This is interesting stuff, for those of you from the 60's and those with MDC links. I found Ben's page online about two years ago and recently whilst doing a wee bit more research, I was looking at his site again....... hiss autobiography makes really interesting reading, especially the parts that are relevant to our part of the world....
Here is the link: http://www.boostdam.net/OSE/OSE-page7.html
Here is the reply I received from Ben.....
"Hi Mike:
Glad to see someone is reading my AB!
I spent another half hour going through part of your forum
Fascinating!
I only spent Sep 1963 -J an 1964 in Oranjemund and a total of two years in SA,
but they were unforgettable
(aided by my wife Mercia with who I spent the last 45 yrs, she is from Goodwood; her brother Gus Louw was about 17 then, but later worked on security in Oranjemund, is now retired in Bloemfontein and probably reading your "memory candies", but just to make sure I will pass this on to him.)
Some names I remember, probably also mentioned in my AutoBio, are listed below, please let me know if they ring a bell and if you know their whereabouts:
Devlin, Noel Shand, Venske, Bill Fry, Denise Christie, the Shipleys, Dr. Charles Stocken
As to your question, it probably was Jim Murray, but I am not sure;
the photograph rings a faint bell, but if you are still in touch with him, ask him and give him my best wishes. I greatly enjoyed working with most of the ORU blokes, Britt, Guest, Wright, Biesheuvel and would not mind at all seeing how matters have advanced in diamond mining on land, beach and offshore...
Best wishes!
"
Sigh! The power of the internet, received the following response from Gus Louw, thanks to Ben....
"We think fondly of Oranjemund. My daughters called the school a " designer" school-it cannot be praised higher than that.
My oldest daughter Tania went to high school in Durbanville and flew in with the old Skymasters of Namib Air every off day they had-wow-what a Company CDM was then. I have never seen any other company spoil its employees like CDM did. On pickup duties I often landed at Affenrucken where the Scandinavian or German chefs spoilt us rotten.
As I was in the Security Dept. I could go where most others could not. The geology of the ancient desert facinated me. I had time to find whale skeletons at Chamais beach and play with baby seals in shallow pools and watch jackal steal away freshly born pups from seal mothers at Bogenfels. We took trips across the eastern side of the sperrgebiet with only the sun as direction finder and slept at khoigab above the ancient subterranean lake. Everyone was so friendly and we had countless friends and braais. The few bad moments were soon eradicated by the good times. Susan and I remember Dr Stocken and Bill Fry but they will not remember us, I think. I am always taken aback when people that I think should remember me, does not. One even said ' why does he look so young?" This floored me no less.
Stay well Mike.
Gus Louw
Bloemfontein
4/9/009."