Anthony Dickson & Jock chat before the Ceremony
The guys in the grandstand before the Ceremony
South-west breeze unfurls the school flag
Jock, Jack Willows, George Yiangou, Keith Yates, Mike McComb
Clyde Broster
Stephen Mullineux lines up a shot
Friday, December 3, 2010
CH 4 : CEREMONY OF THE KEY
Anthony Dickson & Jock chat before the Ceremony
The guys in the grandstand before the Ceremony
South-west breeze unfurls the school flag
Jock, Jack Willows, George Yiangou, Keith Yates, Mike McComb
Clyde Broster
Stephen Mullineux lines up a shot
FOREWORD
40 years on. Where’s the time gone? That thought alone was probably enough to put one in trepidation of such an occasion.
It’s an undeniable fact : back in 1970 everything was in prospect , now it’s mostly in retrospect. Not that it’s by any means ‘game over’ although there are those who now only live in our memories.
As the weekend proved, the shared experiences of our youth somehow bridge the years. Yes, we’ve moved on and life has left its mark on all of us. There’s no going back, but that phase of our lives is still an essential part of us and re-connecting with one another puts us in touch with a chapter of our lives when we experienced things most sharply.
Now the weekend is itself a part of our shared memory.
It’s been my pleasure to compile this keepsake of our 40th Reunion which is a condensed version of what you will find on our Class of ’70 blogsite.
Until we meet again, let’s all live up to our motto as coined for the reunion: “Inimitable, indefatigable, indomitable”.
Jock
It’s an undeniable fact : back in 1970 everything was in prospect , now it’s mostly in retrospect. Not that it’s by any means ‘game over’ although there are those who now only live in our memories.
As the weekend proved, the shared experiences of our youth somehow bridge the years. Yes, we’ve moved on and life has left its mark on all of us. There’s no going back, but that phase of our lives is still an essential part of us and re-connecting with one another puts us in touch with a chapter of our lives when we experienced things most sharply.
Now the weekend is itself a part of our shared memory.
It’s been my pleasure to compile this keepsake of our 40th Reunion which is a condensed version of what you will find on our Class of ’70 blogsite.
Until we meet again, let’s all live up to our motto as coined for the reunion: “Inimitable, indefatigable, indomitable”.
Jock
CH 1 Pt. I : BREAKING THE ICE
There was not much frostiness in evidence at the 'ice-breaker' function at Old Boys on the Thursday evening except of the bottled variety.
It was also the occasion for a couple of short speeches. Mike ('Kitty')Keyter gave a welcome and talked about the practical arrangements for the evening, also ushering us off to the restaurant when the time came.
Murph, as the reunion co-ordinator-in-chief, showing his rugby allegiances with a WP Cap, gave the necessary thank yous and spoke with humour about the enjoyment he had got out of getting the network operating, throwing in a couple of personal school anecdotes.
Kim Ravenscroft was called upon to perform the more solemn task of remembering those who are no longer with us, which he did very appropriately. And then it was over to our Guest of Honour, Clyde Broster, who was in vintage form .
Murph sports the colours
Kitty directs operations
Kim remembers
It was also the occasion for a couple of short speeches. Mike ('Kitty')Keyter gave a welcome and talked about the practical arrangements for the evening, also ushering us off to the restaurant when the time came.
Murph, as the reunion co-ordinator-in-chief, showing his rugby allegiances with a WP Cap, gave the necessary thank yous and spoke with humour about the enjoyment he had got out of getting the network operating, throwing in a couple of personal school anecdotes.
Kim Ravenscroft was called upon to perform the more solemn task of remembering those who are no longer with us, which he did very appropriately. And then it was over to our Guest of Honour, Clyde Broster, who was in vintage form .
Murph sports the colours
Kitty directs operations
Kim remembers
CH 1 Pt.II : CLYDE BROSTER SOLILOQUISES
As the Class of '70 Guest-of-Honour, as he was for our 25th Reunion in '95, Clyde had to 'sing for his supper' and 'sing' he certainly did.
He reminded us that back in '66 when he started teaching us, Selborne was his first post and he was only in his second year of teaching. He also reminded us that he was only 10 years our senior and that he still is!
Back then, Clyde's lessons were always as entertaining as they were educational and his speech was a reminder of just how entertaining he could be with his characteristic turn of phrase and easy facility with words. As was his wont even when he was in the school benches, Andrew Coetzer did his best to try to put Clyde off his stroke but Clyde was unflustered even at the recall of his old school nickname.
In appreciation of Clyde, Andrew then related the story of how he was lured into flicking ink from his pen onto the back of Clyde's shirt in class one day, but unbeknown to him the pen had been booby-trapped so that Clyde's shirt ended up being doused far more than he had intended. It was a double period with break in between and the incident happened during the first of the periods when Clyde was expounding on the correct form of the personal pronoun I/me when used subjectively or objectively (remember?). Clyde was only made aware of the large ink stain on the back of his shirt (a 'Gucchi' according to Andrew) in the staffroom during the break and, of course, when Clyde came back to class for the 2nd of the double periods he demanded to know who had done it? Coetzer, with the honesty of a George Washington, stood up from his desk and replied in impeccable English, applying the rule taught during the previous period: "It was I". Clyde was suitably impressed but undeterred and Andrew nevertheless received six for his misdemeanour!
The pictures tell the story:
CLYDE'S SOLILOQUOY : ACT 1 (Mike Keyter in the background)
CLYDE SOLILOQUOY : ACT 2 (Dave Williams & Mike Aschmann in the background)
Kevin Hartley, Mike McComb, Barry Marlborough, Deon Van Heerden (Steve's brother) and George Reid listen with rapt attention.
Bill Brummer (behind), Graham McGillewie, Murray Morrison, Thomas Klingelhoeffer, Andy Marais, Ian (Jock Snr) McConnachie and ‘Pop’ Peter enjoy Clyde’s humour.
"It was I”, spake Coetzer.
He reminded us that back in '66 when he started teaching us, Selborne was his first post and he was only in his second year of teaching. He also reminded us that he was only 10 years our senior and that he still is!
Back then, Clyde's lessons were always as entertaining as they were educational and his speech was a reminder of just how entertaining he could be with his characteristic turn of phrase and easy facility with words. As was his wont even when he was in the school benches, Andrew Coetzer did his best to try to put Clyde off his stroke but Clyde was unflustered even at the recall of his old school nickname.
In appreciation of Clyde, Andrew then related the story of how he was lured into flicking ink from his pen onto the back of Clyde's shirt in class one day, but unbeknown to him the pen had been booby-trapped so that Clyde's shirt ended up being doused far more than he had intended. It was a double period with break in between and the incident happened during the first of the periods when Clyde was expounding on the correct form of the personal pronoun I/me when used subjectively or objectively (remember?). Clyde was only made aware of the large ink stain on the back of his shirt (a 'Gucchi' according to Andrew) in the staffroom during the break and, of course, when Clyde came back to class for the 2nd of the double periods he demanded to know who had done it? Coetzer, with the honesty of a George Washington, stood up from his desk and replied in impeccable English, applying the rule taught during the previous period: "It was I". Clyde was suitably impressed but undeterred and Andrew nevertheless received six for his misdemeanour!
The pictures tell the story:
CLYDE'S SOLILOQUOY : ACT 1 (Mike Keyter in the background)
CLYDE SOLILOQUOY : ACT 2 (Dave Williams & Mike Aschmann in the background)
Kevin Hartley, Mike McComb, Barry Marlborough, Deon Van Heerden (Steve's brother) and George Reid listen with rapt attention.
Bill Brummer (behind), Graham McGillewie, Murray Morrison, Thomas Klingelhoeffer, Andy Marais, Ian (Jock Snr) McConnachie and ‘Pop’ Peter enjoy Clyde’s humour.
"It was I”, spake Coetzer.
CH 1 Pt. III : OLD BOYS' GET-TOGETHER (Random Photos 1-5))
Barry Marlborough, Brian Stockland, Mark Weyer, Mike Aschmann
Johnny Steenkamp, George Yiangou, Mike (Kitty)Keyter
George Reid, Tony Dickson, Bill Brummer
Peter Moore, Johnno Johnson, David Williams
Owen Murphy, Murray Morrison
David Williams, Ian Paterson, Peter Moore
George Reid, Jock McConnachie, Terry Townsend
George Yiangou, Dennis Bottcher (teacher), Trevor Webster (teacher)
Murray Morrison, Kim Ravenscroft, Johnny Steenkamp, Terry Townsend
Jack Willows, Richard ('Pop')Peter, Johnno Johnson
Barry Marlborough, Rowan Sparg, Ian Paterson, Peter Moore, Michael ('Kitty') Keyter
Jock McConnachie, Andrew Coetzer, Rob Edkins, Kevin Hartley
George Reid, Mike McComb, Rowan Sparg
Mark Weyer, Mike Francis (John's brother), Johnno Johnson, John Francis, Peter Aschmann, Clyde Broster
CH 1 Pt. IV : BEFORES & AFTERS
As we were then....the two Klingelhoeffers (Thomas and Helmuth) and Stephen Mullineux point themselves out in our old matric photo, admiring how well they’ve aged!
As we are now...
Back Row (L-R) Jack Willows, Clyde Broster (teacher), Rowan Sparg, Andy Marais, Kim Ravenscroft, Andrew Coetzer, Johnny Steenkamp, George Yiangou, Peter Moore, Stepen Mullineux, Murray Morrison; 2nd Back Row (L-R) Jack Willows, Mike Wilkins, Garth Ewing, Brian Stockland, Barry Marlborough, Steven Van Heerden, Kevin Hartley, Rob Edkins, Trevor Hall, Patrick Bailey, Keith Yates, Pete Aschmann, Bernhard Schultz; 3rd Back Row (L-R) Trevor Webster (teacher), GV Price (Old Queenian friend), Ron Ashdown, George Reid, Graham McGillewie, David Williams; Front Row (L-R) Terry MacDonald (Old Queenian friend - kneeling), Tony Dickson, Thomas Klingelhoeffer, Terry Townsend, Mark Weyer, Richard ('Pop') Peter (reclining), Jock McConnachie, Mike McComb, Simon Curran, Johnno Johnson, Helmuth Klingelhoeffer, Richard Ravenscroft (brother), Mike Francis, Ian Paterson.
As we are now...
Back Row (L-R) Jack Willows, Clyde Broster (teacher), Rowan Sparg, Andy Marais, Kim Ravenscroft, Andrew Coetzer, Johnny Steenkamp, George Yiangou, Peter Moore, Stepen Mullineux, Murray Morrison; 2nd Back Row (L-R) Jack Willows, Mike Wilkins, Garth Ewing, Brian Stockland, Barry Marlborough, Steven Van Heerden, Kevin Hartley, Rob Edkins, Trevor Hall, Patrick Bailey, Keith Yates, Pete Aschmann, Bernhard Schultz; 3rd Back Row (L-R) Trevor Webster (teacher), GV Price (Old Queenian friend), Ron Ashdown, George Reid, Graham McGillewie, David Williams; Front Row (L-R) Terry MacDonald (Old Queenian friend - kneeling), Tony Dickson, Thomas Klingelhoeffer, Terry Townsend, Mark Weyer, Richard ('Pop') Peter (reclining), Jock McConnachie, Mike McComb, Simon Curran, Johnno Johnson, Helmuth Klingelhoeffer, Richard Ravenscroft (brother), Mike Francis, Ian Paterson.
CH 2 : WIVES, GIRLFRIENDS & SIGNIFICANT OTHERS
A number of wives, girlfriends and significant others added lustre to our 40th reunion. Their presence was most welcome & probably contributed to the generally good behaviour displayed by all!
Glendyr Keyter, Jane Ewing, Sharon McGillewie
Ron Ashdown and his beloved Margie
Murph gets close and personal with Glendyr
Neville & Jane Ewing with Stephen Mullineux
Jock's darling wife, Kary, and his brother Ian (Jock snr) with Ian Paterson and George Yiangou in the background
Glendyr Keyter, Jane Ewing, Sharon McGillewie
Ron Ashdown and his beloved Margie
Murph gets close and personal with Glendyr
Neville & Jane Ewing with Stephen Mullineux
Jock's darling wife, Kary, and his brother Ian (Jock snr) with Ian Paterson and George Yiangou in the background
CH 3 Pt. I : JAMMIN' AT THE LA PETIT
This was where we let it all hang-out.
After a sedate start at the Club, renewing acquaintances and getting the measure of each other, it was onto the La Petit Restaurant in Beach Road, Nahoon, where we were given the exclusive use of the function room.
It was a squeeze but a pleasant one and after food orders were placed Jock started the musical entertainment with a lusty rendition of Robbie Burns' Anthem to Humanity "A Man's a Man For A' That" accompanied by his brother Ian (Jock snr) and Johnno on guitar. They'd only had a quick practice on the pavement outside (being mistaken for buskers in the process) but the piece was well received with everyone joining in the chorus: "For a-a-ll that, and a-a-ll that, a man's a man for a-a-all that...".
Andrew had in the meantime produced his tambourine and after food he, Johnno & Pop started jammin' in earnest with Andrew also providing the lead vocals and some hastily improvised lyrics to a range of 60's/70's sing-along favourites: "Under the Boardwalk", "There is a House in New Orleans..." etc etc until about 1.30am, having the whole of the restaurant to ourselves for the last couple of hours.
In between the rollicking rythm provided by JP&A, a more melodious interlude was provided by Steve Mullineux on his flute accompanied by Johnno on guitar.
Here are Johnno, Pop & Andrew 'doin' their thang':
Over the hill billys?
Minstrels perform
Coetzer’s wardrobe malfunction
Steve gets us in the mood (Johnny Steenkamp feels it)
Steve blows up a storm
Steve & Johnno – a very talented duo
After a sedate start at the Club, renewing acquaintances and getting the measure of each other, it was onto the La Petit Restaurant in Beach Road, Nahoon, where we were given the exclusive use of the function room.
It was a squeeze but a pleasant one and after food orders were placed Jock started the musical entertainment with a lusty rendition of Robbie Burns' Anthem to Humanity "A Man's a Man For A' That" accompanied by his brother Ian (Jock snr) and Johnno on guitar. They'd only had a quick practice on the pavement outside (being mistaken for buskers in the process) but the piece was well received with everyone joining in the chorus: "For a-a-ll that, and a-a-ll that, a man's a man for a-a-all that...".
Andrew had in the meantime produced his tambourine and after food he, Johnno & Pop started jammin' in earnest with Andrew also providing the lead vocals and some hastily improvised lyrics to a range of 60's/70's sing-along favourites: "Under the Boardwalk", "There is a House in New Orleans..." etc etc until about 1.30am, having the whole of the restaurant to ourselves for the last couple of hours.
In between the rollicking rythm provided by JP&A, a more melodious interlude was provided by Steve Mullineux on his flute accompanied by Johnno on guitar.
Here are Johnno, Pop & Andrew 'doin' their thang':
Over the hill billys?
Minstrels perform
Coetzer’s wardrobe malfunction
Steve gets us in the mood (Johnny Steenkamp feels it)
Steve blows up a storm
Steve & Johnno – a very talented duo
CH 3 Pt.. II : GOOD FELLOWSHIP AT THE LA PETIT
Apart from the fun & hilarity provided by the musical entertainers, the La Petit Restaurant was also a place to enjoy honest, down-to-earth good fellowship and lots of laughter.
Tucking in
Rob Edkins, Kev Hartley, Owen Murphy, Mike Wilkins, Mark Weyer
(Front) Gwyn Bassingthwaite - Chairman, OSA, Mike (Kitty) Keyter; (Back) Patrick Bailey, George Reid
Rob Edkins, Kev Hartley, Mike Wilkins, Kim Ravenscroft
Pete Aschmann & Mike McComb
Tucking in
Rob Edkins, Kev Hartley, Owen Murphy, Mike Wilkins, Mark Weyer
(Front) Gwyn Bassingthwaite - Chairman, OSA, Mike (Kitty) Keyter; (Back) Patrick Bailey, George Reid
Rob Edkins, Kev Hartley, Mike Wilkins, Kim Ravenscroft
Pete Aschmann & Mike McComb
CH 5 Pt. I : THE TALE OF AN OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOK
After the Ceremony of the Key it was onto tea in the Centenary Hall where representatives of each of the reunion groups was given an opportunity to address the throng on behalf of their year.
Jock spoke on our behalf and mentioned that it had come to light that one of our number had borrowed a school library book back in '70 and failed to return it. The person in question had, and still has, a taste for war literature (inspired no doubt by Neil Emslie) and the book tells the story of the famous South African 2nd WW fighter pilot, 'Sailor' Malan. The book has remained in his possession all this time but now, 40 years later, the guilt-stricken individual has passed the book on anonymously with the request that it be returned to the school with an offer to pay the relevant fine as an act of contrition. As far as memory serves, the fine back then was 5c per week on an escalating scale depending how long it had been outstanding.
The services of an actuary had been engaged to calculate where the current value of the fine (including compound interest) and with a bit of rounding-off it stood at +-R3 000,00.
Headmaster Sammy Gunn was happy to receive the book back on behalf of the school with payment of the fine to follow.
As an aside to the above story, it transpired that Sammy is a researcher of S A Airforce history, an interest he shares with our own Brian Stockland.
Brian was green with envy that it's now in Sammy's clutches and wished he'd known of its existence before the handover in which case he said he would have been prepared to pay very good money for it as it is a collector's item!
CH 5 Pt. II : ANOTHER OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOK
The story of the book on the South African WW II air-ace, Sailor Malan, reminded Stephen Mullineux that he's also been in possession of a school library book on long loan for the past 40 years. It's one borrowed from the 'adult' section of the library (I didn't know there was one!), the previously banned "Lady Chatterley's Lover".
The school has declined to take it back, denying that such a book was ever part of its collection, but the proof is there and it even bears the date stamp on which the book was borrowed as you will see from the following photos:
Steve is quite relieved as not only is his conscience now cleared but he also gets to keep the book to which he has become quite attached over the years and which, as a batchelor with a lot of time for reading, has been a source of great pleasure to him.
But, actually if you open the book and try to look for some of the saucy passages underlined in red, a surprise awaits you. Let Steve himself tell the story: :"The book was my copy of "The History of Mr Polly", one of our setwork books. Mike Wade and I converted it to look as it it were a Selborne library book (we were both librarians). I painstakingly made the dust cover, using my dad’s supply of India ink and pens, and in the end it looked fairly realistic. Then came the conversion to look like a library book. I see we date-stamped it to be returned by 30 March 1970."
So the school was right, after all!
The school has declined to take it back, denying that such a book was ever part of its collection, but the proof is there and it even bears the date stamp on which the book was borrowed as you will see from the following photos:
Steve is quite relieved as not only is his conscience now cleared but he also gets to keep the book to which he has become quite attached over the years and which, as a batchelor with a lot of time for reading, has been a source of great pleasure to him.
But, actually if you open the book and try to look for some of the saucy passages underlined in red, a surprise awaits you. Let Steve himself tell the story: :"The book was my copy of "The History of Mr Polly", one of our setwork books. Mike Wade and I converted it to look as it it were a Selborne library book (we were both librarians). I painstakingly made the dust cover, using my dad’s supply of India ink and pens, and in the end it looked fairly realistic. Then came the conversion to look like a library book. I see we date-stamped it to be returned by 30 March 1970."
So the school was right, after all!
CH 6 : RETREAT CEREMONY & SPITBRAAI
Drinking on school premises – or off it for that matter - was strictly taboo back in our day.
Well, who would have said it, but nowadays the Old Selbornian Association has a clubhouse & pub in the old Primary School where the OSA hosted a spitbraai for all the reunion groups and other Old Selbornians on the Friday evening after the Retreat Ceremony.
It was another time of great camaraderie with everyone at one stage joining in a rendition of the song we added to the school repertoire to the tune of Cliff Richards' "Batchelor Boy": "When I was 16, my fa-a-ther said, son I have something to sa-a-ay. He-e said son, you are a Selbornian until your dying day..."
As they do every year, Mike & Louise McComb do the spitbraaing on the occasion and very delicious it was too.
Later on, Mike showed that his skills are not merely culinary and that he is still practised in the performing arts when he entertained everyone with an hilarious “Fiddler on the Roof” skit showing great dexterity with the fiddle. It was something along the lines of “Jake the Fake with an extra leg” but in this case the additional member was one which protruded every so often from his fly!
Well, who would have said it, but nowadays the Old Selbornian Association has a clubhouse & pub in the old Primary School where the OSA hosted a spitbraai for all the reunion groups and other Old Selbornians on the Friday evening after the Retreat Ceremony.
It was another time of great camaraderie with everyone at one stage joining in a rendition of the song we added to the school repertoire to the tune of Cliff Richards' "Batchelor Boy": "When I was 16, my fa-a-ther said, son I have something to sa-a-ay. He-e said son, you are a Selbornian until your dying day..."
As they do every year, Mike & Louise McComb do the spitbraaing on the occasion and very delicious it was too.
Later on, Mike showed that his skills are not merely culinary and that he is still practised in the performing arts when he entertained everyone with an hilarious “Fiddler on the Roof” skit showing great dexterity with the fiddle. It was something along the lines of “Jake the Fake with an extra leg” but in this case the additional member was one which protruded every so often from his fly!
CH 7 : BEACHBREAK BREAKFAST
The final official get-together of the reunion was breakfast at the Beachbreak Restaurant, Nahoon River Mouth, on the Saturday morning.
For those of you who weren't there and would like to picture the scene, it's a pleasant spot right alongside where the old Nahoon Beach cafe used to be and where the road now leads to the life-savers' shack on the east side of the majestic and odiferous 'Turdy' river.
We sat outside under the trees under leaden skies that were threatening to unleash a deluge at any moment . In fact it looked at one stage as if we would have to find another venue but the weather only improved enough for the time that we spent there which was from 9am-11.30am.
We had a shade-cloth cover over us and at times there were rumblings overhead which we took to be thunder but it was actually caused by frollicking monkeys.
Of the 40-odd who had been at the 'ice-breaker' function at Old Boys on the Thursday evening, about 2/3rds attended the Friday evening OSA spitbraai on the Friday evening and about the same number were at the breakfast which was a good turnout.
Once again, as at the La Petit Restaurant after the Club on the Thursday evening we were crammed into quite a small space which made for good cameraderie despite a lack of elbow-room when it came to eating.
Getting in the orders proved to be quite a performance with the choice between a "Joggers" a "Surfers" or a "Paddlers". As at the Club function, Kitty took charge and in the end "Joggers", "Surfers" and "Paddlers" were almost equally divided - very delicious too!
All-the-while, a healthy buzz of lively conversation was maintained at quite a volume with immediate neighbours and sometimes at a distance. Serious conversation was hardly the order of the day and laughter rang out all around.
Finally, came the time to bring down the curtain. Jock said the final thank yous : to the man who made it happen - Murph; to the Keyters for taking charge of things locally and, in particular, for doing such good job of taking care of the finances; to those who had come from afar - George Reid, Keith Yates (Australia) and Mike Aschmann (NZ); to Richard Bailey who left Selborne in Std 4 but still wanted to be with us and made the trip from Durban; to all the wives/girlfriends/significant others who had followed Dolly Parton's advice and 'stood by their man' through the weekend's frivolities; to Carol Pollock who had once again acted as our official photographer as she did in '95; to Clyde Broster who had been our Guest of Honour with such aplomb both in '95 and now again; and finally to everyone who had been able to make it to the reunion and for making it such a success.
We ended off with an emotional rendition of "For we are jolly good fellows" and then, at the spontaneous suggestion of Mike Aschmann who kicked us off with a loud "Skimilayo!", the school war cry with arms across each others shoulders as it was done in our day and is still done today.
For those of you who weren't there and would like to picture the scene, it's a pleasant spot right alongside where the old Nahoon Beach cafe used to be and where the road now leads to the life-savers' shack on the east side of the majestic and odiferous 'Turdy' river.
We sat outside under the trees under leaden skies that were threatening to unleash a deluge at any moment . In fact it looked at one stage as if we would have to find another venue but the weather only improved enough for the time that we spent there which was from 9am-11.30am.
We had a shade-cloth cover over us and at times there were rumblings overhead which we took to be thunder but it was actually caused by frollicking monkeys.
Of the 40-odd who had been at the 'ice-breaker' function at Old Boys on the Thursday evening, about 2/3rds attended the Friday evening OSA spitbraai on the Friday evening and about the same number were at the breakfast which was a good turnout.
Once again, as at the La Petit Restaurant after the Club on the Thursday evening we were crammed into quite a small space which made for good cameraderie despite a lack of elbow-room when it came to eating.
Getting in the orders proved to be quite a performance with the choice between a "Joggers" a "Surfers" or a "Paddlers". As at the Club function, Kitty took charge and in the end "Joggers", "Surfers" and "Paddlers" were almost equally divided - very delicious too!
All-the-while, a healthy buzz of lively conversation was maintained at quite a volume with immediate neighbours and sometimes at a distance. Serious conversation was hardly the order of the day and laughter rang out all around.
Finally, came the time to bring down the curtain. Jock said the final thank yous : to the man who made it happen - Murph; to the Keyters for taking charge of things locally and, in particular, for doing such good job of taking care of the finances; to those who had come from afar - George Reid, Keith Yates (Australia) and Mike Aschmann (NZ); to Richard Bailey who left Selborne in Std 4 but still wanted to be with us and made the trip from Durban; to all the wives/girlfriends/significant others who had followed Dolly Parton's advice and 'stood by their man' through the weekend's frivolities; to Carol Pollock who had once again acted as our official photographer as she did in '95; to Clyde Broster who had been our Guest of Honour with such aplomb both in '95 and now again; and finally to everyone who had been able to make it to the reunion and for making it such a success.
We ended off with an emotional rendition of "For we are jolly good fellows" and then, at the spontaneous suggestion of Mike Aschmann who kicked us off with a loud "Skimilayo!", the school war cry with arms across each others shoulders as it was done in our day and is still done today.
CH 8 : POST-REUNION IMPRESSIONS
The following comments have come in since the reunion:
Richard ('Pop') Peter: "That was a reunion to beat them all. It was such a privilege and pleasure to interact with those venerable persons over the three days. I will feel the warm glow of camaraderie for months and years ahead. Thank you for the organization and the opportunity. I hope the blogsite continues to operate. I am determined to keep in touch hereafter."
In another email, Pop comments further: "Got the disc and have been poring over the images wishing I could have the few days in EL over and over again. For me, I had my two brothers in town - together for the first time in years. It was a great experience being with them. We all feel that a lasting impression has been indelibly stamped on us."
Nebby Cheiman: Neb unfortunately wasn’t able to join us from Australia as we had all hoped he would be able to do but he enjoyed seeing the photos and reading the stories of the weekend on the blogsite which he said "Brings back so many memories."
It was the same for Peter Carlson who commented: "Really great photos and descriptions of the event! I feel like I was there."
Johnno Johnson: "We really had a great weekend and I feel very privileged to be part of the Class of '70. I went to the Ceremony for the first time since leaving school and I will definitely be back. My mother who is 78 and remembers a lot of the rugby players from that time, pointed out that we may have left school 40 years ago but some of us know each other from 1958 when we started school. That's 52 years ago. Makes me feel very old. Once again, thanks to all the organisers and whoever else contributed. Thanks, Johnno."
Guy Foulds: "I would have loved to be there with you all. Sounds like a good jol was had by all."
The last word goes to George Reid who made it all the way from Australia: "I’m so glad that I made the effort to be part of the reunion. Living so far away it’s easy to come up with any number of excuses not to make the journey; the expense, the time, the jet-lag, the relevance, the bathroom needs renovating, etc, etc.
I must thank Jock for persevering with me, as well as Peter Carlson for instigating the blog. If it wasn’t for some of the posting, especially from Stephen Mullineux and Pop Peters, I would not have been drawn in. I must also thank my brother Mike (Tubby) who rightly said it would be exceptional and my wife Alison who said just do it.
What a pleasure it was to meet everyone again, such a great bunch of blokes, so many memories. I was concerned that after living in Sydney for 20 years I would have lost touch but it only took about 15 min on Friday night at the club to slot right back in. I didn’t recognise everyone first off and there were a number who didn’t recognise me but after a while it felt like I had never been away.
There is a certain “spirit” at Selborne which is hard to find anywhere else. It’s only when you have children yourself and you start looking at schools a little more carefully, that you realise how difficult it is finding a school which will give them what we had. A school with committed teachers who were prepared to teach until 3.00pm, then coach sport to 5.00pm and then mark homework until late, a school with a heritage of remembrance, a school which can draw back increasing numbers of old boys every Founders Day. We didn’t realise it at the time but we were exceptionally fortunate.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 2010 reunion will make every effort to return for the next Class of 1970 reunion."
To which we all say, "Hear! Hear!".
Richard ('Pop') Peter: "That was a reunion to beat them all. It was such a privilege and pleasure to interact with those venerable persons over the three days. I will feel the warm glow of camaraderie for months and years ahead. Thank you for the organization and the opportunity. I hope the blogsite continues to operate. I am determined to keep in touch hereafter."
In another email, Pop comments further: "Got the disc and have been poring over the images wishing I could have the few days in EL over and over again. For me, I had my two brothers in town - together for the first time in years. It was a great experience being with them. We all feel that a lasting impression has been indelibly stamped on us."
Nebby Cheiman: Neb unfortunately wasn’t able to join us from Australia as we had all hoped he would be able to do but he enjoyed seeing the photos and reading the stories of the weekend on the blogsite which he said "Brings back so many memories."
It was the same for Peter Carlson who commented: "Really great photos and descriptions of the event! I feel like I was there."
Johnno Johnson: "We really had a great weekend and I feel very privileged to be part of the Class of '70. I went to the Ceremony for the first time since leaving school and I will definitely be back. My mother who is 78 and remembers a lot of the rugby players from that time, pointed out that we may have left school 40 years ago but some of us know each other from 1958 when we started school. That's 52 years ago. Makes me feel very old. Once again, thanks to all the organisers and whoever else contributed. Thanks, Johnno."
Guy Foulds: "I would have loved to be there with you all. Sounds like a good jol was had by all."
The last word goes to George Reid who made it all the way from Australia: "I’m so glad that I made the effort to be part of the reunion. Living so far away it’s easy to come up with any number of excuses not to make the journey; the expense, the time, the jet-lag, the relevance, the bathroom needs renovating, etc, etc.
I must thank Jock for persevering with me, as well as Peter Carlson for instigating the blog. If it wasn’t for some of the posting, especially from Stephen Mullineux and Pop Peters, I would not have been drawn in. I must also thank my brother Mike (Tubby) who rightly said it would be exceptional and my wife Alison who said just do it.
What a pleasure it was to meet everyone again, such a great bunch of blokes, so many memories. I was concerned that after living in Sydney for 20 years I would have lost touch but it only took about 15 min on Friday night at the club to slot right back in. I didn’t recognise everyone first off and there were a number who didn’t recognise me but after a while it felt like I had never been away.
There is a certain “spirit” at Selborne which is hard to find anywhere else. It’s only when you have children yourself and you start looking at schools a little more carefully, that you realise how difficult it is finding a school which will give them what we had. A school with committed teachers who were prepared to teach until 3.00pm, then coach sport to 5.00pm and then mark homework until late, a school with a heritage of remembrance, a school which can draw back increasing numbers of old boys every Founders Day. We didn’t realise it at the time but we were exceptionally fortunate.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 2010 reunion will make every effort to return for the next Class of 1970 reunion."
To which we all say, "Hear! Hear!".
POSTSCRIPT Pt. I : ANECDOTES
SELBORNE CAR STORIES
The following Selborne car stories are all courtesy of a man with the most prodigious memory, Stephen Mullineux aka 'Gareth Foodlesquink':
"I think it was Mattheus Haus (also a good musician and now head of the Red Cross Children's Hospital in CT...matric class of '67, I think) who went to pick up his girlfriend (Alison Harmuth?). He forgot to pull on the handbrake and the car went off driverless down that large tract of grassed land near the Dolphin Hotel, taking a wide turn, and eventually endin up in the far distance, but undamaged! They decided not to go on their date that night (they were going to the Summerpride Drive-In). Spike De Zeeuw was with me (in the old music rooms) when Mattheus told this story...I wonder if Spike remembers. He may have a different version from me, of course!
Then, do you remember that George Yiangou was trapped by the cops in 1970 doing 70mph down the Old Transkei Road in his Dad's Triumph Spitfire? George thought it a big joke (he laughed at anything!), but I guess his Dad didn't. George didn't have a licence then either.
I also remember a few chaps that came to school in smart cars. Although quite a few years ahead of us, there was a chap named Richard Kerbell who had a 50cc Suzuki and then, on turning 18 in his matric year, came to school in a massive and rather new Pontiac Parisienne. There was also a chap in our class in 1965 (surname Beard) who had a brother in the College who bought a 50cc motorbike (an Itom I think) for R3 at the beginning of the year and sold it again for R3 at the end of the year! In 1965 we boys used to stand on the Primary side of the fence and walk up and down admiring the 50cc bikes on the College side. Although we did not have much contact with the College boys, we seemed to know who owned what. A new 50cc Suzuki, Honda or Yamaha all cost R120 then.
Barry Steidlen had a Fiat, with a sign on the dash that read "That's right, slam the bloody door!" which we thought was rather cool. Then that Latin teacher had an old (1940?) black car with the name 'Tumbleweed' in large letters on the boot. Piet Hough had a rather well looked-after, 'though oldish, DKW. It was a light blue with a white top, I think, but it was impeccably clean.
Well do I remember Spike De Zeeuw's dad's car. I seem to remember he had two cars, both of which were rather old. One day, Spike's dad arrived at the school and drove past us boys on his way to the front of the school and some chap (Ozzie Schlenkrich I think) shouted "RACER!" as the old car clattered past. It was extremely funny to me then. I also seem to remember that Spike's dad was a chiropodist and a keen tennis player and coach.
And then, of course, there was that unfortunate incident with Miss Laden's car between the trees, which Jock, the Headboy, masterminded...HAH! I think you told us that all Mr Stonier said to you was "Mr McConnachie, I am very disappointed" and left it at that. You got off easily on that one, Jock!"
CLASSROOM CLASSICS
Certain incidents stand out in our memories mostly of things totally unrelated to the serious stuff of learning.
These memories are, once again, courtesy of Stephen Mullineux:
"On the topic of Dronkie Muller's class, do you remember those two "ceiling hangings" held up by gob-blobs? The one was Superman in a typical flying pose. The other was Snoopy on his kennel flying across the classroom at ceiling height. Someone from some other class put them up there. Also in Mr Muller's class I remember 'Locky' Brown compiled a list (circa Std 7) of all the boys in the class with a column in which he asked each to tick off if they had masturbated. We then passed this through the class for each chap to tick off. Only one chap in the class didn't tick off and after we confronted him and said he need not be ashamed to admit it, he still denied he had ever done it. I remember the chap and his name will but will not mention it here...the innocent must be protected!
'Locky' Brown was also a good guitarist. During a singing lesson in Mr Bilsbury's room, he once entertained us with his guitar. Remember? He was rather disappointed at the end because he had forgotten to play 'My Baby does the Hanky-Panky' which was not only a recent hit, but a tune that allowed him to show off his talents the best. Yeah!"
'Gareth' also recalls Steven Sarantos taking a quart of beer out of his suitcase in Dronkie's class on a Friday afternoon and hiding it under his books. He speculates that it must have been for 'use' after school. No, surely not 'Gareth'! It must have been to reward Dronkie for his fine efforts during the week.
IN THE SPIRIT OF OF H C BOSMAN
It was already apparent from the emails that were generated during the run-up to the reunion that the Class of '70 boasts some excellent story-tellers and it was clear there was going to be a lot of competition for who could tell the best story of the reunion.
Someone who showed himself to be a top-contender was Richard ('Pop') Peter.
'Pop' has a turn of phrase which other raconteurs (the names of Steenkamp and Coetzer spring to mind) were hard-pressed to match.
He recalled the impromptu musical performance which he, Johnno & Andrew [Coetzer] put on with mixed reception at one of the gatherings during our 25th reunion in 1995: "In '95 at Old Boys a few of us hijacked the one man band and delivered a very cacophonic and out of tune version of 'Wild Thing' while the official bard looked on very helplessly and nervously at his expensive equipment being given the 'Townshend' treatment. Maybe this year we'll get to the 2nd verse."
In another email to Simon Curran he wrote:
"Hello Gunner Curran
How could I ever forget the gunner who marched constantly out of step in front of me for 6 weeks until he was mercifully transferred to the Transport Unit where for the next 8 months his whereabouts could be ascertained by the sound of the grating Bedford gears. Wasn't your name the most bellowed on the Youngsfield parade ground? I think your excuse for being so unsure footed was that you had been on a SAF marine ship for 6 months previously and were taking a whileto adjust to a surface that didn't pitch.
How're things going you old bullet? In '95 I had a brief discussion with you. You were living opposite the school directly in line with where the Norton House milk raiders used to forage at night.
Can't wait to see all you guys in October and see whose belly wobbles the most when they laugh."
Simon responded mentioning that he had recently bumped into Barry ('Baz') Steidlen, our former science teacher.
This prompted 'Pop' to comment:
"[Barry’s] science teaching idiosyncrasies were a breath of fresh air for me...Baz was laidback and laconic with a Kalahari-dry sense of humour. [He] was the chalkboard artist. To illustrate any complex scientific point he would wipe the board with a chalk-stained science lab coat sleeve and proceed to scribble spider shapes on the blackboard, stand back ponder his effort, shake his head, wipe it off and start again until his point had been made. His quixotic artistic displays fascinated 10B, especially the usually unsettled Coetzer/Voogt under the radar section at the back of the class. Baz would shoot anyone who dared giggle at his artistic attempts a withering, threatening glare. Between Baz, old man Champ and Dronkie Muller, there was enough comic potential to blow down the roof at any Vegas auditorium."
One of my personal favourites which I think sums up how most of us felt about the approaching reunion was 'Pop's' response to the first news that it was being organised: "Owen [Murphy] phoned me out of the blue with the great news that the clan of '70 were sharpening their old rusty weapons an gathering on the battlefield. I'm sorry to see the fallen soldiers. It's as if I knew them yesterday. But life marches inevitably onwards."
'Pop’ also recalled the following vis-a-vis 'Gunner' Curran back in the day when they were valiantly protecting our glorious Republic as involuntary members of the SANDF based at fortress Youngsfield: "Simon definitely put a sheen on my musical tastes in those early, cold dark, shell shocking Youngsfield days. He had these great tapes of not only Traffic but such gems as Keef Hartley (any relation to Kev?), Savoy Brown & Tull. His little taperecorder was an effective antidote to the depression brought on by the constantly screaming two and three stripers that seemed to be everywhere...I remember my first venture out of camp (AWOL?), I beelined for Musica (that must have been the CNA,'Pop)with Simon and a guy called Norman. I donned the shop's headphones to listen to the latest in heaviness. After a blissful minute or two I passed them to Simon who incredulously enquired how I could honestly pretend to appreciate that pile of donkeydung, which really hurt my feelings. He suggested we rather listen to 'Welcome to the Canteen' (Traffic)- my transformation was immediate and permanent.
'Gunner' Curran responded to 'Pop' as follows: "I had no idea that I influenced your musical tastes so much! Actually, I was very much influenced by the George family in my musical tastes back in the day. The three brothers, Jeremy, Jeffrey and Christopher were very well known to me and every Christmas holiday our families used to spend at least a month camping at Gonubie. Traffic, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Moody Blues (I think) were the staple diet of the time. Jeremy was the oldest of the brothers and his days at Gonubie were spent either sleeping or smoking Texans or Luckies and playing his 'geet' in the little home-made caravan that he and Jeffrey shared. When darkness fell, Jeremy became energised and after spraying on some Ban, including on his genitals, he would slink out and seek female company! Gonubie was where I got drunk for the first time (3 beers)and early in the new school year after that particular holiday, a note made its way to me from hand to hand in class one day, informing me that my dastardly drinking exploits continued in the company of people like Stephen Sarantos and Yiangou, Grant, Chris George and others, often taking place at the Summerpride Drive-In scooter booths. While the rest of us more or less kept our disgraceful teenage experimenting to booze and cigarettes, at least one I'm aware of didn't. His boundaries became more and blurred and I believe the police in the USA have accommodated him from time to time. Which reminds me of Ken Carlson once lecturing the 'A' class that they mustn't get too big for their boots thinking they were the top of the heap. He personally knew of many Old Selbornians sitting in jails around the world and they all came from the 'A' class! Hell, when I think of it, I actually had some laughs at Selborne College.
Another of ‘Pop’s’ memories related to something that was uppermost in our minds back then – girls: “Not many people know this: I was probably the only scholar in the entire history of education to accompany two headmasters daughters to formal dances within a period of a year. In 1968 I attended the Matric farewell with Bones Barker's charming offspring as a dare. In 1969 it was the turn of Bunny Stevens' delightful little blond bombshell to experience typical male adolecent passive aggressive charm at close quarters. Neither of these early attempts at networking bore any fruit. Bones, very soon thereafter, brutally caned me for letting off a thunderflash in a Norton House bathroom. He didn't even recognize me as the same person who was so graciously unshered into his lounge a week prior to treat his daughter to one of the highwater mark events of her congested social calender.
The following Selborne car stories are all courtesy of a man with the most prodigious memory, Stephen Mullineux aka 'Gareth Foodlesquink':
"I think it was Mattheus Haus (also a good musician and now head of the Red Cross Children's Hospital in CT...matric class of '67, I think) who went to pick up his girlfriend (Alison Harmuth?). He forgot to pull on the handbrake and the car went off driverless down that large tract of grassed land near the Dolphin Hotel, taking a wide turn, and eventually endin up in the far distance, but undamaged! They decided not to go on their date that night (they were going to the Summerpride Drive-In). Spike De Zeeuw was with me (in the old music rooms) when Mattheus told this story...I wonder if Spike remembers. He may have a different version from me, of course!
Then, do you remember that George Yiangou was trapped by the cops in 1970 doing 70mph down the Old Transkei Road in his Dad's Triumph Spitfire? George thought it a big joke (he laughed at anything!), but I guess his Dad didn't. George didn't have a licence then either.
I also remember a few chaps that came to school in smart cars. Although quite a few years ahead of us, there was a chap named Richard Kerbell who had a 50cc Suzuki and then, on turning 18 in his matric year, came to school in a massive and rather new Pontiac Parisienne. There was also a chap in our class in 1965 (surname Beard) who had a brother in the College who bought a 50cc motorbike (an Itom I think) for R3 at the beginning of the year and sold it again for R3 at the end of the year! In 1965 we boys used to stand on the Primary side of the fence and walk up and down admiring the 50cc bikes on the College side. Although we did not have much contact with the College boys, we seemed to know who owned what. A new 50cc Suzuki, Honda or Yamaha all cost R120 then.
Barry Steidlen had a Fiat, with a sign on the dash that read "That's right, slam the bloody door!" which we thought was rather cool. Then that Latin teacher had an old (1940?) black car with the name 'Tumbleweed' in large letters on the boot. Piet Hough had a rather well looked-after, 'though oldish, DKW. It was a light blue with a white top, I think, but it was impeccably clean.
Well do I remember Spike De Zeeuw's dad's car. I seem to remember he had two cars, both of which were rather old. One day, Spike's dad arrived at the school and drove past us boys on his way to the front of the school and some chap (Ozzie Schlenkrich I think) shouted "RACER!" as the old car clattered past. It was extremely funny to me then. I also seem to remember that Spike's dad was a chiropodist and a keen tennis player and coach.
And then, of course, there was that unfortunate incident with Miss Laden's car between the trees, which Jock, the Headboy, masterminded...HAH! I think you told us that all Mr Stonier said to you was "Mr McConnachie, I am very disappointed" and left it at that. You got off easily on that one, Jock!"
CLASSROOM CLASSICS
Certain incidents stand out in our memories mostly of things totally unrelated to the serious stuff of learning.
These memories are, once again, courtesy of Stephen Mullineux:
"On the topic of Dronkie Muller's class, do you remember those two "ceiling hangings" held up by gob-blobs? The one was Superman in a typical flying pose. The other was Snoopy on his kennel flying across the classroom at ceiling height. Someone from some other class put them up there. Also in Mr Muller's class I remember 'Locky' Brown compiled a list (circa Std 7) of all the boys in the class with a column in which he asked each to tick off if they had masturbated. We then passed this through the class for each chap to tick off. Only one chap in the class didn't tick off and after we confronted him and said he need not be ashamed to admit it, he still denied he had ever done it. I remember the chap and his name will but will not mention it here...the innocent must be protected!
'Locky' Brown was also a good guitarist. During a singing lesson in Mr Bilsbury's room, he once entertained us with his guitar. Remember? He was rather disappointed at the end because he had forgotten to play 'My Baby does the Hanky-Panky' which was not only a recent hit, but a tune that allowed him to show off his talents the best. Yeah!"
'Gareth' also recalls Steven Sarantos taking a quart of beer out of his suitcase in Dronkie's class on a Friday afternoon and hiding it under his books. He speculates that it must have been for 'use' after school. No, surely not 'Gareth'! It must have been to reward Dronkie for his fine efforts during the week.
IN THE SPIRIT OF OF H C BOSMAN
It was already apparent from the emails that were generated during the run-up to the reunion that the Class of '70 boasts some excellent story-tellers and it was clear there was going to be a lot of competition for who could tell the best story of the reunion.
Someone who showed himself to be a top-contender was Richard ('Pop') Peter.
'Pop' has a turn of phrase which other raconteurs (the names of Steenkamp and Coetzer spring to mind) were hard-pressed to match.
He recalled the impromptu musical performance which he, Johnno & Andrew [Coetzer] put on with mixed reception at one of the gatherings during our 25th reunion in 1995: "In '95 at Old Boys a few of us hijacked the one man band and delivered a very cacophonic and out of tune version of 'Wild Thing' while the official bard looked on very helplessly and nervously at his expensive equipment being given the 'Townshend' treatment. Maybe this year we'll get to the 2nd verse."
In another email to Simon Curran he wrote:
"Hello Gunner Curran
How could I ever forget the gunner who marched constantly out of step in front of me for 6 weeks until he was mercifully transferred to the Transport Unit where for the next 8 months his whereabouts could be ascertained by the sound of the grating Bedford gears. Wasn't your name the most bellowed on the Youngsfield parade ground? I think your excuse for being so unsure footed was that you had been on a SAF marine ship for 6 months previously and were taking a whileto adjust to a surface that didn't pitch.
How're things going you old bullet? In '95 I had a brief discussion with you. You were living opposite the school directly in line with where the Norton House milk raiders used to forage at night.
Can't wait to see all you guys in October and see whose belly wobbles the most when they laugh."
Simon responded mentioning that he had recently bumped into Barry ('Baz') Steidlen, our former science teacher.
This prompted 'Pop' to comment:
"[Barry’s] science teaching idiosyncrasies were a breath of fresh air for me...Baz was laidback and laconic with a Kalahari-dry sense of humour. [He] was the chalkboard artist. To illustrate any complex scientific point he would wipe the board with a chalk-stained science lab coat sleeve and proceed to scribble spider shapes on the blackboard, stand back ponder his effort, shake his head, wipe it off and start again until his point had been made. His quixotic artistic displays fascinated 10B, especially the usually unsettled Coetzer/Voogt under the radar section at the back of the class. Baz would shoot anyone who dared giggle at his artistic attempts a withering, threatening glare. Between Baz, old man Champ and Dronkie Muller, there was enough comic potential to blow down the roof at any Vegas auditorium."
One of my personal favourites which I think sums up how most of us felt about the approaching reunion was 'Pop's' response to the first news that it was being organised: "Owen [Murphy] phoned me out of the blue with the great news that the clan of '70 were sharpening their old rusty weapons an gathering on the battlefield. I'm sorry to see the fallen soldiers. It's as if I knew them yesterday. But life marches inevitably onwards."
'Pop’ also recalled the following vis-a-vis 'Gunner' Curran back in the day when they were valiantly protecting our glorious Republic as involuntary members of the SANDF based at fortress Youngsfield: "Simon definitely put a sheen on my musical tastes in those early, cold dark, shell shocking Youngsfield days. He had these great tapes of not only Traffic but such gems as Keef Hartley (any relation to Kev?), Savoy Brown & Tull. His little taperecorder was an effective antidote to the depression brought on by the constantly screaming two and three stripers that seemed to be everywhere...I remember my first venture out of camp (AWOL?), I beelined for Musica (that must have been the CNA,'Pop)with Simon and a guy called Norman. I donned the shop's headphones to listen to the latest in heaviness. After a blissful minute or two I passed them to Simon who incredulously enquired how I could honestly pretend to appreciate that pile of donkeydung, which really hurt my feelings. He suggested we rather listen to 'Welcome to the Canteen' (Traffic)- my transformation was immediate and permanent.
'Gunner' Curran responded to 'Pop' as follows: "I had no idea that I influenced your musical tastes so much! Actually, I was very much influenced by the George family in my musical tastes back in the day. The three brothers, Jeremy, Jeffrey and Christopher were very well known to me and every Christmas holiday our families used to spend at least a month camping at Gonubie. Traffic, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Moody Blues (I think) were the staple diet of the time. Jeremy was the oldest of the brothers and his days at Gonubie were spent either sleeping or smoking Texans or Luckies and playing his 'geet' in the little home-made caravan that he and Jeffrey shared. When darkness fell, Jeremy became energised and after spraying on some Ban, including on his genitals, he would slink out and seek female company! Gonubie was where I got drunk for the first time (3 beers)and early in the new school year after that particular holiday, a note made its way to me from hand to hand in class one day, informing me that my dastardly drinking exploits continued in the company of people like Stephen Sarantos and Yiangou, Grant, Chris George and others, often taking place at the Summerpride Drive-In scooter booths. While the rest of us more or less kept our disgraceful teenage experimenting to booze and cigarettes, at least one I'm aware of didn't. His boundaries became more and blurred and I believe the police in the USA have accommodated him from time to time. Which reminds me of Ken Carlson once lecturing the 'A' class that they mustn't get too big for their boots thinking they were the top of the heap. He personally knew of many Old Selbornians sitting in jails around the world and they all came from the 'A' class! Hell, when I think of it, I actually had some laughs at Selborne College.
Another of ‘Pop’s’ memories related to something that was uppermost in our minds back then – girls: “Not many people know this: I was probably the only scholar in the entire history of education to accompany two headmasters daughters to formal dances within a period of a year. In 1968 I attended the Matric farewell with Bones Barker's charming offspring as a dare. In 1969 it was the turn of Bunny Stevens' delightful little blond bombshell to experience typical male adolecent passive aggressive charm at close quarters. Neither of these early attempts at networking bore any fruit. Bones, very soon thereafter, brutally caned me for letting off a thunderflash in a Norton House bathroom. He didn't even recognize me as the same person who was so graciously unshered into his lounge a week prior to treat his daughter to one of the highwater mark events of her congested social calender.
POSTSCRIPT Pt. II : INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE CLASS OF '70 DIASPORA
At latest count 18 of our number have established themselves overseas and the Class of '70 diaspora has spread to 4 continents where individuals are making their contributions in many and various walks of life.
Here's an interesting fact about our link with planet Earth's most precious resource, water.
Three members of the Class of '70 are each in their own way very influential in water affairs in different parts of the world: Stephen Mullineux (SA), Edgar Johnson (Australia) and Roy Schultz (New Zealand).
So next time you take some water with your whisky or sip some of nature's nectar au naturale, drink a toast to Steve, Ed & Roy.
Here's an interesting fact about our link with planet Earth's most precious resource, water.
Three members of the Class of '70 are each in their own way very influential in water affairs in different parts of the world: Stephen Mullineux (SA), Edgar Johnson (Australia) and Roy Schultz (New Zealand).
So next time you take some water with your whisky or sip some of nature's nectar au naturale, drink a toast to Steve, Ed & Roy.
POSTSCRIPT Pt. III : IN THE FAMILY WAY
There were 91 of us back in '70. Most of us got married and got into the family way.
According to a census of the children that were declared in the questionnaire that was circulated at the time of our 25th reunion in '95, the 91 of us produced 171 children: 88 sons and 83 daughters. The only child I know of who was produced since '95 was Mike McComb's son, Guy, who I have nevertheless included in the '95 tally but the figure as at 2010 may be even higher! Not a bad score at all. It's interesting that the split between sons & daughters is almost 50/50 but as far as I know, no son of a member of the Class of '70 married the daughter of a member of the Class of '70 and it seems as if the closest link by marriage between us is that Chris Bradfield and John Hunter are brothers-in-law (Chris married John's sister, Jean).
And here are some family pics as posted on the blogsite:
The McConnachies: Jock, Kary, Kathryn & Christopher with dog, Molly.
The De Zeeuws: Mick & Janice, with daughters Ashley (of the Radio City Rockettes) an Brittani. The De Zeeuws live on a golf course in Eustis, Florida, just north of Orlando.
This photo came from Simon Curran with an email reading: "Hi Jock, here is the photo of Jean's and my family after our wedding on Saturday, 9 October. I am claiming to be the most recently married member of the 1970! Both Jean and I lost our spouses to cancer within a few months of each other in 2007/2008. Regards, Simon."
The Carlson family: Peter, Mark, Wendy and Katy (the talented designer of our blogsite)
And here we have a photo of the Aschmann siblings: Cheryl, John, Mike & Linda, taken on the occasion of their mother's 80th birthday
Meet the West family: Keith, Erleen (Durrheim) and children, Granville & Lara. They've spent many happy years living in Summerstrand, PE where Keith & Erleen run their own hardware business
According to a census of the children that were declared in the questionnaire that was circulated at the time of our 25th reunion in '95, the 91 of us produced 171 children: 88 sons and 83 daughters. The only child I know of who was produced since '95 was Mike McComb's son, Guy, who I have nevertheless included in the '95 tally but the figure as at 2010 may be even higher! Not a bad score at all. It's interesting that the split between sons & daughters is almost 50/50 but as far as I know, no son of a member of the Class of '70 married the daughter of a member of the Class of '70 and it seems as if the closest link by marriage between us is that Chris Bradfield and John Hunter are brothers-in-law (Chris married John's sister, Jean).
And here are some family pics as posted on the blogsite:
The McConnachies: Jock, Kary, Kathryn & Christopher with dog, Molly.
The De Zeeuws: Mick & Janice, with daughters Ashley (of the Radio City Rockettes) an Brittani. The De Zeeuws live on a golf course in Eustis, Florida, just north of Orlando.
This photo came from Simon Curran with an email reading: "Hi Jock, here is the photo of Jean's and my family after our wedding on Saturday, 9 October. I am claiming to be the most recently married member of the 1970! Both Jean and I lost our spouses to cancer within a few months of each other in 2007/2008. Regards, Simon."
The Carlson family: Peter, Mark, Wendy and Katy (the talented designer of our blogsite)
And here we have a photo of the Aschmann siblings: Cheryl, John, Mike & Linda, taken on the occasion of their mother's 80th birthday
Meet the West family: Keith, Erleen (Durrheim) and children, Granville & Lara. They've spent many happy years living in Summerstrand, PE where Keith & Erleen run their own hardware business
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