Gangs and Names!

[Andre Neethling]

Hi Bobby
Yes, my brother was in Newcastle for a couple of months, forward me your contact detail I will be visiting the UK sometime this year. Maybe we can try and get together and have a couple beers and a chat what happened during the35 years.

Andre

[bobbysmith]

hi andre,i will shortly be moving house,as soon as we are settled i will give you my new address and phone number,i would love to have a few beers with you boet,cheers bobby

[SandyB]

THAT  DEFINING  MOMENT ...

I  mentioned  earlier about a  defining  moment in my life , gangs .. english /afrikaans rivalry ... soutie post toastie / afrikaner vrot banana.... etc etc
In our  street 2nd avenue it was  mostly english/ scots expat  famililes ...   I was  about  8 or 9 then in  moved the Dames family .. sort of  diagonally across the  road from us , house  next  to  the alley  where  If  I  remember  correctly  the  Gillow  family  stayed ...  kids , we  overhear our  parents ...  some  with  memories of the  war ... combing  all  under  the same  comb .. the OB  being  german  sympathisers  during  the  war ..  so  we  enact ..  we  do  battle .. so  we proceeded to terroroise the Dames  kids ...  untill one  day we  chased them and I  had the  one  boy cornered ,,, dont  quite  know  what it  was ( soul talking , inborn conscience talking ?? ) it  was  as though  the  sky  had  opened  up  and  we  were  the  only  two on  a  stage  kind  of  in  the  spotlights ... In this  kids  eyes  was  the  question " why  are you  doing  this ?" and  playing  at  the  same  time  in  my  mind  was  the same  question ... I just turned and  walked  away  feeling  kind of  dazed ... the  Dames kid now  also  had  every  opportunity to get me back but also  just  walked  away as  well  .. I  made  a  promise  to  myself to  try  my best  not  to get  swept up  in  this  kind of  behaviour  again ( not  easy  when  there  is  sometimes peer  pressure  and  you  young  and  impressionable ) but  was  I  resolute ...  My first mission was to  make  amends so I  thought the  mother was the  first in  line ... I  must  have  resembled  the  jackdaw of  Rhiems ( barring  the  loss of  feathers )  full of  remorse when  he returned  the  cardinals ring.. here  was  I , I  had  made  up  a  present for  the mother who  worked at  the  toy  counter  and  if  I  remember  correctly  was  having  a  hard  time  fitting  in  and  being  accepted... I  walked up  to  her and  said  this  present  was  from  me , no  other  exlanation , leaving  her obviously  puzzled .. and  then  making a point of  always  popping by and  saying  more  Tannie   or  middag  tannie ..  she  must  have  thought  I  was  crazy .. then  started  befriending  the  kids ..  not  easy  cos  it  makes  you  stand  out ...

This  I   have never  forgotten  .. before  you get  swept  up  in  anything ,, stop  and  ask  questions ... In  fact  when I  have  found  myself  in  moments  of  even  judging  people  I  now get  a  physical  reaction  of  feeling  very  sick  afterwards  ... so the  resolve  grows  as  I  get  older  and  wiser ...

[Patricia Lotte]

Sandy, have you been watching Little house on the prairie again ... e154

[SandyB]

Nope ..  just a childhood  memory that  has  remained imprinted ... and pray tell why little house on the prairie came to  mind ??

[Carl Wrbka]

The name Bergh came up a few times in this thread. They lived diagonally across from us, in 2nd ave. Both parents were teachers at OPS (History and Geography if I remember right). The mother was quite a fitness fanatic. I remember one of their sons, we knew him as Sakkie, we played together a few times.

[Carl Wrbka]

I remember the gang scene really took off after the introduction of TV in 1975. There was this show "Trompie" and we would all try to imitate their antics.

Another good site for gang warfare was the gun club on Sundays. After the adults got tired of throwing lead around and had retired to the bar, us kids would collect all the unbroken clay pigeons on the shooting range, form two gangs, and lob them at eachother. Those things really hurt, and many a tear was shed in the name of fun.

[georg ruf jr.]

I remember collecting empty cartridges. The bigger the better.
Once I filled one of the with match heads. Then I hit on the thing until it went of. It was louder than I ever expected und I remember having this tingle in my ears for quite some time.

[Michael Alexander]

Remember looking for those clay discs that the guys had missed, bright orange and black ones....

One of my biggest memories was waking up on A sunday morning in the early 70's to the curtains in my room swirling around with the early morning sunshine, the east wind had arrived, and those warm gusts pulsated through the window inviting me to get up. My father would already be up making a traditional breakfast of Bacon, Eggs, French Toast and Potato Scones.... the smell wafting up the hallway and under my door, mixing with that smell of the east wind.... the whole time this was happening, I could hear the constant clap of the guns being shot down at the gun club, we lived at E 7-1st....

Just a memory......

[SandyB]

Good  eloquent rendidtion  of  a  childhood  memory Mike ....

[Michael Alexander]

I take a slight bow, as I head of to the Kitchen for another can of Windhoek Draught!   

[SandyB]

Slight  bow  ?? .. what now  ??  the  back also  getting  stiff with  time ??

[Michael Alexander]

Actually Sire, it is indeed, I put my back out , trying to carry my wife around the garden and dipping her head into the pool..... and it ain't right ever since and is buggering up my swimming schedule..... I thought I was still 19 and like she said...I also thought she still weight 60 kg......

[SandyB]

i  ahve  no   answer to  that  one .. I  take  a  deep  bow .. and  my  lips  are  sealed  on  the  60 kg issue .. I  think  you  in  enough  trouble  already ...

[Patricia Lotte]

Nope ..  just a childhood  memory that  has  remained imprinted ... and pray tell why little house on the prairie came to  mind ??

You reminded me of the Sunday afternoons spent watching Little house on the prairie ... where Laura Ingals would play tricks on ... what's that blonde girls name again ... Nelly ... she'd go home and regret her attitude. After watching that series, I'd always get that 'do go around me' feeling, but of course it was always short-lived ...