My Oranjemunder Emails.

[Michael Alexander]

... and another one...

"Hi Mike – Please add me to the name of Oranjemunders or do you have to be dead to be on it?   I am now Pat Kuhn but I was Pat Jackman until I married Gerry Kuhn 40 years ago!   If they kept school records, I was officially Gloria Patricia Jackman, but always known as Pat or Patti.

History in Oranjemund – I was born in England 04/01/1949; arrived in Oranjemund 23/12/1952 aged nearly 4; went to Oranjemund Private School 1955 to December 1961 after which I flew down to High school In Cape Town on those wonderful charter flights. That means that I lived in Oranjemund form 1952 to 1967.   My parents were Cyril and Betty Jackman; my brother Phillip is buried in the cemetery in Oranjemund and my other brother is Tony Jackman born in 1955.   Cyril, my dad, started out as a fitter and turner and then was eventually mechanical superintendent; my mom Betty worked at the retail shop (the store!) for many years.   They left town in 1969; both now deceased. 

Thanks & regards, Pat Kuhn – now happily living in Piketberg where we run our own company.  "

[Michael Alexander]

The reason why I place some of these emails in here, is that somebody out there might remember the author of the email and some of the content of the email, might bring back a memory or two to a few of you....

[Michael Alexander]

Sorry, I thought that I had already posted this one, better late than never....

"Hello Michael

My parents emigrated from London to the then CDM in November 1953, where we, 4 children grew up. What a wonderful, even if not a realistic, way of life.

Anyway, there was a wonderful family living there at that stage -  by the name of Poingdestre. Auntie Sue, Uncle Clarence, Philip and Andrew.
If my memory serves me correctly, I think one of the names Clive is looking for might by Pointy, or Uncle Clarenence. He was always finding himself in difficult situations after his nights at Casey's and before that was built, just the "club".
He used to play the clarinet in a band they had in those early days, and a good player he was too.
I remember one story -

Uncle Pointy had had a few too many at a dance once evening and Auntie Sue took him home, but he still wanted to party and prepared to go out again. Well, not being derogertry in any way, Auntie Sue was a rather tall woman whilst Uncle Pointy was roughly just over 5 feet tall. So, no trouble to Auntie Sue, she made him lay on the lounge floor, and in those days we has loose carpets in the rooms, so she rolled him up in the carpet so that he could not move. That put paid to any further adventures that he had in mind for that night.

They were wonderful people, Auntie Sue had a heart of gold. She worked and was manageress of the very old veggie market, which, when we left in 1984, was the then "garden centre shop". (run by Jean McLaughlin) Just cannot remember her married surname.

Your Dad will surely remember my husband Steve Kirk?

Pam Greenshields, Bob's wife, was my younger sister.

Steve and I have some very fond memories of CDM.

Some of the fnames that spring to mind - Symes, Johnson, Buchanan, Mc Laughlin, Hughes, Bennett, Creedy, Dunster, Quantrill, Zandhuis, Old school principal Dr Anderson, Jackson, Dr Bazley, ... I could fill a page with these names.

Carry on the good work Michael.

Kind regards to all the old Oranjemunders.

Janet Kirk (nee Bester) Maiden name Gerard."

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

I to recall all those people........the name is Jean Joubert (Mc Laughlin)???

[Melanie Jonker]

Hi Michael
Do you have an email address for Dr Emma Christopher so I can contact her.

This is a really interesting email I received, a story that I had not heard before, anyone know something?

"Dear Mike (if I may),

I hope you won't mind receiving an email from somebody who isn't an old Oranjemunder, but who has been very much enjoying your website and has an entirely different interest in Oranjemund.

I am on the faculty at the University of Sydney and am currently writing a book which tells the story of British government attempts to found a settlement for convicts in Africa.  This was directly after the loss of its American colonies and before it colonised Australia (1781-7).  As you probably know (sorry if I'm stating the obvious, I have no idea how well known this story is in the region), the mouth of the Orange River was the very last place they planned on placing the penal settlement before giving up and deciding upon New South Wales instead.

In actual fact the ship they sent out to survey the region and decide on a place for settlement didn't really find the right place and as well as Oranjemund, also looked at where Luderitz and Walvis Bay now are.

Anyway, the reason I'm contacting you is because my new project looks at the counterfactual question of what might have been...what could have happened had the British government sent its convicts to Africa instead of NSW in the 1780s.  Which of course is where Oranjemund comes in.

I went to Luderitz last year and have visited Walvis Bay before, but so far have not been to Oranjemund or Alexander Bay.  This is why I found your website so fascinating, as I had so little idea of what the place was like, and how very, very different it is from the other places which could have been the site of the penal colony (eg Lemane Island in the Gambia River or the Banana Islands off Sierra Leone).  Its history has been so different and so, of course, is its current quality of life.

So I was wondering if you know of any old Oranjemunders living in Australia who might be willing to share their memories of the place with me?

I hope to visit at some time -- I have to be at Wits later this year and in Cape Town next year -- but I haven't yet figured out how hard, or impossible, it would be to get a permit.  Certainly I plan to go to Alexander Bay and talk to people there about their town.

In the meantime, I hope I haven't intruded by emailing out of the blue, and thanks again for your website, which is great.

Thanks in advance for any information or help you could offer,

Emma

Dr. Emma Christopher
SOPHI
University of Sydney"

[Michael Alexander]

check your message Box!


Mike

[Bev Coates (Now Walker)]

george.....theres no crap on here ....who says there is ....even koos has mellowed now....and i think maybe even enjoying our company from time to time.........and now i can i only say this in my yorkshire accent.......int it all exciting.......all the old teacher getting in touch now......and the one from emma........get them all to come in november mike.......the more the merrier hey..... e154

[georg ruf jr.]

I was talking about myself Bev. I feel as if I'm contributing less stories that make sense than most others.

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

Don't panic Boy Georg I'm not doing much better myself..   :emot78:  Oh woe is me.

[SandyB]

An  old  saying ...   Quality not  quantity .. dig  into  the mind   and photo albums and  pull up some  more  good stories ... just  remember  to  keep  the  code of  silence ... further spice things up with critical  or social  comment ..

[georg ruf jr.]

I often start writing and delete it when I get to a point of insecurity. (was that English) I'm starting to feel more secure now, but still, everytime I start using "big" words, I feel my grammar isn't working to put the words into the right meaning.
??
That's what I mean...

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

Don't worry about your grammer and spelling I'm sure most people can understand what you trying to get across. I think we should also remember you thinking in German and writing in English.   Must be the weather I'm also feeling a bit down and agro right now.   e154     Best I stop getting deep here before we both burst out   :emot78:


         :    36_2_35:     

[Michael Alexander]

What did Jnr just say?      :emot19:

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

Michael     

[Michael Alexander]

I could'nt resist that... he would have done the same to me....