Remember after our town was opened and we had more freedom of movement the weekends and parties at Mc Dougals bay ? One could hire one of the bungalows from the municipality for a few rands .. real basics .. what was fascinating for me was some of the holiday homes there .. there were double decker buses ..the one place had part of a boats bridge etc .. I at a later stage hired a house on the edge of the second bay .. we used to go down there for weekends .. did lots of crayfish caught with the baskets .. we would borrow from the one fisherman ,I remeber he had an italian name ( part of a very mixed heritage ) at about 11pm we would quietly with car lights off drive further south to wher the rock gulleys were ... bait the baskets .. settle down on the rocks drink lots of OB sherry and wait .. our albeit illegal harvest was always plentiful .. head back to cottage many hours later .. do the boil alive thing .. take the meat from the tail and toss gently in butter and lemon juice .. breakfast for the gods ... I wonder what Mc Dougals looks like now ...??
More
Hi Sandy
Mc Dougalls bay is expanding. My sister and brother in law, Suna and Eddie Engelbrecht have bought a plot there and plan to start building soon. His sister, Brenda and Basil Demmer live there and quite a few old Oranjemunders, like Johanna Oosthuizen. It is amazing the price of property in that little town. A plot of plus minus 400 squares costs in the region of R170 000. Where on earth would you find anything in Gauteng for that amount of money?
My sister will be visiting me next week and if they have any photos of Mc Dougalls I will put them on the site.
Keep well
Charmain Meier (Heusdens)
My father and 2 friends from the Lodge bought a plot there for 15 000 about 8 years back, sold it for 150 000 2 years back..... All the Transvaalers....!
:)
Sandy
If my memory serves correctly, Mickey and Anita Reschke used to own a plot at Mc Dougalls.
Charmain
PS Mike
Dit kan net 'n dom transvaler wees wat daai prys betaal vir grond in Mc Dougalls.
Charmain did Suna work in the Stationary Dept back in 1975/76. I'm it was her that I worked with. (short with dark hair)
MIckey and Aunty Anita had a blue prefab house right on the beach on the small bay at McDougalls! :(
Hi Charmain,
when you speak to your sister, Suna, please give her my love. She worked at De Beers Marine. I was in the Geology Department and she worked for Human Resources. Such a stunning lady! My Dad was very fond of Suna and Eddie.
thanks
Yvette
Hi Diana & Yvete
Yip, Diana you are right, she used to work in the stationery dept many moons ago. They are arriving this coming Thursday and I cannot wait!!! Want to spoil them to death. She is now linked to a ventilator 24 hours a day. Has very bad emphysema. Lung functions are only 17%. What I will do for you guys is take some photos when they are here at put in on the site.
Diana, I remember you well, you married Steven if I am right. Yvete,are you the daughter of Ernie Biccard or am I also getting confused like I did with Debbie Opperman? Last week I remembered the Debbie I worked with at Uubvley was Debbie Wallace!!!
Cheers until later
Charmain
Hi Charmain
Yes thats me. I remember that you worked at Uubvley, we wouldve travelled on the bus together. I was at Central Mine office when Ken Owen was there. I worked in same office with Helene Vermaak. We later re located to No. 4 Plant Mining offices. Rex Pengilly and co were also there. I am so sorry to hear about Suna. Photo's will be fantastic to see, thanks. talk soon.
Yvette
Thats me Charmain, married Stephen in 1976. Suna and I would eye him out when we worked in the stationery dept.She would make me serve him and tell me I must talk to him. I,d go all weak, mind you I was only 17 - 18 at the time. My very first job. Tell her I say hi when you see her (If she remembers me).I am so sorry to hear about her health.
Hi Charmaine
I worked at uubvley with Debbie Wallace and Wendy Bester and Koosie Kruger Do you remember me (Sue Brownless)
Do you remember driving to the mess for our meals in the combi.
Hope to hear back from you
Are you the one who sold me the mini as far as I remember i got it from you.
Regards
Sue Ashton (Brownless)
Hi Sue,
Was wondering when you would pop up on this site, Where are you ?
Are you in contact with Debbie Wallace, ?
Sandy, over the years, "The Bus" became veeeery well known - firstly as a landmark if you were guiding anyone into McDoug's, and secondly, as a bit of a .........how do i put this tactfully....., ummmm.....there's no way, - "den of inequity". In my time when kenny aitken and myself use to go through a lot (early to mid 80's), some of the divers were staying there and many a raucous party was held in and around the bus. I remember it was always a challenge getting up and down those damn stairs. Good times, good times...........
Did not know it as that in my times .. although there were some strange people floating around at times ... Did you ever go to some of the Skoffel dances in port Nolloth usually friday nights .. the dance floor covered in powder so that the ladies could glide across the floor .. indeed strange and interesting people in that town ... got to a few drinking parties on the boats in PN harbour as well ,,, Interesting times indeed ..
I think those skoffels were a bit before my time - didn't do much gliding when we jolled in the area - maybe in our heads with all the "green" smoke which tended to pervade mcdoug's ;). we didn't party much in port jolly itself - stuck to mcdoug's - occassionaly a diver would move into the town itself and so the parties moved with him. the Scotia Inn will always be a memory for me tho - often stopped in their for a drink coming/going. you right, there were some strange characters around.
No we did not skoffel we would go and drink and watch the locals at play .. also for discretions sake no names mentioned there were one or two oranjemund girls having affairs with locals .. so they would be seen there .. we had a code of silence .. nod hello and nobody "saw" each other there .. so it remains .. I remember a couple who stayed with us for a few days at the cottage in Mcdougals they were from Joburg travelling around on a motorbike .. they were very
" green " the girl would make money from making and selling macrame work
( remember all those kitsch pot plant hangers ) .. anyhow she would in her smoked up state accost the surprised locals walking on the beach trying to sell macrame to them . they would take fright at this wild eyed goofed crazy creature and scuttle off ...
definitely not catholics cos i did not see them crossing themselves .. lots of muttering though ....
Diana
Suna and I discuss all the topics and I give her feedback. She remembers you very well. They are arriving this coming Thursday and I am looking forward to their visit. I will give her your regards. Where are you living now? Regards to Steven, don't know if he will remember me.
Keep well.
Charmain
Susan Brownless
Good heavens, it is so nice to hear from you. Where are you living? Yes, I remember you quite clearly. Bill Slier and Kosie Krige too. Some of the names I can remember that used to work at Uubley are Appels Coetzee, Johnny Hattingh, Andries Coetzee (the flame red headed chap), Johan Oertel, Fanie de Witt, Sandy de Witt, Elaine Coetzee, Natasha le Roux, Elsabe Swanepoel, Denise Langeveldt, Miena Koopman, John Williams and the rest I cannot remember.
Workshop Foremen and Chargehands are Samma Schreuder, Eddie Haylett, Oom Frans (cannot remember his surname), Oom Jan Badenhorst, Uncle Aubrey Baker with his smelly old pipe, Oom Viv le Roux.
Of the Owambo Boss Boys the own who stood out above the rest was Old Pat, the one with the bandy legs. He used to work for Dennis Hawkins at one of the plants.
Cheers
Charmain
Yvette
I see you live in Kimberley. Suna and Eddie live in Koffiefontein, 100 km south of Kimberley. They drive to Kimberley once a month for shopping. Please send me your phone no and address and I will pass it on to her. She cannot remember your married surname when you worked at Marine. Please send it to me. Thanx.
Charmain
Here are some snaps from when the Vodens family use to go through to the Reschke's place in MacDougals
and....
Charmaine is Suna still visting you? How she doing? I know Koffiefontein had friends there when we lived in Ficksberg.Saw you mentioned Phalaborwa we lived there for 10years.Now in Table View Cape Town. Stephen does remember you and sends regards.
Unfortunately they went home on 29 Sep. I lived in Phalaborwa from Dec 1993 to Jun 2000. Cried my eyes out to leave the "protected" town for the rat race of Pretoria, but believe it or not, I will NEVER go back. That place is the closest to Hell. Too hot man. Please tell Stephen I send my regards. I sent Vivienne Worth an email and we plan to get together some time soon. It is going to be a shock to see one another after all the years. I see you had comment about Richard's camera making everyone look fat, just chill, we all got fat over the years.
Keep well and regards to Stephen
Charmain
Hehehe, did it ever occur to you that maybe the camera was'nt lying? :) ;) :D ;D
Hey Micheal go sit in the corner and................ :P I told you Richard wanted to use his new wide angle lens.Charmaine we left Phalaborwa 1990 stayed at 26 JanssensCres opposite the high. Also cried buckets when we left. Ya Ya I hear you guys I know this isn't Phalaborwaonline.com :)
It must have been at least a 1m wide lense I reckon...hehehhehehe ;)
Mike
Now, now, come on, age is creeping up on you and we speak again in a couple of year's time. Luckily when you really start getting old you start shrinking again!!!!!
Keep up the good work on the site. I fight to get to the computer first in the afternoon to catch up on postings on the site, kind of addictive.
Charmain