The Beauvallon Campsite!!

[Tessa Maritz]

Who remembers the weekends on Beauvallon? I recall one Xmas morning I got this crying babydoll, for one odd reason I was at the pool area,  and the doll made me fall into the pool, I still get nightmares,... still have the doll, my daughter's now playing with it. Then there was this "stunt" my mom and Auntie Elize Avenant pulled... they decided to go rowing in one of these inflatable kiddies boats...but none of them could row...but all turned out well after this guy in a canoe "saved" them.
At night the music and the fire's would start and everybody would gather around and it would be like one big camp party.The place was alway packed! And the monkey's....Don't forget the little critters...It's really a shame it has gone to waste. And you're lucky to see a monkey nowaday's.. 

[Richard Opperman]

I remember one easter weekend I think in 1973 - my parents, brother and I went camping at Beauvallon - had a brilliant time, spent most of the time swimming in the river and learning to drive my father's landrover.

Dress code mainly costume and t shirt - at the end of the weekend when packing up the tent and other camping equipment, my brother Gary put on his jeans, he started complaining that his leg was on fire like been burnt by a hot coal.

My mother told him to take of his jeans and out fell a black scorpion. Well you have not seen the Oppermans move so fast since - rushed off to the nursing station on Beauvallon - they phoned Omund hospital who arranged with security to get us to Omund asap (still a closed town then - did not have to wait for the bus)

Needless to say everything turned out fine in the end - Gary and Linda live in Ceres Cape SA - have three children David (IT London) Stephen (Teacher London) and Janet (2nd Year UCT)

Another Beauvallon memory is one Sunday - braaing there for the day - it was a stinking hot day and we all decided to go for a swim in the pool (new at the time). We all wore black pt shorts - dived in and when we got out the other side our shorts had turned gray.
Someone had added too much chlorine to the pool the Friday before!

Keep well.
Richard  8)


   

[Michael Alexander]

I always remember the monkeys at Beauvallon, naughty bunch... stole everything from beer to braaimeat....but they were great entertainment for kids....

[Lindie]

What I can remeber other than the monkeys is almost floating down the river with my brothers paddle ski. This happened a little while after the big floods. I can remember that I would rather meet the river face on than facing my brother with out his paddle ski. So I had to stay with it through thick and thin. I had about 12 people in the river after me. The third too help the second the forth to help the 1st, 2nd 3rd etc). And my brother asking my mother for a piece of rope of course not telling her for what. So a piece of shoe string was provided. Thats when my brother had to inform my mother what it was for. And yes Mom was one of those 12. At the end of the day we all got out save and sound I was given sugar water to drink and Shola was given brandy to drink (and where was the fairness in that we were both the same age). But all round it was still a great week-end

[darryl weidemann]

i remember there was a orange plantation next door to the camp site , we used to sneak through and go fishing there , the camp site was always to crowded.
one of the memories i have of those monkeys , was i was eating tofolux ( remember those rolls of toffee) anyway down comes this monkey from the tree walks straight up to me and so i gave it a tofolux , i think it was almost an hour and a half later and it was still chewing on the the toffee.

[Keith Margetts]

I remember making a valliant attempt to swim across the Orange river while it was in full flood . . . I think it was a stupid group made up of Erwin and Paul Lisser, perhaps the Oppermans (Richard?), Peter Pote, Errol Foghil, Johnny Young . . . perhaps also David Eyre??????   Not sure if I got all the young nuts????    Had to turn back about half way across the raging river and a half-mile downstream, after just about sh*tting myself about the size of the waves in mid-stream!! 

Just to finish off the day in style, I pulled my jeans on and did the zipper up . .  . only to have, what I thought was a wasp stinging me on my wee-willie-winkie.  To add insult to injury, I cried out aloud and . . . for a long time, and was swatting away with flailing hands at my groin area . . . I don't think anyone saw me - thank goodness, as I would never have heard the end of it!!
. . . when I pulled my zipper down, the wasp miraculously let go of my wee-willie-winky!!

Funny, Oppie - it was your story about Gary and the black scorpion that brought that memory of the phantom wasp back!!   Oh, and yes it still worked, as I proudly have two daughters - Carmen 22, in 5th year B. Sc (Chemistry) and Tessa 19, in 1st year B. Sc. - both at the University of Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Heh, heh, heh . . .

Keith.

[Richard Opperman]

Hi Keith,

Yes I remember swimming the river when it was quite high, big waves and strong current.

I remember you, Paul, Cathy, Gary and myself, not to sure about Peter and Erol?

We swam to one of the islands in the river, Gary (my boet) was the last one in the river and the current was taking him down river.  Shouting that he could not swim any more and going into panic mode, when one of us shouted "Try standing!" which he did and finding the water was only waist deep.

I rememeber us also walking some way up river on the island sothat we could use the current to take us across again.

The shit we got up too - memories!

Richard  8)

[Delia]

richard, i remember lance once got a fish hook embedded right thru the fleshy part of the palm of his hand down at beauvallon - a nurse was there that tended to him and got the hook out - why do i have a vague memory of it being your mom - she was a nurse wasn't she?

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

Richard Oppermann wrote

Quote

it was a stinking hot day and we all decided to go for a swim in the pool (new at the time).

Unquote

When was that pool installed. In my time until end 1979 there was no pool.

Whou can not recall the times spent on that site with all the fun of camping......

I have old films, may be i will digitalize them and upload to the net to show here sometimes.

We had spent some days there midweek with the kids and one of the Ivan Morrows sons was with us.

Fishing and braiing and having a good rest between the monkyes LOL

Disregard my spelling after all i am almost 30 years ot of the english speaking place.....

Georg Ruf Stuttgart

[Michael Alexander]

George, I think it will be great if you digitize the films, the only problem , out here in Oumund, the internet goes at a snails pace, dialups...but I hear the Adsl is almost here.....   ;)

[Richard Opperman]

Yes Delia my mom was a nursing sister, she worked at the hospital, but did not practice nursing much, was in charge of the kitchen and laundry.

Georg the pool was installed in the late 70s, I arrived in Omund in 1961 with my parents at the age of seven, but only worked in Omund for 4 years from 1975 (after completing my military service) until 1979 (at 4 Plant, main plant and recovery) the pool was not there in 1973, but definitely in the late 70s.

Good memories.
Richard

[Sharon]

I remember my folks took us there one time and me and my sister got bit by mossies and boy did it hurt. I had so many bites all over my body and I was called pimple face at school .......I also remember Shelley (Skye) walked over some coals that had not been put out properly and she burnt her feet bably we had to pack up and go to the hospital. She was in agony. My dad was so angry with the fella for not covering up the coals ....

[Michael Alexander]

I always enjoyed climbing those stairs up the hill in the evening time.... sitting on the chair at the top and just soaking up the view......

[Paul (Pepe) Freemantle]

Yeah I remember the good weekends at Beauvalon, we used to get up to a lot of s..t there. The last I want to remember was rolling my car after causing havoc at the Alexander Bay tennis club. Clive Symes, Leon Sumpter(Summy), Keith Gass, Derreck Anderson, Terry Dunster and can't remember all the other names were there.

[Carl Wrbka]

Some good memories of the place. Great fishing, swimming, sandboarding, etc, etc