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The OranjemundOnline website has got off to a roaring success, with a number of old friends reconnecting with lost friends.

A number of our visitors/members were either born here in the 50's, 60's and 70's or went to school here in that era. An amazing number of stories regarding, people and places have been retold over on the forum section, with a number of historical photographs from that era being displayed. Names of long forgotten teachers and co-workers being remembered.

After much thought and a number of ex-residents expressing interest, I have decided to try and hold an Oranjemund Reunion for the weekend of November 13-16th , 2008.

A couple of things need to be sorted out first. The main points will be outlined here, with a section being added to the Forum's to help facilitate further information and idea's.

THE MECHANICS OF THE WEEKEND.

In all honesty, 3 day's ain't enough time, there is way too much to see and do, so the following is a guideline.I wanted to organise a pubcrawl, the pubs are empty of patrons and have changed a lot since your time, but I thought it would be rich to organise a bus one evening, organise a barman at , the Yacht Club, Golf Club, Off Road Club, Riding Club, Gun Club, to name a few and visit each one for old time sakes. ( As stated elsewhere, open to discussion on the forum). Nobody say's that you have to stay for only three days, stay longer if desired.

In a nutshell, I would like to organise the following events on the following days.

THURSDAY 14th November: Ex Oranjemunders arrive in the afternoon, get settled into the accommodation.

In the evening, I will organise a sundowner session either on the Sand dunes, beach or Swartkops hill followed by a magic Namibian braai, to be held at a club in town. (Idea's please) I did think of the Bowling Club, as they have nice facilities and their walls are adorned with photo's of a lot of the old timers. ( Still to be discussed)

opsss

FRIDAY 15th November: I believe that the mine no longer conducts mine tours, but I have it in good faith that a new company will be conducting mine tours. No matter, either way will be having a mine tour in the morning.

For the afternoon, I thought it would be nice to have lunch and a tour at the Jasper House Museum.

jasperhouse

A nostalgic tour of Oranjemund Private School in the late afternoon, followed by a sit down dinner of sorts in the school Hall.- This is just an idea and a work in progress. ( Let's discuss this on the forum.)

No matter what happens it's gonna be a late night.

SATURDAY 15th November: I had a chat with The Off Road Club Captain, and They will schedule their Dune Ride for November on the Reunion Weekend, so any of you that are keen to go bush bashing, you will be able to. For those of that are'nt interested, there are other activities that can be organised with regard to Angling down at the River, Playing a round of Golf, Birdwatching at the river, Bowls at the Bowling Club, Horse riding at the Riding Club, to name a few. Once again we can discuss this in depth on the forum and I can arrange with a local member. It must be noted that nobody has to stick to the schedule, you are free to go where you want.

I thought of a quick tour down to the Freemason's, to see the historical photo's of past Oranjemunder's, with a quick stop at the graveyard on the way back. I thought about winding the day down in the late afternoon with a braai at the Namib Shellhole, (must still talk to the powers that be). Also one of the most historical buildings in the town. Get ready for another really late night. (Thought about organising a person to play live music!)

SUNDAY 17th November:

Some of you might be leaving, Some of you might be staying....... I will still be available to arrange something as I still fancies holding a potjie down at the river by Hohenfels.....

This is just a brief outline of some of the things we can do, a lot of you would like to drift off by yourselfs to go and see your old home and haunts. Please use the forum to give your input.

 

NECCESSARY DOCUMENTS

As most of you are fully aware, certain documentation will be required to organise your permit into Oranjemund. Namdeb no longer does this process by themselves and it has been taken over by the Protected Resources Unit (PRU) of the Namibian Police. They charge an Admin fee of N$20.00. I have no problem paying this fee in advance for you. You can reimburse me when you arrive. The document that needs to be filled in can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. There are two of them , namely, The Mines and Energy Permit, and the Indemnity Form. These forms are both A4 in size. Please fill them out and email them to michael@oranjemundonline.com or fax to 00264 63 232156.Closing Date for the applications will be the 20th August 2008.If you need help filling them out, request help on the forum, so that others may be helped also.

The third download is a Namibian Border entry form. This does not have to filled out now, as they are available on arrival at the Namibian Border.They are 150mmx210mm in size.Once again, if you need help, request in the forum.

No matter if you come in via Air or road, you will need these papers

minesandenergypermit

Click to download the Diamond Area Application Forms(pdf)

 

Borderpaper

Namibian Border Papers (Winace zip file)

 

GETTING HERE

I was originaly thinking of trying to get everyone together at one point in Cape Town , hiring a charter bus and driving everyone up. However, this would be difficult to organise, due to a variety of factors. Some people are planning to make an extended holiday, with the Oranjemund 2008 Reunion as a "part" of their holiday and thus will be driving their own transport. Some people want to just "shoot" up and back down for a long weekend. It is also very difficult to guage numbers in order to make the bus a viable option.Maybe even one or two of you are sitting in the "pound" seats that are planning to fly up from Cape Town, Be warned, the plane prices up here are a rip off.

For this reason, there will be board on the forum, where you can (i) Request a lift. (ii) Offer a lift.

There is a fairly new Transport company called Silverline Transport that also drives to Cape Town to Oranjemund on a regular basis. I can vouch for these guys, as my mother in law uses their effecient service. We can also discuss this option on the forum.

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WHERE TO STAY

Here we have a number of options. Some of you might still have friends or family living here, so you will be sorted. Some of us still living here have a spare room, wendy house or piece of lawn to pitch a tent on, if you're the camping type. You might also wnat to setup your tent at the beach if you are into camping. This is very popular over December. There will be a request and offer board on the forum.

There are also a number of private estabishments that also offer rooms. They are :

1) Tom's Cabin. - Upmarket accommodation situated just on the west side of town. Contact Tom Parkhill on Namibian Cell: 081 2628982 , or email him on tep@mweb.com.na

There are some pics of Tom's Cabin over on the forum.

2) OpMy Stoep - This is situated out of town at the Old Riding Club Clubhouse and is owned by Fanie Smit. Nice new rooms with a restaurant and bar area. Fanie's email is mmm@mweb.com.na or you can phone him on 00264 63 23 4223.

Be prepared for to get caught in the bar here.

3) Sheperds Lodge - Chalets that have been erected over the hill at Sheperds Neck, with a restaurant and bar area. More for the younger outdoor crowd. There is also camping spots available here. Contact Gert or Nita on 00264 63 232996 ( fax and phone) or email them at sheperds@mweb.com.na

4) Namdeb Guest house situated in town. More for mine visitors. Contact Marlene Brand on 00264 (63) 235201 or email at

marlene.brand@namdeb.com

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REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING

In order to avoid disappointment, I think it's important for those of you wanting to return for the reunion to recongnise the following points:

1) Things are not the same here as they were in your time.

2) People you remembered no longer live here.

3) The standards you remember are no longer the same as they were.

4) Oranjemund is a town in Africa, thus there are no expats living here, only Africans.

5) Yes, Somethings, Like wandering Gemsboks and certain buildings are here, so are your memories.

6) Expect only 5 people to make it to the reunion. Why? Well in similar events, people like to claim they will be there, when the day arrives, there is always an excuse.... You only need two people, a braai and a tour to make a good reunion.

7) This is not a profit making business venture that I am doing here, it's a labour of love, I cannot be held responsible for anything that does not meet your expectations.

 

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