  posting  pictures ..  so  one day ...    Lets  keep  the  memories  flowing .. Sandy

Very sorry to hear about your Mom .... Such a lovely lady, as I said. Yes Sandy, these certainly are great memories of an uncomplicated era. It is also fantastic to know that everyone on this site is connected in some way, be it by  mutual acquaintance, a memory, a teacher they have shared or just a unique childhood game/place that they have encountered whilst living in this old desert town.

Yup  an uncomplicated  era .. I was  asked  the  other day  by  somebody .. why all  this  " reminiscing " ??  Ok    first  point .. said  person  grew up  in  city ...   secondly ..  I think  there  are  few  towns  as  unusual  as  OM was  in those days ... in  some  ways  " another planet ? "   dont know what  it  is .. but  yes  it  has  left  an impression  on  us ..  Keep  on  sharing  the  memory ..
Sandy

Will do Sandy .........!

Sandy you are spot on, was sharing my memories and photo's that I've snatched from the site (in an effort to explain the effect the site has had on me), to my 16 year old son last night.
He has heard many stories before but on viewing the aerial pictures he looked quite awe struck at my stories about cross country, and afternoon adventures out in the dunes looking for snakes etc.
So yes, as crazy as it is to be reminiscing, it is something !!  I was Oranjemund born and bred so had to adapt to city life, he was city born and has had to adapt to being brought up in UK.  Changing the subject randomly now:-
Can anyone remember the Muir boy who single handledly won the cheerleading cup for Oppenheimer in the 70's.  We were coached by Mrs O'Brian in the singing team songs. Hello Dolly comes to mind.   
Crepe rosettes and shakers, home made.

I can remember Ellen Muir, and yes she did have a brother, but cannot remember his name. I think her Dad's name was Dave? Not sure if these were related to the Muir boy that you are talking about.

Ja, Ellen was the sister.  Billy is springing to mind.
Nicky were you in Barnato ?  I have a picture of a green button on your blazer.

That I was sister! And you ........ Rhodes?

No, that would be cousin Margaret (Marggie).  I was in the house that never won anything besides the cheerleading prize, Oppenheimer.

 For some reason, I thought that you and her were in the same faction.

You'd think, hey.  Weird.  Who knows ??
Proudly blue in our house.

Hello  Mavis  .. under   your  pictures    unknown  ladies  having tea .. the lady in  the  front  is  Mrs Trollip , I remember  her  as  a  bustling , busy   helpful  person  always  seemed  rushed ..   The  Picture unknown customer  I  could  be under  correction   but  she looks like  Margie DeRoubaix  . I remember her  as  this  beautiful  woman  with  these rosy  cheeks  .. I  was  standing   two bricks  and  a  tickey  high  in  the satuday   matinee  queue . and  this  vision arrived   with her  kids in  tow . ( they  were new  in  town so  kids  did  not know way around )   I thought  she was a  princess  at  that  tender  age ..
Another Princess ( I confess  to being  a dreamer as  a  young  boy )  was this  young lady that  used  to work  at  the stationery counter   .  I  used  to always  look  for  an  excuse  to  spend   time  there and  just  stare  at  her ..  She  was   a  daughter  of  one  of  the  Rumbles  building  contractors  .. remember  they  were  on the east  edge of  the town   near  carpenter  shop .. they  were  always  regarded as  "  rough people "   I  was  convinced  at  that early  age that  such a vision  could  not  be  a  child  of  theirs  and  surely  they  must  have  kidnapped  her ?? ( one  hell  of  a dreamer was  I  not ?? )

Sandy, where was the carpenter shop at the east side of town situated?

???

Michael .. brain  a  bit  rusty  . but  it  was  opposite  what  they  used  to  call  the magazine  or  Mine  store  in  the old  days  I  can  look at  google  and  point  it  out  later ...

I remember that carpenter shop, opposite the mine store, it was still there until about 10 years ago, it's now in the workshop next to the powerstation..... the old one had railway lines running through it....

:)

Hey Mike. 

Seeing the old photos are great.  Do they still have the Youth Club for the teenagers.  I remember how much fun we use to have at the Youth Club.  We all use to sit outside on the squares infront and chat.  Really good times.  max

The youth still go there, but not how we all remember it.... it is run as a CHristian Youth type place these days.....

Somewhere on the site  , some one asked about the name " Casey's bar " and what or who it was named after . Unfortunately I can not find the post again .
Casey's was openened during the late 1950's most prabably 1959 or there abouts - and a equaly nice ladies bar called " Katey's bar " was opened as well . I'm not sure where it was , but probably where the sportmans or Stauslager is now.  The name Casey comes from St Casey the Patron saint of the bootleggers [illicit alcohol brewers and providers  ] during the years when it was forbidden to brew your own ale , mampoer or other concoctions  in the mountains .
There was a big palm tree , nicknamed the Kannie Worrie tree ,  on the circle just in front of casey's . This tree blew over June 1979  when the town experienced a bad sandstorm and very strong east winds. Kannie Worrie Groenewald planted another tree early 1980's . Perhaps some one will be so kind as to report if that tree actually grew. and post a picture af it as well !