Maybe its just not enough older people around or lack of interest ... but I have lots of memories to share .. and do regular posting as they come up or the time appropriate ... I mean the story of Pam Touhey.. nobody remember her ,, Richard opperman is one person who decribes in graphical detail pretty much as i do .. come on lets rattle those grey cells .. and yes press our old folks if they still with us for more stories ...
Good idea, Sandy. Let's get some stories from some of the older folk and post them here or even better.... let's get some more older folk online to share their own stories and memories with us....
Hi Dalene, never met you but knew your dad. Way back when 1975 I neede to get a drivers licence to be able to fulfil my duties on the mine. The protocol was that you would go through the normal process as per "normal" and then you would drive one of the policemen around. I remember a certain Monkey Malan who took me for my spin. As you can imagine,with a town the size of Oranjemund then we could not drive very far. monkey said to me: Let us just park somewhere, the old man is in a bad mood today and if we come back too soon he will take you out again himself and garaunteed you will fail!" We came back 30 minutes or so late, he just grumbled something in the line of: Can he drive?, and that was it. I had my drivers license! Strict old bugger he was, but fair!
Nice memory Carl, that's what we need! Welcome on the site - be ready to spend many hours in front of the computer, there's a lot of memories hidden in hundreds of pages! 23_11_61
Hi Bertie,
Thanks! We stayed in E8/11, were practically your neighbours. Did your dad not go for a jog with a difference? I seem to recall him on a bicycle pulled by two Staffies every evening!(maybe it was some one else but I always thought it was him)
Hi Carl when was it you stayed at E8/11. We were at E5/11 in the 60's and the Steyns stayed at E8/11 then, and were Berties Neighbours(E10/11). The delange's at E9/11 and the Schneiders at E 7/11. Just trying to place you...did you arrive after that time????
Hi there,
Are you family of Stephen Rudd perhaps? We moved into Wikkies house during 1977 from the 5th avenue flats. Kosie Krige was one of my neighbours overthere...
@ Carl - Yes, that's right. Good memory. It was indeed my Dad (Bertus). He went for a cycle with the dogs (or rather THEY took HIM for a ride). They were two Bull Terriers, and I will never forget it. Once we went for a cycle, me taking one, my Dad the other. There was this Labrador close to the park in 12th/13th avenue, and when Ounooi saw it, went after it - pulled me straight off my bicycle and there she went (me still attached to the leash!). Dad just yelled "you don't dare let go of the leash!" Well, wish I could see a replay of that moment - my dog pulling me down the street like I was a bag of feathers - I had no skin left on my elbows, but I didn't let go!
And the Brünnerfamily stayed on E6/11th in the 60's and halfway 70's. I thought it was next to the alley.
Quote from: Carl Zeelie on January 20, 2009, 08:35:03 PM
Hi there,
Are you family of Stephen Rudd perhaps? We moved into Wikkies house during 1977 from the 5th avenue flats. Kosie Krige was one of my neighbours overthere...
Yes I'm the wife of a million years..... cowgirl
Speaking of Monkey Malan and drivers' licenses, Charlie Huntley and I rocked up in my mom's brown hire Beetle for our tests. Monkey couldn't believe that these two nitwits had arrived driving themselves with just a learners each. He was great though; made me go round a circle, drive up 1st avenue and then to Cora's so that he could buy a coke and then back to write out my licence. Same for Charlie as I recall.
When I wanted a bike licence, he just wrote one out and voila, licenced to side a bike! Should have asked him for every licence available - I could have been a bus driver on Cape Town roads - scare the bedevil out of all the morons on the roads! Ah, nice dream! ha ha
I remember Karl Gerhke being a neighbour...think he married Wendy Bester but might be wrong...... Barbara stayed on the corner. I recall giving Trygva two tickets to the movies once that I got from somewhere but he was yesno about something and all I got was a :Thanks, but no thanks! Where is he these days I wonder? I worked with him at No ! Plant.
We played a prank on him once:
Let me first give the background. When you are a miner, you do blasting which involves handling Gelignite(those days, now they use emulsion). The nitroglycerin that weeps through the sticks gives you one heck of a headache. All that helped was a ice water and a couple of Syndols. So the first action of the miner when he comes back to the offices would be to get the necessary medication and then sit down with the water at the Foreman's desk. Only now is he ready to report. The Metallurgical Foreman would drift in and listen, make comments, discuss the technical details of the effect of the ROM on the plant...and sometimes just be a general nuisance and tease.(ME!)
On that day Trygva came in, filled his glass with ice and water, sat down and then suddenly decide he wanted to go to the toilet first. He came back, popped the pills and took a a long drink of water with a piece of ice ending up in his mouth...quite normal thus far... The next moment he spat the block of ice into his hand, began retching dryly and swearing as he ran outside.
Background two: We had a miner (Mining Supervisor as they were called) who had lost the first part on his finger in an accident with a motorbike chain...I forget his name. He put it into resin at the time and polished it. It looked like a piece of glass with a bloody torn off finger frozen in ice. Thats right, somebody placed it in Trygva's glass when he went to the toilet. image201 I still smile when I think of his reaction that day. Hugo had his hands full to stop a fight whilst laughing uncontrollably himself!
Diana I remember Stephen, not so sure if he can say the same though. I think we moved in a different circle of friends....
Hi Carl - can't remember you as well, but yes - via memories of my old man, many people come up with bits here and there about him and it just warms my heart. True, if he was in a bad mood you did not 'sukkel' with Big Dirk!
Remember Monkey Malan as well... he is still very much alive and well and is living in Windhoek. My brother still sees him at times and about 4 years ago I also saw him in some or other shop in Windhoek when we were visiting again.
I (thank the good Lord for that) did not have to do my drivers lisence via my dad - he would have failed me for sure - not 'cos of bad driving, just for the heck of it! A big fella that came to O/Mund in those days - Daan something - took me. Drove about 500m when he asked me how long have I been driving... true to my big mouth I spilled the beans: for as long as I can remember.... He just said - don't waste my time then, turn around so I can go issue the licence! Whoopi - that was on the day of my 18th birthday! Best of all - my dad sent me to his office all on my own - knowing well that I only have a learners - (Eugene Barnes can stand in for that one as well - they were to busy to take me - also said they wanted to see if ou Daan realises the fact that no one accompanied me - ha ha). After issuing the lisence and just before I walked out Daan asked me : so, who drove with you when you came here? ........
Yes that were the good old days. We were the only Police station that was responsible for the issuing of drivers licences. I know Dalene as well as a lot of other people, driving around in town without licences.
Dirk and I went to Springbok one day, shortly after receiving the SWA/Namibian Police uniforms. In one of the stores, the salesman ran to the back of the store. We could here him saying to the manager, there is two strange looking men in the store, wearing strange uniforms and I am sure that the big person got a bomb with him, as I could hear it ticking. The bomb was Dirk's metal heart valve. The manager appologize to Dirk, but we had enjoyed it.
Hi Carl, good to see you here but I think you are glad that you are no longer here in Musina, as it look like small Zimbabwe.
Hi Carl,
Welcome to the Oranjemund Online!
Did you not work at 4 plant metallurgy in the late 70s with Vlooi Jacobs, Gert Prins, Tuis Smit and Richard Hyde as a single man?
I worked at 4 plant A1 and 100G section from 1975 till 1977 and 4 plant Recovery from 1977 till 1979 when I left Oranjemund for Cape Town and have been here for the past 30 years.
Keep well.
Eugene - I had forgotten about that incident - now you mention it, it comes back .... And don't you dare go spilling more beans about all the missteps of the Coetzee kids - you'll spoil the unblemished image everyone has about this sweet, obedient, not-putting a foot wrong daughter of Dirk ! image24
image201
Hi Eugene....... woo_hoo You wont believe it!! Regards to all I know there...especially to Christa Coetzee!
Richard! I could not figure the person and I knew the name! I remember you now! 100g plant operators...Ikey Johnstone, Hennie Loock and Tony Giddey were the foreman then on the Boulder plant side. George Osche, Giel Swart, Vernon Coetzee and Mossie (forget his surname) Old Roxy(Gawie le Roux) was Senior Plant Foreman was ours. Yes I work at 4 plant from June 75 till Dec 75 and then transferred to Affen. Moved back to town when I was selected as part of the 3 plant commissioning team. I remember Richard Hyde as well. He was the HMS operator who refused to wash his jeans. I am sure one could make the thing stand up straight from all the ferrosilicon!
Carl ...Trygver is now living in Somerset West saw him in Nov when Barbara was out from England visiting me. He is well, very into bowls and his running. Still looks much the same except balding a bit. LOL
Barbara joins this forum regularly so I'm sure she will pick up on this. Jeez I know your name but can't put a face to it, best you post a photo and not a tiny one....the eyesight you know.
So right Diana ... we all appear in our glory here .. the name also rings bells .. but yes too much red wine over the years ... hammer
mmmh! and some folks are still using their 22 year old photo's.... notfair
Not me .. I'm splattered all over the site from baby till now .... cat3
Hi Carl,
That's it, you have mentioned some names that I had forgotten but could see their faces - "Richard! I could not figure the person and I knew the name! I remember you now! 100g plant operators...Ikey Johnstone, Hennie Loock and Tony Giddey were the foreman then on the Boulder plant side. George Osche, Giel Swart, Vernon Coetzee and Mossie (forget his surname) Old Roxy(Gawie le Roux) was Senior Plant Foreman"
Some names of the past and I do remember you as well - keep on posting.
Richard, Actually the ferrosilicon pants guy was Dave Haselu. I recall part of the CCP operator duties was to bleep the 100g operator when the foreman left the office! sobored
Hi Carl and Richard
Mossie was the nickname for "Mostert" - I played rugby with him one year (if he's the same guy). His sister was married to Piet Lourens on mining. Wonder what happened to him. I never did get to know his real name.
Gawie le Roux was foreman at 1 plant - as was Ikey. Hennie Look was also at 1 plant for a while. I played a trick on him one evening when I got him to shut down the A2 crushing section. Essie Esterhuzen was foreman at the time and was not too impressed.... It's in my book.
I think Vernom was badly hurt in a collision with one of the dump trucks around 66 or so. He was foreman at 4 plant when I started there.
Seems like I just missed you guys as I left at the end of 1974 after a great time at 4 plant and Affen.
Cheers
Malcolm
Hi Malcolm,
At 4 Plant we new Vernon as "Die Man van Staal" (the man of steel) because of all the plates and pins in his body after the accident, was lucky to be alive and bit of a nutter.
He used to play tricks on the engineering guys until one day as the story goes some guy dropped a steel milling ball onto the toilet roof in which he was sitting, I believe there was hell to pay after this, but it was all eventually settled. His looks in later years reminded me of a dubious character from "Vlak Plaas" but not as bad, only in looks with the dark glasses he had to wear after the accident.
Keep well.
Richard
Hi Richard
I wonder how he gets through the airport security screens with all that bits of metal in him......
Malcolm
Hi Malcolm, yes when I started at 4 Plant 1975 Vernon was a Foreman there. He enjoyed playing pranks on others but detested being on the receiving end! I remeber once I was operating the CCP and he kept on calling me from his phone in his office and then putting it down when i answered. I got cross after the 4th time and worned him I will not answer the phone if he does it again. He did and I kept my promise...the very next call I refused to answer. It happened to be Roxy, who was Senior Plant Foreman at the time. He stormed into the ccp and demanded an answer as to my behaviour. I politely explained and directed him to Vernon. Needless to say, I was not Vernon's favourite after that incident. Luckily for me the transfer to Affen was imminent! Mossie Became foreman at No1 Plant with me and Johan Van Eck