Pink Pan, Hired VW Beetles and Mine Dumps, etc.

[Keith Margetts]

I clearly remember the Pink Pan, which was a pinky colour from the salt content in the water . . . a proverbial Dead See effect when one swam in it.  Also remember the walks through the mine dumps that were just south of 1st Avenue - had my first/last encounter with a horned adder there.  And who could forget the privalege of hiring a VW Beetle in the closed town days.  Hey, and what about those dashes for the planes on the tarmac for the school boarders . .  . aaaah, them were the days!!

Keith Margetts  (1968 to 1977)
Saanichton, Vancouver Island, Canada

[Michael Alexander]

Keith, the dumps behind the town garage are no more, more like an empty wasteland, but I remember the rolls of barbed wire down there...

Out of curiosity, how did you find this site?

???

[Richard Opperman]

Hi Michael,
Brilliant site.
Keith is a very good friend of mine from Oranjemund days - 1968.
You know my sister Liz and Eric who were very good friends of your parents.
Keith, Rainer, Gary (my brother) and I were involved in rolling a hired vw beetle at the bottom end of the pink pan - four days after I passed my drivers 1973 - went dune bugging in a company hire vehicle.
Keith and I had temp work during the school holidays and both had shirt and tie on, we had picked my brother Gary and Rainer up, who were walking home from the cafe' after collecting some some fruit and veg from the market.
I had asked my father if I may use the hired beetle and headed of to the pink pan with Rainer, Gary and Keith.
I left the road just passed the golf course and headed for the pan through the desert, went over a few small hills with my brother shouting down my neck that we were going to get stuck.
We managed to clear the man made dunes and get on to the edge of the dirt road, but when turning the vw to the left it did not respond, we landed up on the other side of the road with two wheels over the edge and two wheels on the road. Well what could we do, but a little jump to the left, too late the two wheels over the edge dug in to the soft sand and the vw did a slow roll onto it's roof and onto a dune below. We all scrambled out, fruit and veg all over the place, Rainer proceeded to try and stop the back wheels from turning - vw was still in gear and the wheels were racing away. I scrambled back into the car and reached up and switch the car off.
We pushed the car back onto its wheels and gave it a good cleaning. 1 hr later another vehicle (Land Rover) passed our way (not a busy road at all) I cannot remember who it was but they said that they would contact the safety officer (Mr Selby) We waited for +/- 1 hr and when he arrived he asked how we managed to get to where we were because there were no car tracks? He left and we had to walk home.We managed to get a lift from the chief engineer, whose wife asked us "Did we have a nice day at the beach?"         

[Michael Alexander]

Hi Richard, now I know the name Opperman, I was trying to figure out which Opperman you were, there was a guy called Opperman that worked with the pumps  at 4 plant in the dams... Bu that was'nt you, but now, Liz's Brother... aha!

I stayed with Liz and Eric for a weekend once at Fourways, when I worked at Cullinan, Did you see the pics of Liz and Eric on the Site? There is also one of Eric on the McCullaghs Photo section.

Whatever happened to them? Did they ever get married? My Father lost touch with Eric and Liz, do you know where they are?

As for driving at the beach, ask my brother Paul, how to park a mazda in the river  ;D

Great to  hear from you, which reminds me of a 1st of January morning with my mom and your sister at the Krynauws place.... Liz let me eat as much cream for the Irish coffee's as a young man my age could handle, just to prove a point that I'd be sick, some medical pro!

;)

[Keith Margetts]

So I guess you can gather that Richard Opperman (still a very good friend of mine) introduced me to the site.

PS: I'm having some difficulty signing the guestbook???

Regards,
Keith.

[Michael Alexander]

Please read attached, most people fill in the wrong security number at the bottom, our eyes tend to be full of desert sand and we cannot see so well anymore....  ;D

[Richard Opperman]

Hi Michael,

Yes, I saw the picture of Liz and Eric and I have given her the webpage address.
Liz and Eric are still not married and are staying in Midrand.
I see them very often on business trips and every Christmas when they come down to Cape Town.
I will get them to get connected and make contact.

Keep well.
Kind regards
Richard

[Michael Alexander]

@RichaRD, Outta curiosity, for how long have Eric and Liz been going out for now, Surely must be a record of sorts?