Postby danieb » Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:39 am
Hi Gentlemen & Ladies
Thanks for your warm welcome notes & the opportunity to share with me my experiences and memories over the years. Please feel free to comment as much as you like – even if you get bored – our old “toppies” tend to get carried away! (hopefully not in a wooden suite as yet!) I am however sure that some of the members could relate to certain experiences to be mentioned. Will post it in chapters for easy reading.
Enjoy!
Danie
Chapter 1 – Background…
It all started way back when PC’s were unheard of, cell phones didn’t exist – telephone equipment was a “slinger model” – that is if you were imported enough to have one – depending on job and status in the community, the legal currency was “ponde, sjielings & pennies”, banking consisted of a manual entry into your bank book, the price of a bread was around 2 cents and fuel around 40 cents a gallon (if I still remember correctly! – CRAFT is taking it’s toll). Distance was measured in miles and only main routes were tarred – all the rest was gravel rounds and only the main route through the town was tarred.
TV’s, internet, e-mail was non-existent and only huge corporate companies had manual typewriters! (my thoughts only – typewriters were unknown to me)
The biggest excitement was once a year when going on leave – normally to East London or PE with my parents was to see an aeroplane flying over – if you were very lucky – and the National Anthem was God Save the Queen.
I was fluent in Afrikaans (home language), English (school language)and Xhoza (to rely instructions to the housekeeper before school) and yes, you are right, we were staying in the then Transkei as my late dad was stationed there as Station Commander in a little town used to be called Engobo.
One thing however that didn’t change up to today is that every boy’s dream was and most probably is - according to my grandchildren - to become a pilot! – something that only materialised many years later after much bloodshed and tears…..
Should I continue…..?
Kind regards
Danie
