Bertie, Sorry for the delay in posting your awesome historical memories, it's been a hectic period since you left .
Towards the end of last year I got to meet ex Oranjemunder, Bertie Lubbe.
I had know about Bertie, as he had emailed me and expressed his intention to visit Oranjemund since leaving many decades ago.
So it was a great pleasure when this chap turned up at my office at Spar. He introduced me to his wife and nephew (If I remember correctly). The two had not been here before, this was Bertie's trip after all.
I was busy at that stage and we made a time to meet in the office the following day at 10H00. Bertie had mentioned that he had some photographs he wanted to show me.
10H00 the next morning, No Bertie, around 10h40, I bashed into his nephew who was also looking for Bertie, seemed he had gone walkabout, reliving old memories and time had escaped him.
Around 11h00, he was sitting at my desk..... he started to to talk..... names kept being written down on a scrap piece of paper, photographs flashing before me on the laptop..... a story to each one, more names...... Bertie's adventure in this corner of the Spergebiedt unfolded before me.....
We eventually lost track of time, the nephew returning around 14h00, only to be chased away....., stammering something about having to be in Luderitz by nightfall..... Bertie and I continued..... 1 Plant, 2 Plant, Affenrucken......
Sometime after 16h00, the "better half" returned, wanting to know what on earth the two of us could still be talking about......
Bertie eventually left sometime between 17h30 and 18h00....
Bertie was one of the pioneers of the mine, One of those wayward cowboy types that mining folklore of the Sprrgebiedt talks about, having served his time at Affenrucken, One Plant , Two Plant and Recovery.....
He left me with a number of photographs and tales that I am going to attempt to post over the next couple of days!
As always, please feel free to comment....
The snaps are in no particular order and may not mean anything to you, but it might to another old timer!
Bertie, Thanks for the awesome marathon chat.....
Somewhere else on this forum, there is reference to the dog from Affies that caught hikes down to town on the weekends and then back again on Sunday.
It was interesting talking to Bertie, to see that there were actually a number of dogs up at Affies!
Bertie was lucky enough to have spent time living at Affenrucken back in 78 and then moved onto a number of the new plants the mine was building during this era.
Sadly, nothing remains of those big beasts of conglomerate plants at No.1 and No.2 .... I always told the powers that be a few years back, that something should stay behind for the tourists.....but as usual , nobody wants to take the initiative.....
Good to see the old Affen pool with water in it.
There were a few dogs at Affen even a few cats.
The memories . . .
Mike, you'll have to give Bertie a free copy of my book, just a matter of courtesy being an ex-Affenruckener.
Malcolm
Hi Malcolm, I gave Bertie a book...... in fact I hand the books out to any old deserving old timer....
It was great talking to Bertie, I just have'nt had time to post some more of his snaps, save to say there are a good couple from Affies!
Bertie, reckons that security was not very tight up at that end of the remote mine and the lads up at Affenrucken were mostly left to their own devices.....
Thanks Michael for posting the pictures . Knew Bertie Lubbe well. recently retired
Michael ,I think you are a very diplomatic person
I knew Bertie at Affenrucken. Good to see the photos once again. Photo of "Chilling at the Affenrucken pool" was taken early on New Years Eve 1975 as we began our celebrations. That me (Ian Tonn) on the left then Miles Johnson, Francois le Blonde, Richard van Reyneveld and Charlie Ritter. The "Bonfire at Affenrucken" was taken later that night. The following morning, New Years Day 1976, despite being well hung over, we went to a place we called "The Valley of the Eagle" where the "Deep chill in the hills behind Affies" photo was taken. Afterwards we returned to the pool where the photo of Charlie, Richard and Bertie was taken. The gangly brown dog was named Tex. We then went inside and started watching the latest movie backwards. Piet de Wit came inside, sat down but didn't seem to notice it was backwards. We constantly had to put up with Charlie and Richard going "Hap-hap-hap-happy New Year!". We then had another braai that night.
Just started digging out some old photos. Unfortunately all photos have faded into a monochrome brown. Here's one featuring Bertie Lubbe, Francois le Blonde and Richard van Reneveld at X-mas lunch 1975 at Affenrucken.
Hi Guys
I had the privilege of going back to all these places now gone during my time at HT period +/- 1999 to 2014 took many photo's and always wondered, the photo of 2 plant control room brought back memories worked there end 1986 to beginning 1988 then called up for military serv
Must add my photo's here so you can get the ending picture
Some of my photo's are in Malcom's book
go for it Alfie. I was waiting for the bus that never showed up. saw your Pics in Malcolms book . Great
Our favourite spot at Affenrucken was "The Valley of the Eagle". If you followed the gully between the single quarters and the mess you would find a tributary gully coming in from the right. Follow it up and there would be a cliff face where hawks or falcons used to roost or nest. The base of this cliff was covered in small bones and skulls. I was photographing some skulls when Richard van Ryneveld's toes got into the picture. We used to go there at night. We had collected gemsbok horns from the desert and filled them with shellite and poked rags into the end and lit them and marched off to the valley. We would poke the horns into the sand and then talk crap. We discussed bear hunting in Canada and the tragic death of General Gordon in Khartoum at the hands of the Mahdi. We also discussed what we would do if flying saucers landed and tried to abduct all the Affenruckers. Strangely enough, one night, a large number of young people did go missing from the mine but aliens were not to blame. It was the Army. They sent them off to Angola to fight the Cubans.
Also have enclosed a photo of the notorious Affenrucken Poolside Chair. It used to catch out the occasional inebriate and once a gangly brown dog. I believe that is Bertie Lubbe's shirt on the chair.
Quote from: Ian Tonn on January 25, 2016, 05:13:30 AM
Our favourite spot at Affenrucken was "The Valley of the Eagle". If you followed the gully between the single quarters and the mess you would find a tributary gully coming in from the right. Follow it up and there would be a cliff face where hawks or falcons used to roost or nest. The base of this cliff was covered in small bones and skulls. I was photographing some skulls when Richard van Ryneveld's toes got into the picture. We used to go there at night. We had collected gemsbok horns from the desert and filled them with shellite and poked rags into the end and lit them and marched off to the valley. We would poke the horns into the sand and then talk crap. We discussed bear hunting in Canada and the tragic death of General Gordon in Khartoum at the hands of the Mahdi. We also discussed what we would do if flying saucers landed and tried to abduct all the Affenruckers. Strangely enough, one night, a large number of young people did go missing from the mine but aliens were not to blame. It was the Army. They sent them off to Angola to fight the Cubans.
Also have enclosed a photo of the notorious Affenrucken Poolside Chair. It used to catch out the occasional inebriate and once a gangly brown dog. I believe that is Bertie Lubbe's shirt on the chair.
Nice postings Ian, please post more...... Think you should speak to Malcolm Bertoni and get your memories written down...
Hi Mike and Ian
Good to see an ex-Affenrucker on the forum. abouttime
Interesting that I know none of the guys mentioned being there in 1975. I know that when I left in early 1974, most of the guys that I knew left not long afterwards.
We explored the long gulley for at least 10 kms. It does a big loop and heads back towards the river, before finally petering out. The freshwater spring mentioned in my book is about 1 km from the single quarters. Its still there. I'm not surprised that there's lots of bones and skeletons due to the water source nearby. Wouldn't be surprised if the Bushman were there in the old times as well . . .
Them good old days
Malcolm
Gee! Ain't that strange timing Malcolm, just yesterday I was roaming the Sperrgebiedt with Google Earth and went to Affenrucken, to follow the dry river bed east and then on the bend to the south..... trying to see where it's source was...... which turned out to be nowhere.....
I noticed the wet patch as indicated below and wondered if this was the fountain?
Hi Mike
Yes that's it - where you've got the arrow. There's a photo of it in my Sperrgebiet book (Fig 4).
Malcolm
Greetings Malcolm,
Here is another photograph from the gullies behind Affenrucken. It could be one of those old Bushman occupation sites or it could be an Old Affenrucker occupation site. I'm leaning towards an old Affenrucker site.
Ian, Thanks for the snap...... interesting bushman artwork....
For what it's worth, the company has removed all metal and rubbish from the mining area and this includes both 1 and 2 plants and parts of 4 Plant.
I see that the tyre dumps are still to be seen from Google Earth....
Malcolm, do any of you guys know what these black lines might be? From Google eartg about 20km North East of Affenrucken up towards the fence.....
Oh! Ian..... don't know if you have seen this link from Malcolm...
LINK: http://www.oranjemundonline.com/Forum/index.php?topic=3169.msg65411#msg65411 (http://www.oranjemundonline.com/Forum/index.php?topic=3169.msg65411#msg65411)
Hi Mike
Looks like some sort of portable fencing or netting - just guessing here as I haven't really got a clue what it is.
It on the way to Boegoeberg, but not sure if means anything.
Ian - can you remember who the cook was at Affen in 75?
Malcolm
G'day Malcolm and Mike,
Sorry I can't remember who the cook was in 75. The food was OK and I particularly remember the Appletizers and Grapetizers after the meal. (We didn't have those in Australia). I do remember some of the Ovambos from the Affenrucken Mess. After our Christmas lunch in 1975 the Ovambos from the Mess gathered and sang us some songs. We were so impressed that we asked them over to the single quarters to sing some more in the Recreation Room. We took up a small collection for them so they could treat themselves to a little Christmas cheer. Francois set up his tape recorder and they sang song after song and we sat back and listened to the recording. I can still hear Richard's voice saying "come on you cats, lets have another song". I think Emeric was the Headman. Others I remember were Rastas, Jim and Jason (or was his name Stephen?) . Jason was the only one who could speak a little English and he got the job of making a speech thanking us for the gift.
Here are a few photos (poor quality) from that day. I still regard it as my best Christmas ever. At the time I was acting 2 Plant Foreman so I had to leave Affenrucken at 11.30 to do a midnight startup at 2 Plant. Francois gave me a copy of the recording and every now and again I would listen to it with nostalgia. I looked for it the other day but couldn't find it. It will turn up one day.
Cheers, Ian.
Ian, What an awesome piece of history....
I have often spoke about how I have almost none of the "Ovambo" history of the period..... and nobody from that era seem's knowledgeable enough to put it all together...
Your photo's that you uploaded are part of that "missing" history.....
Would love to hear that recording....
Going to show these photo's to an old timer I know.... he might know more....
Interesting to note the traditional two scars on the one chap, you don't see that much these days!
thanks again for taking the time....
Hi Mike
I don't know where you could find out when the single quarters closed. I tried, and there seems to be no record of Affenrucken at all. Nothing.
It might pay to talk to old Kuffner - he was up at Affenrucken in the early 80s. I know when I saw him he said it was around 1982 that he was there and the single quarters had already been closed for a few years.
What year did you leave Ian?
Malcolm
Malcolm, I left Affenrucken in Feb 1976. I wasn't there all that long but it seems much longer. I arrived at Oranjemund in June 1975 as a Graduate Metallurgist and C.D.M. was allocated as my base mine. I had to do my operational training at 2 Plant. When I first went to the Personnel Department the lady there was taking down my details and said "I see that you will be moving up to Affenrucken to live for 5 months". She paused, looked up and said "they're all sand-happy up at Affenrucken!". I didn't know what sand-happy meant. I got to Affenrucken around September and started learning to operate all sections at 2 Plant. The scrubbers, crushers, screens, stockpiles, recrushers, H.M.S. and slimes disposal. Then they let me loose as acting 2 Plant Foreman for 2 months. By this stage I had transformed into an Affenrucker. The hair was getting long and a beard had started (mainly because other bearded Affenruckers had stolen the blade from my shaver and all the spares). By this stage I actually preferred to be at Affenrucken over Oranjemund. In the last week of Oct 75 the town was declared an "open town" and a temporary x-ray station was in operation between the mine and Oranjemund. It meant you had to drive to the x-ray station and then get a bus into Oranjemund. This meant that the boys from Affenrucken couldn't go into town, fill up the back of the Booze Bakkie and return to Affenrucken. After the new security arrangements these guys tended to stay in town for the weekend which meant we had Affenrucken to ourselves for the whole weekend. I thought of it as an idyllic utopian outpost. I guess from your writings Malcolm you had similar thoughts. I think we must have become sand-happy.
By Feb 1976 I had finished my operational training and left Affenrucken. I spent my last 2 weeks with Ronnie Potgeiter at the Arrisdrift prospecting site and then left C.D.M. to go to the De Beers Diamond Research Labs in Joburg.
Ian.
hi Ian
I know what you mean about the attitude of the town people to the Affenruckers. And I agree with you that Affenrucken was infinitely more preferable to town.
I played rugby with Ronnie Potgieter in 71 and 72 I think. He's now retired at Yzerfontein.
Cheers
Malcolm
Fascinating stuff . I remember the mess sheff Ben von Etten - thanks for the pictures of the Ovambo kitchen staff .. I enjoyed many many mid day meals at Affies .
Hi Hennie
Ben is now living in Canada, near Vancouver. He was a great chef.
I'm still in touch with him.
Malcolm
Ian Brown was the Screens-man at 2 Plant. I think he came from Three Anchor Bay in Capetown. He liked surfing and travelling the world and was a vegetarian. He was on the mine to save up for a holiday to Madagascar, Mauritius, Kenya and England and in November 1975 he decided to leave the mine. We got together for a farewell tour around Affenrucken and borrowed a Landrover for the day. Tex the brown dog wanted to come with us but we left him at Affenrucken. We ended up near 1 Plant where there was an old scraper dumped on the beach. The windblown sand had built up around it and there was a nice niche between the cabin and scraper where we sat because it protected us from the icy wind as we watched the surf. We were about 8 miles from Affenrucken.
We had been there only 15 minutes or so when who should arrive but Tex the brown dog. He had somehow managed to track us down. It must have been the special cologne, "Eau de Affenrucker", that we wear. To this date I am extremely impressed by his ability to sniff out an Affenrucker from 8 miles away.
We knew this dog as "Tex", but looking at Malcolm's photos I can see him described as "Ben's dog" (Ben von Etten) - a dog of legendary reputation. During my time at Affenrucken I can recall 6 dogs. As well as Tex there were 3 black labradors - one of them was named "Lady". She had a nice temperament. Then there was a small wiry dog known as "Jackals" - because people thought he had some jackal-like qualities. He was a little hyperactive as if he had been on the red cordial. And then there was a bull terrier named "Buzz". Buzzie is the same dog in the B&W photo with Bertie Lubbe.
Here are a couple more photos. One shows Bertie giving Ian Brown the Rabbit Ears as we shelter from the wind behind the Relay Station which from memory was on the ridgeline north of the Affenrucken Gully. The other two people are Richard and Francois. I think the dog might be Lady. The second photo shows Richard van Ryneveld about to give Buzz a swing around using a piece of rubber. Richard took over as screens-man when Ian left.
oops
Keep them coming, top snap, you guys look like rogues up to no good! :wow1:
What happened to all the dogs when you guys left?
Affenrucken Single Quarters had 2 levels, an upper level and a lower level connected by 2 corridor/stairways. This formed an enclosed area known as the courtyard. It was a little oasis containing shrubs and plants and grass. I kacked myself laughing when I read about Malcolm et al. when they captured and released a strandwolf into the courtyard and goaded some poor unsuspecting Affenrucker into going into the courtyard to water a plant. This action could have easily resulted in a new 100 m world record for South Africa. Sadly, during my time around 75/76 we were fresh out of strandwolfs and had to resort to releasing captured tortoises, chameleons and other lizards into the courtyard. When things got so boring at Affenrucken we would go into the courtyard and conduct chameleon races.
Here are a couple of photos of the participants.
I would like to nominate chameleon racing for the most boring sport in the history of planet earth.
Bertie on the right . big red beard
sand or snow. Bert kept his beard and long hair
Who was the ex Oranjemunder that went to work in Antarctica and then returned years later to do a presentation with his slides of his time down there?
I recall him giving a slide presentation at the school sometime in the late 70's
I will ask me wife. she might remember his name . He was a dentist as well as a medic , and did more than one trip to Sanae . He stayed in the flats behind the DR church . His neighbours were Dudley Woodward , & Felix Nieuwoud - music teacher