Port Alfred - Page 3

When we moved to Port Alfred (in the fifties) there was a place called the East Flats where we used to ride our bicycles and where the Lagoon was situated. Uncle Bob Neale-May used to pump pink sand prawns there and catch Jan Bruin up the East Beach. Uncle Leo Strauch used to have a truck with wooden back which he used to ride up the beach, fishing with. If I remember correctly, the east flats used to be a sort-of salt water estuary long ago. Then a man by the name, I think, William Cock re-routed the course of the river to make it a deep-water port in preference to Port Elizabeth. This involved the laying of zillions of stones along the river bank from the mouth inland. Logically, with passage of time the east flats dried out - BUT....the environment was ripe, many years later, to create channels on the east flats thus creating a marina - along a bed where the sea previously existed. Voila ! Einstein...you have the Port Alfred marina. And Cock's castle up on the hill.

PIESANG. A Port-Alfred born word. Howzit Piesang ? Hmmm what else ? Remember WILBERFORCE ? and WILLOUGHBY ?  Funnily enough we heard Boetie Cawood on Big Brother call somebody PIESANG the other day. He's learning ! Also BOET and SWAER....Hell, LOOKHERE boet....It's a different culture !

John Dovaston used to be an immense help to the Publicity Association in years gone by. And do you remember BISCUITS de Schmidt ? The surfer. They said he never had feet - he had yards. Vic Goddard used to have a long american car and used to park to watch the trains shunting. Boepsie was his eldest son if I remember properly.  Barry Reed. The original Elvis lookalike - his Dad was Cliffie Reed who worked at the mental. Pocket money for a packet of Texan plain and a tub of Brylcreem. They used to live on the East Bank next to Smuttie - Danie's Dad who used to cycle to work, also at the mental. Danie was a policeman and later, I believe, studied to be an attorney. His eldest brother was Stephen, and sister Irene.

Doreen Robbins used to have the Cuthberts (shoes) store in Main Street - next to the Standard Bank. Her husband, Jack was in accounting - across the road. They were golfers. Next to Cuthberts was Heny's Hardware - James Heny's shop. Mike Lisher used to work there. His nickname was "Mr. Fire-eyes" - after a popular song at the time. Man, Mike could dance in those days. His legs were elastic !

Then, some years ago, I saw Dessie Williams, our strong, tough front-ranker from years ago, with his wife at the Fish River Sun. I played some blackjack at the same table as Judge Jimmy van Rensburg who, I believe, now lives in Kenton. This brings to mind Griffie Griffiths, daughters Helen and ummmm - and also Arthur Storey who had a convenience store. Subsequently I heard they were involved in "dating clubs" in Port Elizabeth.

My sister Priscilla and I -
possibly when I was still at Mrs. Powell's nursery school

Percy Wesson had the Chevrolet and Opel garage near the bridge. Wow I remember when he got this STUNNING Chev Bel-Air with those big slit-eyes in front and MAJOR back wings. Chrome for Africa, Boet. LOOKHERE swaer, this car was so long that it a CAH number plate at the back and a CF one in front. His kids were Bruce and Marlene Wesson. I saw Bruce in PE a few months ago - in a priest's outfit. He's married to Janet - who's in IT at UPE. Their sib Angela is at the same school as my daughter Mariska. Then Uncle Ian Bester took over this garage and brought Peter Vickery and Marlene with him down from Bloem. He had a son, also Ian. My Dad traded in his vrot Anglia for R 50 on an Opel Kadett Station wagon from Uncle Ian. Then Kingsley Avis married Marlene Serfontein and he worked at the Heny & Haller Ford Garage. I seem to think that Pat Bradford worked for Ian Bester - or was she a hairdresser ?

Who would ever forget uncle Joe Clayton. His real name was Alan.

The pineapple glut. When you could buy a dozen pines for a tickey. Ronnie Samuels and pal Albert Marais challenging the laws of the day (again !) Bob Gilder when he ran the Municipal Market - auctioneer supreme.

Then, down on the west flats, lived Gerald Stocks. Now his family was Vannett (sp?) Hain who left and emerged in the UK. Then ? Well the son is Peter Hain who staged demonstrations against South Africa many years ago. Now a furrow-lined grey-suited politician in the UK still. Kitty Damani, the best tape-worm digger before the days of prawn pumps. Roger Plaatjies who worked for my Dad for so many years. Walter Matthews who spent so many years at Standard Bank.

Emily Nyoka who worked at our home for such a long time. When Emily passed away my Dad paid for her funeral. Her brother WALKED FROM PEDDIE to Port Alfred with a live chicken which he brought to my Dad as a thank you from the family. My parents then bought him a bus ticket back to Peddie. This episode, of trust, appreciation and understanding, was a great lesson to me as a young man.

Our house on the east flats
From left: Barry Reed, Priscilla Kruger, Rosemary Funnel (our cousin from East London)
Douggie Randall, Jeannie Slaughter and Nyoffie Pittaway

Geoff Neville worked for Barclays Bank and married Carol Trackeray. A great centre to play next to in rugby.

The web. Remember Spider ? And Fifi Green ?

14th September 2002

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