Port Alfred, Martin Kruger - A personal history

Port Alfred

In the early days we rented a house on a hill on the east side. Pris and I went to school at the Queen Alexandra Secondary School. Breaktimes we used to play rounders with Nyoffie Pittaway and Gobs Wood. It was a short walk to school. Tubby Stewart was the Principal (possibly better to not comment further here...), Jock Kilian was a teacher and so, too was Piet Snyman whose son Jeff and daughter Helen were pupils. Piet's wife was Babs. I still have a school reference from him.

Justin Steyn was a pupil and we'd visit him on the farm outside town. Saw him at the Halyards during the powerboat races a few years ago. He's CANAL MAN - instrumental in creating the wonderful canals in Port Alfred. His old man was J P De Wet Steyn, M.P. (Steyntjie). Lovely people.

After finishing school we started to make the town cook. Uncle Fred Jackson used to have sessions at the Vic - where famous groups played, like the Stacattoes and the Bats.

It was around this time that Vince Rootman and family came to Kowie to live. His sister Sing is also known as Heather and she married Eddie Symes with whom I lost an evening up the Kowie river in my boat once. Hollywood is the loser in not knowing Eddie at his best.

ALLES VAN DIE BEESTE

The town had wonderful characters. Quite unlike today's generally-processed automated species. There was Pixie John who was a fisherman, bait-seller and person. Had a ponytail, a big knife and went for a few beers in the local every day of his life. There was Vernon Timm (Turn on Vim), wife Marge and son Gary. Vernon used to drive with his arm on the car window sill and who had the movie house. (Shows on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights). The Kloppers had the shop next door which sold slap chips. This was next to Guluguuts Serfontein. (in Wharf Street). Uncle Claude (Cedric Richard's Dad) had the mass-market shop which sold brown sugar at twopence. Mrs. Elliot had the general dealer store on the east side. Uncle Bob Finn had a boat which we used to go up the river with. Oom Koos Marais used to be the best swimming-prawn thrower. Uncle Bob's son was Eddie, who was a pal of mine. There was also Bobby Robbins, Ronnie Field, Ian Williams (Willie). Uncle Manning Samuel taught us boxing in, I think, the Masonic Hall. Sheila Dagleish was the Mayor at one time (before or after Louis Gluckman, can't recall) and WOW what a lot of finery when she and entourage-hubby went out dancing !!!!!!!!!! Long cigarette holders, longer drinks and the incredible Bertie Timm on guitar. Avro Randall supplied us with day-old chicks (52 in a box) and we'd eat chickens for a year. Such grateful thanks to my parents who allowed me to raise these noisy characters in the back yard and learn that dung-feet makes for healthy feet in the long run. WH (Bill) Muller was the town clerk with Baby Green as his assistant. They both stayed near the Central Hotel across-road from the Little Beach. Brian Wright (Salty) (son of Jokes Wright) worked for my Dad, so did honourable folks such as Bob Webber and asthamatic Jimmy McQuirk.

Sid Alder at the Langdon also had sessions in the large outdoor under-cover dance area. Bobby Millar once came for a drink on his horse and brought it into the pub to stand next to him. We watched, awestruck as he ordered a bottle of scotch, ice, water and a glass. Bobby that is, not the horse.

As we got older we'd get together and laugh. The general gang was Johnny Damant (remember Piet De Wet), Vince Rootman, Gillian Gilder, Dabby Blair (Jan Stap), Mary Clayton, plus anybody else who was in town. We'd meet at about noon and then go home for lunch at suppertime. (Sorry Mom, but gee it was fun). No thirst like Bathurst.

"Were you never involved in the Parliament get togethers on Satudays at
the Langdon with Loui Gluckman in Charge or at the Centenary Park when
Heany Dog (Kevin) set himsef on fire or when Ma Kew used to get to the
stage in the night when "The lines are loose Mrs Pagel" or when Wally
used to leave his cars parking lights on so he could find it when coming
from the Pub and the night he did not arrive home as someone swithed off
the lights. Soooo many more things !
Cheers
Get the booze out of the boot boy!"...Damant 2001

Did you see (our) Vince on TV after a rugby game recently ?
Yessir...THATS our man !!! Ambassador for a most noble cause...the Chris Burger fund.

Interestingly enough, the Damant Rootman Kruger friendship was cultivated in Port Alfred,
then branched up to Jo'burg/Alberton where we'd meet for an 'ickle 'ottle
and today life has served to plant us in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban.
Unanimously thinking, it's maybe healthier that way...

Fortunately the Sunday excesses were counter-balanced by lots of sport. Cricket was played with Little Dup Du Preez whose old man was TMF (The Most Feared) cop in town, but a gentle soul at heart - unless you were a kudu, that is...Claude Pittaway was captain - a true sportsman. Once I bowled Jock Cameron first ball but he was past his best at that time. This raises the thought, did jovial Jock ever have a prime ?

Rugby was our great solace. We were small, but clever and won the cup. Our most feared opponents were, for example, Three Rings, Sandflats, Alexandria and the like. Most players were policemen hell-bent on destruction on the field and with a great thirst off the field. Truly greats that I spent a lot of time on the field were (Jakie [Vernon Jakins] - my scrumhalf), Freddie Britz - a classic centre who had played for Zambia and whose parents-in-law had the Cherry Tree, Johan Tolken, a centre who was a policeman. Uncle Trevor Reed gave more time than was possible to the club. What a wonderful man. So too, Tommy Lombard who worked for the Pos. (Post Office). Great laughter when my brother-in-law Des Taylor (all muscle) couldn't find a way around the ageing Three Rings fullback, so he literally ran over him to score a try. Andries Nel converted. Piet van Greunen was also very dedicated but had a somewhat weak pass. Sorrie, Piet, ou swaer.

Des had this Hillman Minx which he sold to Vince. Vince's old man always came to watch rugby in his vintage Citroen which he had brought from South West. Uncle Buller and Auntie Trix. Vince married Gill (lekka wedding thanks). Gill was one of five daughters of Uncle Bob Gilder and Dot. (Bob's Bargains). Everybody used to re-collect themselves over Christmas in Kowie and then battle to get back to their home towns in one piece after the holidays. The town used to boast pretty powerful musicians over the season. Remember Mike Fuller and the Dealians ? (From Deals Hotel in East London) - "Look out, here comes tomorrow" was a national hit at the time. Once a crowd of us flew up to J'burg to watch a rugby test at Ellis Park. The bus to the ground had F.M. The field was a bit of a rough patch.

Mike Haller and the flying club once flew a plane under the new arch bridge. Mike's ex-wife, Heather did such sterling work for the Publicity Association, which my Mom ran for so many years. Once visiting Port Alfred with the PE Porsche Club I had the strange occurrence of having a cup of tea with Mike. Once George Haller's garage souped up Johnny's Flamingo so that Mike could race it in PE. At a later stage the car was sold to Alwyn Oosthuizen's younger brother.

Nearby the railway station there's a man-made sort of cave - possibly a storage area for munitions during the world war ? And near the east beach, up in the bush there's a man-made recessed well in what used to be known as Dr. Atherstone's property. Us as kids, of course formed the romantic notion that this was a slave-pit.

Gee everybody used to scurry around town just as if they were busy. Phil Hopper had the shop on the corner and Dennis Wedderburn had the toy shop. Sister Street used to visit families and ensure that kids ate breakfast before going to school. Dr Zirk Lloyd used to drive a Karmann Ghia and Farquar McRae's daughter was nicknamed Flick. Kathy Keeton was from the area and became famous via her association with Playboy or Penthouse and Bob Guccione, I think it was. Ian Lapsley was the Standard Bank manager, Paul Rosin the Inspector.

Les Mould used to preach across the road from the moviehouse as patrons were exiting. The wages of sin is/are death. Bible-punching stuff. Fishermen will vouch to his lack of short-term memory as to where the fish were biting and where he had just caught a nice grunter. Speaking of grunter, Granville Bradfield, captain of the cricket side when my Dad still played, was undisputed king and today, I believe, still holds the EP record.

The Bushman's crowd used to come through on occasion. Ronnie (Bags) Kelly, Sam Cawood, Rae Futter - who married Keith Waddell. Uitenhage's Lionel Thwaites and singer Brian McNicol came to Kowie at every possible opportunity. Usually at the Vic one could get a game of snooker with Dennis Turner from the exchange. He always had a new (generally naughty) joke to tell. And Rex Harris's car, CAH 1007 generally had the 1 taped over by mischievous youngsters.

Naughty ? Who us ? Not abnormally so I'd say. OK we admit to Mrs. Lobjoit's mulberries - but really, there were so many. And we admit to trying to steal Policeman Dup's biltong off his stoep one night but hey - it was poached and out of season in any case. We heard later from Mrs. Dup (Thelma) that Dup had aimed a shotgun at us through the window before realising who we were.

Then my Mom bought, for 300 pounds, a large piece of ground overlooking the lagoon (today's marina) and my Dad built us a lovely house. We were so proud to be not renting any more. This was a cosy family home which all my friends admired.

Scandals ? Peyton Place ? Mmmm sure. Nowadays to be laughed over as a distant memory to the parties concerned. Not, preferably to be discussed here.

Many Grahamstown families used to make the annual pilgrimage to come and camp at the Willows where they would vent 49 weeks of frustration at living in Grahamstown, on the local bottle stores. Port Alfred, and here my Dad deserves prominence, was the first camping site in South Africa to offer electric lights installed into tents. The old Putt bridge was gaily festooned with coloured lights over the festive season. Much merriment was had. At midnight on New Years Eve we used to drive to the Power Station where my Dad used to activate the war-time air raid siren which could be heard for miles. (Nowadays it would have been heard for kilometers).

Pineapple cricket tournament. Athol Emslie. Ramsay Forward. Really whacko Walker. Uncle Jokes Wright always in attendance, usually with a recently-trained meercat which we used to feed with grasshoppers.

There's a few more years to be added here, but be patient, the Bathurst Show wasn't built in a day. Yep - that's where Uncle Ruben Westcott used to entertain us with his mouth-organ. MAN !!!! This Bathurst Show was something ELSE. Surely this was where Charles Glass was first known as 'Boet'.