Optima Lodge Committee Meeting 1956

[Michael Alexander]

For those of you who might be interested or knew some of the names from the era 1956... here are is a transcript of the minutes of the Optima Lodge in 1956, the Lodge was at this stage one year old.......

[SandyB]

Those Minutes  ,,  1956 my year of birth  ..  Now  you got the  brain cells rattling  and I hear my Moms voice   echoing in my head with these names .. .. not many old timers around  that are on the net  to tell us more .  Mom where's your  telephone connection  ??   anything I needed to know I would just phone  ..  miss that part   but I am sure Messr Bruce can  add some  more  here ..
Archie Gunn  , Arthur  Davis ,  Blueuler  were  social friends of my Mom and Dad.. story attached to the name Kemp is  one of the family members  Got  it   thnks  to Eddie Daniels   Stephanie Kemp .. being locked up in those days  for  "political crime "   hush  hush  you  did not  say it too loud  ..  Brian  and Martha Mitchell  and Pat  Honeybourne   also friends of my folks  in those byegone days

[Michael Alexander]

Way  to go Sandy, the purpose of the site, remember ..remember... I concur, I am sure Mr. Bruce will know a name or two.....

[SandyB]

 Thanks Mike .. I will consult dreamland for some more memories  ,,  For those who  have   come  later on the site or  dont follow  up ..  go to   

  http://www.oranjemundonline.com/Forum/index.php?topic=341.0 

they can see some of the   activity and put pictures to  some of the names  I thought for a moment  the one  pic had Blumenthal in it but then   I remember it was a Mrs  Bloem or Bloom ?/  we  remember  the  darndest things at times  ...  amazingly so Old Ronnie  Young is  still alive and  kicking and still with Vina ( ex  mac Donald )  I  think  most  of the others have  gone  and  left us  as " orphans " or bereft of our  extended family of  aunts and uncles .  .     

These words just fell into my mind now  ..  I share >>.

"  Oh  Mother  time , you  are  a  hard taskmistress  ..  from our day of birth  you  move  in  luggage ,  hatboxes and all ,  rob us firstly of our  youth , then our  elders , then our peers , but  yes we  embrace you  as  you  give us  wisdom as we  go along this  precarious  path  called  life .. "

[Lance Olivier]

Wow Micheal a lot of those names are printed on Old Tyme Nite beer mugs and an ashtray I have here at home which belonged to my Dad and proudly displayed on the wall unit. My Dad joined in about '62 or '63 and I have fond memories of the braais and Guy Fawkes evenings held at the Lodge in those days. I suppose some of the guys mentioned in the minutes were at these functions but I was too young then to be able to put names to faces.
Good one Mike

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

AS with Sandy B also the year of my birth.Was Arther Davis ,Bruce's father? the Brother Du Toit was he not the Post Master in the late 60's early 70's.

[Michael Alexander]

Unfortunately, I was not yet born, I never knew the folk, but one hopes that soem of the new members to the forum might no something.....

[Gordon Brown]

Diane, Gordon Davies was Bruce's father. We worked together in Management Services, Work Study Division under Brian Johnson. Both super guys.
Kindest Regards
Gordon

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

Thank you Gordon.....it took 18 months for somebody to answer my question. 
The moral of the story...never give up,all comes to those that wait.

[Robert Bruce]

I recall so many of the names. So many parties and braais and the rec club events were rip-roaring successes due to the comraderie and community spirit generated by the people above. My dad (Alan Bruce) was a very active Brother especially when it came to stocking and unstocking the bar...!

I remember the movies we as kids were taken to at the Lodge. Saw the favourite Disney movies there - Snow White, Bambi etc.

Nice to see the minutes for the extension. Check out the costs. Wow! But then that was a lot.