#thank you emmmmm! <3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

annelapedusbrest-blog · 6 years

Text

MY MEMORIES OF JOHANNESBURG - City of GOLD.

article published 4 Feb 2009. Written and compiled by Anne Lapedus Brest.

MEMORIES OF JOHANNESBURG, CITY OF GOLD

Written and Compiled By

On the 4th February 1961, when I was 14 years old, and my brother Robert was 11, our family came to live in Johannesburg.

We had left Ireland, land of our birth, leaving behind our beloved Grandparents, family, friends, and a very special and never-to-be-forgotten little furry friend, to start a new life in South Africa, land of Sunshine and Golden opportunity…………… The Goldeneh Medina…...

We came out on the “Edinburgh Castle”, arriving Cape Town 2nd Feb 1961. We did a day tour of Chapmans Peak Drive, Muizenberg, went to somewhere called the “Red Sails” and visited our Sakinofsky/Yodaiken family in Tamboerskloof.

We arrived at Park Station (4th Feb 1961), Jhb, hot and dishevelled after a nightmarish train ride, breaking down in De Aar and dying of heat.

We lived in Becker Street, Yeoville, Robert went to K.E.S and I went to Barnato Park (aka Johannesburg Girls’ High) in Berea. Robert was in Cadets , I played hockey, and bunked school (with Gilda Goldblatt!!) Our next-door neighbours were Michael and Sandra Golding, Zena and Teddy Cohen lived in Becker Street also and Ronnie and Nigel Baskin lived in Yeo Street near the Richters - Selma and Charles Richter,.

Girls at Barnato Park lived in mainly Hillbrow, Berea, Yeoville, Bellevue, Houghton, Orchards, Melrose and Dunkeld. After school, many of us would catch the 19 bus from Tudhope Avenue Berea to Raleigh Street, Yeoville, but many girls were collected by beautifully coiffed and bee-hived mothers with long painted nails, arriving to collect them in huge fancy Chevrolets, with big cats’ eye tail-lights.

ONLY IN SOUTH AFRICA …………………………….

Oy, but I had to get used to so many new expressions ……..

“ See you this arvy, Hey? “ and “See you just now, Annie” (I learnt the hard way that “Just Now” didn’t mean immediately)

“There’s the new girl in Form 3, …….. Shame!!” “My sister’s baby is so cute, …… Shame!

People would give me directions and tell me to turn at the robot.

Can I Lend your book?

Whatever I said, the girls would answer “Is it” ?

The shul is full of KUGELS……………….

Why did the bus-conductor call us all “Donkey” when he collected our tickets???? “Thank you,… Donkey” and the Klippies would say it in a high-pitched voice. “Thank you, donkeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyy”

You MUST come visit this arvy, see? You MUST go and see Cliff Richard at the Collosseum. You MUST buy the latest Elvis Presley record. MUST, MUST, MUST (only in South Africa! Say that “MUST” to people overseas, they think you are a control-freak). (took me a while to get used to it!!)

G.C. EMMMMM

Girls would talk about great talent at a party, and they talked about Chracks , boys talked about “good stock” .

It’s a blerry gemors!! Stoep. Goeie Môre , Lekker Bly,

My skat. Klop Dissel Boom gaan! Klappies. Lappies.

Wag ‘n bietjie. I’m Gatvol !!!! Deurmekaar.

Yislaaik! Herrrrrrre ! (Yurrah) Magtig!! …..Maggggggtigggggg !!! Vragtig! …….Vragggggtigggggg !!!!!!

Where’s the jol tonight, hey? Do youse know?

Don’t tune me kak, hey? Ag! Yes no fine. Stovies. He’s fab - such a doll !!!, He thinks he’s such a big Bok. It’s not so lekker.

Howzzit, my China. I smaak you.

Don’t chaaf my cherry, hey! Don’t grip my cherry…

Who do you think you’re looking at, China?

Don’t tune me grief, ek sê. Voetsak! Sies! Ag! Siestog, Jong!

My bike is buggered.

Bugger off !

He donnered her.

She Bliksemed him

They Revolting!

Sommer so …………………..

Don’t talk to them, they are all such Rubbishes.

Stiffies.

It’s Kwaai……..

Well, yes , no fine, Those were the days my friend we thought they’d never end …...

SUBURBS

In those days a majority of the Jewish community seemed to be living in Hillbrow, Berea, Bellevue, Yeoville , Cyrildene, Observatory, Dewetshof, Judith’s Paarl, Highlands North, Houghton, Dunkeld, Melrose, Hyde Park.

Suburbs where a lot of Jews also lived were Kensington, Emmarentia, Greenside, Doornfontein, Mayfair. Remember Fordsburg (Fitas). Also a Jewish area once upon a time.

Robert and I went to Yeoville Chader (The Bernard Patley), - Mr. SHATCHAN was the headmaster, and teachers I remember were Miss AARONS (Bella Golubchick) , Mr. Solly GOLDBERG, Rev. HIMMELSTEIN, and the Shammas was a Mr. CHAZEN (His daughters, Gertie and Hannah both went to Barnato park) and Mrs. MAGID

Chader Children I can remember the names of some of the “ Chader children”. Colin Koransky, Dorian Hersch (Shear), Terroll Hersch (Z”l), Gilda Goldblatt (Galvad), Brenda Goldblatt (Spitz) (O”h) Frances Taylor, and her older sister, Sharon (now in Israel), Carmella Shapiro, Marsha Furman, Gerald Pokroy, Philip Eliason, Harry Sacks, Alan Kaye, Susan Kaye, Dorothy Lewis, Harry Sacks, Philip Sacks, Ada Freedman, Ilanah Himmelstein, Julian (Julie) Kaplan, Meyer Kaplan, Brian (now in Oz) and his sister Jewel Rosenthal, Eugene Klatzko, Martin Chaitowitz, Hymie Symanowitz(Z”l), Ruth Seeff, Sandra Katzen (Pokroy) Robert Hershfield, Mervyn Gerszt, Bernard Kromelick, Derek Hammerschlag (I think that was his name) Wolfie Tepper, Marlene Tepper, Stanley Chitiz, Manny Magid, Melanie & Beverley Segal.

I must have been a real “chrack” in those days, coming from Ireland, funny clothes, and even funnier out-of-control curly hair, and an accent nobody could understand. I found it hard to make friends, but I eventually palled up with Gilda Goldblatt (now Galvad) , (daughter of Leslie (Z”l) and Mona Voloshen Goldblatt (O”h), from Webb Street. Leslie (Z”l) was a Choirester in Wolmarans Street Shul) and Gilda and I have remained friends to this day.

Girls at Barnato Park whom I remember offhand, Pam Ginsberg (Melzter) Pam Gladstone (Nathan), Denise Seeff, Ruth Seeff, Susan Simon, Molly Robinson, Rhona Shroder (aka Rhondie Shrondie) (Ullman) , Phyliss Goldblatt (Rubin), Geraldine Blumberg, Debbie Rabinowitz, Jacqui Hotz, Sharon Rafel (Rubin), Leah Smith, Ann Kaiser, Ann Moscow, Barbara Diane Levy, Barbara Levy, Lynette and Jennifer Margolis, Carol and Margaret Kowalsky , Gloria (Gola) Levine (Ash), Gilda and Brenda Goldblatt, Eugene Klatzko, , René Mazelle, Jill Gonski, Felicity Nathanson, Avril Kaye, Jackie Susman (Woolf) (her sisters Helen and Andy went to Athlone) . Pam Kohn, Lydia Burstein, Ada Folb, Sharon Cooperman (Fehrer) Beryl Andrews, Heather Round (Levy), Joan Gracie, Merriel Pratt, Hilda and Charlotte Brinkman, Ann Mullins, Susan Simon, Doreen Simon, Marilyn Silansky, Carole Silansky (Sands) Verite Hirshowitz, Ruth Samuel (Segal), Vivien Alexander, Renée Kunz, Lorraine Goldberg, Marilyn Silansky and her sister Carol Silansky, , Yvonne Shochet, Janet King, Pam Kewley, Adah Ben Yehuda, Roslyn Abramovitz, Joan Cooper, Bernice Frid (Vunck), Suzanne Lutrin (Resnick) (O”h), Helen Rothschild, Joyce Tischauer, Helen Leftin, Maureen Nagel (Ruskin), Gabriella Albrecht, Sharon Smith (Munitz), Pam Levy, Deborah-Ann Fanaroff, Jacky Centner (Cannon), Lydia Burstein, Ronelle Shepherd, Cynthia Muller, Marsha Sosnovick, (Jansen) Karen Israelsohn, Joan David (Elkon), Sheina & BatSheva Romm, Lorraine Nussbaum (Silver), Susan Hommell, Kela Saltzer , Barbara Beira, Shoshanna Kaplan (Kaplan) , Myrna Katz, Isobel Strasbourg (Mehl) , Isobel Thomson, Vivienne Lee, Meryl Michaelmore, Vivienne Fritz, (Head Girl) Patsy Coetzee, (Vice Head Girl) Philla Moller, Gillian Coleman, Sheena Haarhof, Glen Marshall, Naomi Tabachowich, Ailsa Bowley, Sheena Hayworth, And some girls from Mrs. Oppenheimers extra Afrikaans lessons class were, Vasiliky someone from Greece, Daria someone from Italy, Jean Smith (?) from Rhodesia, Jacqueline someone from England, Marilyn Patricia Myers from England, and teachers, Miss Todd, Roberta Evans, Miss Cohen (later Mrs. Gevisser), Miss Miles with DOG - George, Miss Langley (head), Miss Rosewarne, Miss Walmsely , Miss Hodkin, Miss Jones (Vice Head), Miss Horn, Miss Dankwerths, Miss Martin, (later Mrs. Gold), Mrs Morrison, and one or two Barnato Park Dogs, who came along to school with teachers. I think Miss Evans had a little Muttie trouping along next to her?

SCHOOLS Athlone Girls , Athlone Boys, Waverly girls, Highland’s North, Parktown Girls and Parktown Boys, Northview, Greenside High, King David Linksfield (King David Victory Park was to follow later on) Yeshiva College, Rodean, Brescia House, St. Vincents (for the hard of hearing). Helpmekaar, Damelin College, Yale College (Marcus (Marky) Luntz) , Regis College, Princeton College. Yeoville Boys, Observatory Girls, , Hyde Park, The Tech. K.E.S (King Edward School), St. Johns, Redhill, St. Stithians, Marist brothers, Yeoville Convent, Hirsch Lyons, Yiddish folk, Jeppe Boys, Jeppe Girls. H.A Jack, Jewish Government.

SCHOOL UNIFORMS. Mc Cullogh @ Bothwell.

Remember Yeoville? The Yeoville Post Office in Raleigh Street, C.N.A, the Picadilly Bioscope the Bug House (Oi) next door to Yeoville Home Industries (owned by Simon and Leah Kaufman), Kenmere Pharmacy (owned by the Marams) (next to the fruit shop in Kenmere Rd) and Yeoville Pharmacy (owned by the Joffes) (diagonally opposite the Yeoville Baths in Raleigh St.,) Yeoville Fruit and Flowers (Jorge aka George), Hill Fisheries, Crystals, Yeoville Baths, (and a swimming coach there called Bernard Green) and the Apollo Café across the road where they played pinball and the ducktails always hung around there with their chains, and motor bikes, all the Brekers. Theo Hommel (fabrics), Fitz Bakery where the OK Bazaars in Yeoville built their new shop, corner Raleigh and Bedford, diagonally opposite the Yeoville Library. And opposite where the 19 bus went into Berea and town), Hub Stores, Emdins – Haberdashery – (one or two shops down from the Apollo Café,) Denbo Jewish Bookstore, Scotch Corner! Billy’s Hairdresser in Rockey Street (near Raymond St) Faigels and the Dae-nite Pharmacy Rockey Street, cor. Bezuidenhout, Squires (clothing, school uniforms/shoes)

Portuguese Fish and Chip shop in Rockey Street, all the Tailor shops going down into Rockey Street, and Jekisons Tailors, and a guy called Bokkie Jekison who was the Tailor there (great looking bloke, with a great looking brother, I think his name was Eugene) both so easy on the eye!). Bokkie recently told someone that on the 7th April he will have been at the shop for 55 years California Tailors, and the Yeoville Recreation Center in Raleigh St, where Sandra Stein won the “Miss Yeoville” competition in about 1962 .(Bokkie Jekison died before the 7th April, suddenly, whilst out on a walk)

Water Polo at the Yeoville Baths. Richard LEE was a water-polo player, he lived in Yeo Street, Yeoville, I think. Had a brother Eric LEE. They were Highlands North school boys. Lionel GILINSKY, another water-polo player.

And does anyone remember the Purdy Boys, Neville and Leonard?

Some MORE of the YEOVILLE, CYRILDENE, OBSERVATORY people …… Jeff Wittles , Linda Shapiro, Rex Schwartz, Sharon Schwartz , Ivan Sabbath, Arnold Messias, Ivan Sandler, Louise Lazersohn , Barry Sacks, Barry Bloch, Barry Black, Michael Walldorf (Vorsie), Sonia Barsol, Gerald (Jake) Fox (Z”l) Jonny Grossmark, Vivian Stillerman, Charmian Clayton, Max Gur, Ruth Margolis, Elaine Margolis, Heather Garrun, Yvette, Esther & Naomi Sofer. Sharna & Nadja Isaacs (aka Lerman), Colin Opwald, Frances Siegenberg, Nicky & Costa Kapitanopoulos, Alfie Wood and his sister Margie Wood (now Horn), Locky Lockstone, Shirley Shtub (probably Sztab), Reuel Kaplan, Geoff (Geoffrey) Landsman (Z”l) , Reina Cohen (O’h), Sandra Stein (Ezra) , Nola Stein (Fox), Charmion Clayton, Ivor Cohen, Sandra Deitz , Spencer Hodgson, Heather Garrun, Linda Chitiz or Chitters , Marlene Teper, Leonard Kahn & his sister Maureen Kahn. (now Puterman) Maureen and her husband were one of the first people to move into a new block of flats called “La Contessa”, in Yeo & Bedford St. Yeoville) Arnie Jones, Jennifer Jones, Bernard James, Abel de Freitas, Sandra Tucker. The Griffith Girls (Virg, Bernice (Bunny) and Diane –still great friends of mine) and their brother Cedric) The Matthews Girls Hazel, and Norma, there were more sisters but I can’t remember the names) .

GREENSIDE/EMMARENTIA People, - Clifford Price, Howard Price, Brian Ruskin, and I think Barry Pillemar , Suzie & Gaby Henshel, (de Groen), June and Yalta Gervis, Suzanne & Linda Myers, Aubrey Gamsu Ada Gamsu, Maurice Hockman, Margo and Peter Philips,

HOUGHTON people. Michael, Brian & Jennifer Lever, Molly Robinson, Harry & Philip Sacks, Sharon Smith (Munitz)

HIGHLANDS NORTH People. - Brian, Stanley & Karen Feinstein (Joseph), Max Schiff (O”h)

WHO REMEMBERS - Hymie Brest, (Mayfair/ Kensington) and his friend (to this day) Alec Ross (Bez Valley). Certainly part of the “Main Manne” crowd.

ONLY IN SOUTH AFRICA …………………………………

Where’re you okes jolling to? Jollers. Lekker Jol.

Where are your folks tonight.

Volkspeeler. The Sakkie sakkie

I’m only chaafing, man? Sweet Obeet.!! Lekker soos ‘n krekker (cracker)

Wat ‘s goedkoop is duur koop. Stille water – Diepe grond,

Eina! Skyfies. Veldskoene. Breekers.

Don’t tune me Chandies

Check that little lightie, he’s two bricks and a tickey high

Ever since Pa fell off the bus.

Give me a bell, hey? Bell me. Love you stax. I’ll fetch you just now

African women sitting on the street corners calling out HEY Mielieeeeee - Tickey Mielieeeeeeeee.

Vrystaat!

Vat hom Fluffy.

I’ve got Sut.

They’re so larnie!

My ou’ man is giving me uphill

My Skattebol.

I feel up to Paw-Paw. I feel up to Maggots.

‘Strue’s Bob…?? No….. You LIE !!!

SHOT !!!!!!!! (SHOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT)

Skit ‘n donner (donder) (the movies)

And Observatory café where boys played pinball and they had ‘Pennyline Sweets’ where you could buy 2 for a penny and cafés had Jukeboxes . Remember the old 78 records (those were in the fifties though) and then the LPs - wow, and when those came out we thought we’d died and gone to Heaven, and the 45 speed records. Cassettes, and tape recorders, reel-to-reel tape-recorders (I still have one).

Boys had a way of walking, hands in pockets, only the thumbs visable and rolled from side to side with a sort of rolling gait, and the more they rolled as they walked, the more macho they felt!

Who remembers ????…… Debras (Schmaltz), and when a tub of Yoghurt cost 8c, and an Appleltizer cost the same, a bar of Cadburys chocolate cost 5c and there was a chocolate bar called “Honeycrisp” also for 5c, and you could get a Toasted Cheese for 15c. Stamps cost 2½ cents . If you left the envelope open, it was cheaper… Airletter forms in green, airmail writing paper, airmail envelopes and Basildon Bond writing paper.

STREETS in Yeoville/ Bellevue, - Raleigh St, Rockey St, Bezuidenhout St., Isipingo St., Raymond St , Hopkins St, Yeo St, Kenmere Rd, Fortèsque Rd, Becker St, Cavendish Rd, Bedford Rd, Webb St, Natal St, Isipingo, St. Georges Rd, Ellis St.,

YEOVILLE BOXING CLUB - Sammy Samson and his son Cedric who sang as a child, and he had a group at some stage called “the FireFlies” I think Alan Goldstein who was also a child singer may well have been part of that band ( later known as Alan Gold) .

How many people remember……. The Black Steer in Yeoville - fab apple crumble and double thick cream and in the 1960s the price of a Steerburger, with Pickled Cucumber, fried onions and salad was 45c ……….but at the Golden Spur, the Burger would cost you 50c and the Yeoville crowd felt that was too expensive!) Norman’s Grill (for Prawns!) in the Jeppe Hotel. East Africa Pavilion (well known for it’s curries, where the waiters wore a red “fez”, The 252 Tavern. His Majesty’s Cellars, 69 Grill.

and Kosher - Connoisseur Hotel,(Gloria Rootshtain) (long gone)

And remember- The Rosenkowitz 6 from Cape Town, first surviving Sextuplets in the World

And when Arcadia (Jewish Orphanage and Home for Jewish children) was in Forestown

DAENITE Pharmacy, Orange Grove. Owned by Chookie BRENNER . and the okes that worked there, Mervin Rappoport, Issy Peimer, Cecil Chweidan (O”h), Ivan Dorff, Solly Branstein, and a girl called Lola but I can’t remember her surname. And Dr. Chris Barnard, (Heart Transplants Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town)

And the …… the motor racing at Kyalami Race Track

And the Motor Rallys?. Anyone remember Lionel Gilinsky? He raced something called “Production cars” in “Endurance Races” at Old Grand Central Circuit ( Halfway House, now called Midrand) in the late 60’s and 70’s - and later “Historic” Cars at Kyalami Race Track. He was known to be amongst South Africa’s Top 3 Racing and Motor rally drivers in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Not bad for a boy from Welkom!!

Attorneys. - Moss Morris & Ettlinger, (Lennie Ettlinger, Max Levenberg, Selwyn Cohen, Hilliard Gordon, articled clerks then - Rodney Berman and John Gilbert, Also a Selwyn someone articled clerk). Routlege Douglas Wilson Auret & Wimble, Wides , Chain & Berman (Cyril Wides, Inky (Ian) Chain and Rodney Berman), Edward Nathan. Israel, During & Kossuth

Tour Operators - Springbok (Atlas) Safaris, (Julie Lapedus).

Accountants. Sussman and Lange (Trevor Sussman and David Lange) (cousin of Myron Lange, the Surgeon) later known as Sussman Goddard.

HILLBROW. We always went to The Curzon and Clarendon for 7/6- , ( later 75c,) and then a Bioscope called the International (owned by Herman and Maxwell Youngelson) was opened at the top of Pretoria Street and there it would cost you between 90c and R1.00, but the seats were so comfy and the whole bioscope was so plush, that the Yeovillites felt it was well worth the extra.

Anyone remember The French Hairdressing Saloon (a Mrs. Sher was the manageress) and the OK Bazaars and Carnival Novelty.

ONLY IN SOUTH AFRICA ………………………….

I’m going for a goof this arvy. ‘Scopes, Flicks, Flik, What’s the “Aggie”?

Hy het haar uitgeskop, verstaan jy my?

Check my new jammy!

We going to Durbs with the car, probably see lots of ‘Vaalies there, all the ou toppies, tannies and ooms, nie waar nie?

My ol’ lady! My ol’ man.

My broer ! My sussie. My Ouma, My Oupa

Knobkerrie. Sjambok

It’s so hot, I’m vrekking off here.

D’is Baie Mooi

He lives in the Gramadoelas….

She lives in the Bundu…

The Dingas

I was with Ruth, Heather and them

Drink your SUP !! there’s a plate on the Zinc

Let’s make a plan…..

Cows give us MULK!

My one aunt My one leg, My one arm, My one finger My one toe

Broekies

The word “THE. ” I learned in school that before a consonant we say “THE” . “THE” bed, “THE” table, “THE” book. And before a vowel the have to prounce the “the” as “THEE”……………. “THEE” Apple, “THEE” elephant, “THEE” egg.

So why then, do we hear (only in South Africa) people saying “THUH” apple, “THUH” Elephant, “THUH” egg. Please hold for “THUH” Operator. And why do some of us say “the PHOTA” when it is clearly “PHOTO”.

FOLKSINGING Era . Who remembers the Nite beat, run by Abe (who ran the tuck shop at the Yeoville Swimming Pool), and the folk-singers Ian & Ritchie ( Ian Lawrence and Ritchie Morris), Des and Dawn (Lindberg)(“And the Seagull’s name was Nelson”) (Dawn wore her hair in two pigtails then) Colin Shamley, Dave Marks (“Mountains of Men” and “Master Jack”) Cornelia, And The Troubador, The College Set - Andy Levy, Hugh Solomon, Norman Cohen) Keith Blundell and the Baladeers, Aubrey and Beryl Ellis. Mervyn and Jocelyn Miller (from Potch). Mel, Mel and Julian (Mel Miller, Mel Green, and Julian Laxton.

BIKERS and the Hell’s Angels, wearing black leather jackets, chains and the peace sign often around their necks, roaring down Pretoria St and Kotze St on Harley Davidsons making a helluva racket, some of the more nervous Biker girls precariously hanging onto their boyfriend’s backs, but “the in girls” didn’t hold on, they somehow balanced themselves by placing their hands nonchelantly behind the seat, looking around, throwing their hair back, with a “don’t- sig–with- me” look, lazer- beam- eyes, -looking–out- through- thick- black- fringes, and a tattoo here and there.

And nobody did “sig” with them, either.

The FLYING SAUCER is where they all met. Pretoria Street, Hillbrow.

Hillbrow’s Eateries and Coffee Bars Doney’s coffee bar for the best cappuccino in town (who remembers Jeftah and George, the Duke) Café Wien (later on), with the most comfortable seats, it was like sitting in your own lounge, Café Krantzler, Dunk-a-donut, The Milky Lane, the Florian (where the bus turned to go down Twist street to Town). Mi Vami, Lucky Luke (Steak House in the 70s), Fontana, open 24 hours a day, (famous for their chickens roasted on a spit,) Pikin-a-chicken, Porter House (Frulatto and the best Pink Sauce in town) not to mention the steaks (not that I ate them being one of the Kosher Kids, but I was sorely tempted, HA HA HA) and the German Beer Keller, The Hamburger Hut, Golden Egg, Bella Napoli. Kiss-Kiss.

The CHEZA in Jeppe Street. Famous for Muesli.

HAIR STYLES and fashion. We dyed our hair black with Palette where you dropped a white tablet into some black gunky muck and we all had pitch black hair. The Blacker your hair, the more “sharp” you were. We teased it and wore it in Wings, and the bigger the Wings were, the more “with it” you were. And remember the stiff petticoats under your many Flared skirts, and cat-eye glasses? Helanca stove-pipes, in all colours. Studded Belts, Box Pleated skirts, and ID Bracelets (with your boyfriend’s name engraved on the inside), Plaid pinafores came later on, and a ridiculous little narrow velvet bow on a clip or hairgrip which we found a space for in the teased bird’s nest, usually just to the back of the fringe. And also a thin chiffon scarf tied around the hair. White high-heeled shoes (I wouldn’t be seen dead in half the things we wore then)

My Mom always said that my hair was like a Bird’s Nest at the back, but then I didn’t have eyes at the back of my head, (just as well). Boys wore their hair sleeked back with Brylcream and Vitalis and all bought their t-shirts from the Skipper Bar. (Arnie, Mervyn, Earle and Barry Sacks) Black t-shirts with thin white and red stripes around the neck. And a corresponding white tee-shirt, with black and red stripes. If you didn’t have one of those, you were not one of the “in” boys!!!!

And then girls started to iron their hair. I remember my Mother used to plonk my head onto the ironing board, and put a brown paper bag on top of it, and iron away until I had sleek straight hair, but then the minute it rained, I looked at though someone has plugged me into an electric socket…. Durbs did the same to all those who had out-of-control hair - Frizzed them out in 2 mns flat, in fact as soon as you got to Van Reenen’s Pass into Natal, you knew you were there because your hair suddenly was on its own mission……..

and who Whirled their hair????? Oy - a bittereh gelechter….. We whirled it One way, then the other way, and you had dead straight hair (until you hit the 505 Club and the first thing you’d notice is that your fringe was just “not there” anymore) and the rest of your poor hair style was all moving in different directions. If it was raining, and you opened your front door, bang went the straight hair.

Remember those little DOEKs we wore on our head when we went to Durbs. I have a photo of myself wearing one.

COME ON GIRLS - who used to sleep with curlers/rollers in their hair!! and who remembers using the inside of a TOILET ROLL as an emergency roller??????? And all this lot would be covered over by a hairnet. Of course morning brought a splitter- of- a- headache from the curlers digging into your head. Anyone remember? Bet you do!!! I DO!! There you are, the big ADMIT………. What on EARTH did we look like? I don’t even want to think about it …………………

I always say that if I have to come back in another life, I want to come back as ME but with dead straight hair. Second choice, I wouldn’t mind coming back as one of my spoilt-out-of-control Dachshunds either (but the straight haired type, not the wiry haired) (ha ha)

GYM: Bodybuilders, weight-lifters and wannabes came strutting out of Gyms such as Sam Busa and Monte Osher all fit and glistening, with huge shoulder muscles, and killer smiles - carrying black gym bags. And Reg Park’s Gym, ALSO somewhere in Hillbrow.

YOGA: Mannie and Alan FINGER, Nina OBEL

MODEL AGENCIES: . Stella Grove and Gianna Pizanello

DANCING STUDIOS and DANCERS: Natalie Stern the late Mercedes Molina, Jeffrey Neiman (Enrique Segovia) & Rhoda Rifkin, Bernice Hotz , Gitanella (Spanish, Ballet,) Shirley Klitzner (O”h) (later in the 70s Hilary Etkind - taught with Rhoda and Jeffrey) (anyone who ever loved Spanish dancing, will remember Mercedes Molina/ Jeffrey Neiman as a brilliant dance duo) (and will remember the very sad passing away of Shirley Klitzner (O”h) when she was barely into her twenties).

PHOTOGRAPHERS. Maurice, Kurt Slesinger, Karklin, when it was fashionable to stand your wedding photo on an small easel on the floor. Either carpet or parquet flooring. Stella Nova .

RUGBY. Alan MENTER Springbok Flyhalf, and Sid NOMIS Springbok - Center, and later Wing), Alan is married to Pam (ex Pretoria) and his Brothers are Brian, Robert (Robbie) and Mandy (Malcolm (Z”l)) Menter. Their Mom Esmé (O”h) grew up with mine, in Dublin. Syd is married to Ann.

CRICKET. Dr. Ali BACHER former South African cricket captain and one of the greastet cricketers in South Africa. Ali BACHER received South Africa’s Sports Merit Award, the country’s HIGHEST athletics honour. Ali is married to Shira (I am friendly with Shira’s sister Marsha KARKLIN,) and I remember their daughter Ann being a Tennis champion when she was just a little kid of 11 in the days of the “Jewish Guild” Other well known South African Jewish cricketers came later on, Mandy YACHAD , and later Adam BACHER, nephew of Dr. Ali Bacher

TYPEWRITERS. My first memory of a type writer was that old black thing with with a keyboard with round circular lettering and a typewriter ribbon. My Mom used one in Dublin, Then I remember the Olivetti and also a swiss typewriter, but the ones where you would have to bash a silver thing on the upper right to go to a new line. I remember electric typewriters, and using a white powdery Tippex thing for covering up mistakes, except that they never quite covered them up, particularly on the carbon copies. And remember the carbon copies.. HA HA, and when I worked for lawyers, they didn’t allow those tippex rub-outs, so one little mistake and you had to start all over again. Remember STENCILS and Roneo-ing various blurb. I can remember using a bright shocking pink liquid with the stencils, I think. We wrote to “Messers. So and so”, and we’d end off with “ I remain, Yours Faithfully”

WEDDINGS and when the Bride/Kallah would change into her “going away outfit” and the blissful couple would leave the wedding to go off on their honeymoon. When Bride’s kept their vails on the entire night. When there were only 4 pole-holders and the Bride’s parents paid for the entire wedding, and the Groom/Chossen’s parents would pay for the booze, the photographer and the flowers.

THE CIRCUS Boswell-Wilkie. I hated the circus, terrified of the animals and sorry for them at the same time, a hypnotized crocodile once got out- of- control and strarted climbing out of the ring into the screaming audience. Clowns clowning around were never my scene, and when the trapeze artists or the tight-rope walkers did their act, my heart was always in my mouth, terrified they would fall or something. One did once, I can never get that memory out of my mind.

ONLY IN SOUTH AFRICA ……………………………………

I dopped my exams and my folks are having a cadenza - *Snot ’n trana all round ….. (*Yiddish Equivalent is Vainin ‘n Kloggin, well, that is the Yiddish we used in Ireland).

Chips, here comes the Teacher.

I’ll have a dop of brandy.

Ops me a pencil.

Baie Dankie…….. hoor! Aseblieftog!

Plaasjapie.

Safe my mate !!!! (and the hand movement – very important) - forefinger/little finger pointed up while thumb was holding middle/ ring finger down) - done with a wag-type-movement, like fast- mode windscreen wipers.

We’re Chommies

Cheers!

There’s a Miggie in my room.

Kyk daai (Daardie) Goggoh (as in insect, not as in “GOGO” - Zulu for Granny)

Boeremeisie. Mevrou, Mejuffrou/Juffrou, Meneer

Kyk na daardie lelike ding………………

Kombi

Gooi

Waneer u die syn hoor, is dit agtien uur, twee en vyftig minute en dertig sekondes…………..

Around 1964 came the Beatles, (“8 days a week”, “Love Love me do” and later, “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s club Band” “Hey Jude”) The Rolling Stones, (Angie) the Mini Skirt era and Mary Quant and the birth of the Discothèque . Op Art earings in gaudy colours and the skirts continued to get shorter. Girls wore double breasted Pin stripe suits which made a come back. The Boutiques were born. I remember the BENATER family had a great boutique “Carnabies”, at the top of Rissik Street, or near there. It was, I think, the first shop of it’s kind. Very modern, trendy and for the young (20s and 30s). And the Pink Panther was in Hillbrow - Also very trendy gear.

Remember Twiggy?………. She was on every Magazine cover, often holding her Teddy Bear, feet pidgeon-toed, with beautiful big brown eyes, and a body so thin, she could fit through a crack in the wall. She started a trend, her, and “the Shrimp” - (Jean Shrimpton), and Mary Quant.

AND Op Art Earings in strange shapes and gaudy colours, shorter skirts, and flattie shoes.

The First Disco was at the Summit Club, Marrakech, (around 1966) with Go-Go dancers Dixie, Felicity Fouché, and Christine all dancing away in the micro-est of Mini-Skirts. Johnny Martin (previously known as Martin Raff) was the owner, and I heard he also owned a club called 007.

Someone called Neville Peacock was the Marrakech DJ and there were psychdelic and ultra violet lights and if you stood under the latter, all your “klein-goed” shone like a beacon for all to see.

And the 505 also in Hillbrow. Eddie Eckstein and Paul Ditchfield - The Bats played there on a Sunday ), and the Diamonds and Gene Rockwell (Heart!”) as did the Basemen (Ronnie Cline on Keyboard, Ralph Simon – Singer, Rodney Caines – Bass Guitar, Leon Bilewitz – drummer and Irwin Kalis – Lead Guitar) and Clive Calder, (Les Markowitz on drums) also played at “Club-a-go-go” and also they toured around the countryside and played at various venues.

Also Johnny Congos (“Sealed with a Kiss”), Johnny and the G-Men, and Johnny Sharp, 4 Jacks and a Jill. The Staccatos. Did I mention Manfred Mann? (“pretty Flamingo”)

MORE CLUBS - TJ’s (town) and The Yellow Submarine (Hillbrow) (owned by Martin HART) and the Boat (Buccleuch) were in the latter part of the sixties and the Downstairs later called The Purple Marmalade somewhere in Hillbrow. Another Disco was owned by George McCauley, brother of Ray, opposite Joubert Park (Club-A-Go-Go), His Granny worked in the tuckshop and was always so nice to everyone. The Band there was the “Falling Leaves” and George was in the Band. The Electric Circus, And Raffles , a very fancy disco/restaurant but that was in the late 70s. Owned by Dave Kerney. (I think). The Stable in Jan Smuts Avenue. The Out of Town Club

And who remembers the other Bioscopes - The Colosseum with the twinkling lights, Cliff Richard sang there once, and a few girls from Barnato Park were expelled for bunking school and going to his concerts. His Majestys, Monte Carlo (French Movies), The Empire, 20th Cen. Fox - Pritchard Street, Cinerama (Claim and Noord) In those days there was an interval after the News and the Cartoons, and Usherettes would be standing at each exit with a tray with all the Munchies and Chocolates, cold-drinks, etc. The Apollo in Doornfontein. I’ve already mentioned the Yeoville Bioscopes earlier on. Who remembers the “Midnight Shows” the Astra and the Victory in Orange Grove, The Rex in Greenside. The Plaza, the Bijou in town and some flea-bitten run down Café Bio which no decent self-respecting girl would touch with a barge-pole, but I can’t remember it. A lot of the Yale College boys went there. But not the girls!!!!

People smoked in the bioscopes (“scopes”) then and when you looked up, you saw it all swirling around in smoke from the projector. Nice and healthy!! but nobody ever noticed it. It was just a part of life in the sixties.

REMEMBER WHEN ………. we went to Bioscope on a Saturday night, dressed up in your A-line dress, or a Box- Pleated skirt, or tiny hound’s-tooth straight skirt in black/white and your black patent high-heeled shoes, with a Black Patent leather bag to match, and your gloves (which you carried in your hand). And later you wore your Dress with the shorter hemline, Mini-Skirts, and your “A-line evening coat” (Jackie Kennedy), just on the knee, and your flattie shoes, the hair teased up to the high heavens and lacquered so heavily that if it rained, you looked like glue. (Boys hated teased and lacquered hair)

And the boys wore jarmins and Elvis Presley hair-styles with thin ties made of nylon or similar in a machine-crochet style. (Later when the Beatles came in, boys’ hairstyles changed forever, and no boy would be seen dead with Brylcream or Vitalis plastered on his head). Boys would never previously been seen in pastel colours, but the Beatles changed all those dark shirts for pink, mauve and lemon, with a pin collar near the tie.

Boys would buy you a 75c box of Black Magic chocolate at Interval. If you put it into your black patent leather handbag and never offered him one, then your name was mud, and girls judged boys by whether they opened the car door for you …. or not!

AND SOME OF THE MOVIE STARS …., Natalie Wood, Kathryn Hepburn, Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Steve McQueen, Sohia Loren, Alain Delon (the heart-throb of the 60’s) (who remembers him in “Purple noon”) Gina Lollobridgida, Raquel Welsh, Bridgitte Bardot, Ursula Andress, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson (One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Shirley McLaine, Julie Christie, Michael Caine, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Paul Newman, Sal Mineo, Suzanne Pleshette, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Omar Sharif, Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck (to die for?) James Dean

POPULAR MOVIES. West side story, King Kong, Gone with the Wind, Exodus, Dr. No, *From Russia with Love, * (Remember in that movie, the Russian woman (was her name someone KREBBS?) who had a knife come out of her boot and it shot straight into poor Sean Connery’s shin bone. EINA! Just thinking about it, hurts me) Bridge on the River Kwai, Dr. Zhivago, Goldfinger, (it had a great theme song in it by I think Shirley Bassey) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Annie Get your Gun, Dingaka.

And the DRIVE INs Old Pta Road - Jhb Drive in, The 5-Star (Eloff St.Ext), The Velskoen (If a girl was seen at the drive in with a boy, she got a “bad name” and the same for the Café Bio’s. It was just not for a nice Jewish girl!!

REMEMBER WHEN ….. there was NO Bioscope on Sunday nights

THEATRES. Alhambra (Doornfontein) , Brian Brooke (Braamfontein), Market Theatre ( Newtown), Alexander theater , Jacques Brel, Apollo (Doornfontein).

Remember the Adverts for all the Cigarettes, Players, Craven "A", Dunhill (remember the maroon Rolls Royce?) Benson & Hedges (Gold) , Lexington (That’s the one!), Gunston (remember him on a raft, all macho,manly, unshaven and rough and ready tumbling through impossible rivers?) Horseshoe Tobacco, Gold Dollar, Texan, (which the boys would hold between their thumb and middle finger) Lucky Strike, Gauloise and Peter Stuyvesant (for the fun lovers, remember the wonderful places they went to and the great clothes they wore, swimming in glorious lagoons, skiing down snow-capped mountains, all the beautiful people,all having wonderful fun?) I never smoked,(well, I have to say that, in case my family read this article, ha ha) but after I watched the Peter Stuyvesant adverts, I really felt like buying a packet , so that I too, could go to all those magical places, and I’d look glamerous too, HA HA - (the power of advertising!) (A Bittereh Gelechter!!)

But it just looked so “in” to see people smoking, and girls would hold the cigarettes at the tips of their fingers, and waved their hands for effect as they spoke, shaking their fringes out of their eyes. People who didn’t smoke, were “squares”.

I remember Celeste GREENBLATT, taught me how to apply black pencil inside my eyelids, and ‘base” onto my face and to wear white lipstick and I taught Sandra STEIN (later Ezra) to dye her hair black, and the blacker the better, (her Mother had a FIT) - Golda (née Kaufman) (O”h) whom I saw yearly in LA and she never failed to remind me !

FLORA and FAUNA in South Africa. I remember once being enthralled by the most magnificent yellow creeper we had growing on the fence in Becker Street. I took photos of it, and sent it to my friends in Dublin to show the exotic flora and fauna is this beautiful sunny South Africa, until Michael GOLDING next door, laughed his head off and said “but that’s only Canary Creeper, it’s not much better than a common garden weed”!! African Violets, Jasmin, Golden Shower, Begonia Sherera, Bougainvillea, Pointsettia, Birds of Paradise, Cycads?. Maybe they do grow overseas too.

PARTIES in Observatory, Cyrildene and Dewetshof. We rock ‘n rolled to Elvis Presley’s “Jail house rock” & “Don’t step on my blue suede shoes”, “Rock around the Clock” in our flared skirts with stiff petticoats underneath, the more the better, and huge belts around our waists, and we wore flat shoes (75c at Maram’s chemist, and 95c for the leopard skin ones). And later we twisted with Chubby Checker (Let’s Twist again, like we did last summer ) We also did a dance called the Shake – anyone remember the song “I’ll do the Shake, the hippy- hippy shake” and also a dance called the Madison.

The Bez Valley Ou’s, on a Sat night Jol, and the Lebs would sometimes gatecrash. Usually a Scuffle and the girl’s father would have to ask them to leave. Sometimes, in stubborn cases the police would have to be called in to skop them all out. And then the party continued on, Little Richard, Cliff Richard, - sometimes a few of the kids would have a bit of “dagga”, (a zol), on the stoep or in the back garden when they thought nobody was looking, and the only way anyone kopped on was because they would come back to the party with a manic laugh, and red eyes. (and of course the smell, but if you admitted to knowing the smell, then it meant you were a dagga smoker yourself!) Trini Lopez. “If I had a hammer”

SOCIALS at Oxford Shul, The Vrede Hall, Yeoville Recreation Center, Temple Shalom, and Bands like “Dinkie and the Deans” - Jake (Gerald) Fox (Z”l) (rhythm Guitar), Barry Sacks (Lead Guitar), Spencer Hodgson (Bass guitar) and Errol Sack on the drums, would play, they also played at the Club 505 in “the Brow”. Peter Lotus well known Jhb Disc Jockey, I think he sang as well. Lots of singers used to go to Margo’s on a Sunday Afternoon, and the crowd would all hot-foot it out there after them to hear music. I think it was Bapsfontein, or near there). There was little else to do on a Sunday, so many places were closed. Just remembered another band, Dave Levine and the Swinging Angels. Les Gutfreund was one of the band and made a name for himself as Les Goode. “Dickie Loader and the Blue Jeans” Gene Rockwell – Heart.

NIGHT CLUBS and Bands. Bennie Michaels, Archie Silansky and his daughter Carole Sands The Coconut Grove at the Orange Grove Hotel, Dan Hill (Ichilchik), The Colony at the Hyde Park Hotel, Sardi’s, The Mediteranean (I Cinque di Roma), Diamond Horseshoe, The Greek Taverna, Ciro’s (Kruis Street)

STORES. John Orrs, The Belfast, Greatermans, ABC Shoes, Dodo’s, Barnes Shoes, Ackermans, Ansteys later Garlics, Katz & Lourie, Mr. Man, Man about Town, Stuttafords, Woolworths, Deans Mans’ shop, Skipper Bar, O.K Bazaars, Cuthberts, Markhams, Millews, K. Marks ( curtains), Juta's, Bothner & Polliack (records, Henri Lidji Gallery, Derbers Furs, FDF (Fruit & Dried Fruits) Vanité (Ladies clothes) Bradlows, Geen & Richards, Shepherd & Barker (Furniture), CAN, Jaffs (Fabrics), Mosenthals, Dicks (Sweets) - Rissik Street, and later on Morkels, your two year guarantee store! Putzys. McCullogh & Bothwell (School Uniforms).

REMEMBER WHEN we would get all dressed up to go to town, to have tea at Ansteys sitting alongside Ladies in beautiful outfits, white gloves, smart, elegant, men in suits, with white shirts and ties

MUSIC Soul music was popular in the 60s, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Carla Thomas, Otis Redding (“sitting on the Dock of the Bay”), Percy Sledge (“ Midnight Hour”, and Music from Brasil, Sérgio Mendes, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana brass.

And of course, Johnny Mathis, Charles Aznavour, Simon and Garfunkel, José Feliciano

And …. REMEMBER WHEN , our Mothers would ring a little bell at suppertime, and the “servant” (oi, how COULD we have??) would come in with the next course. And when your “boy” did the garden and the “girl” cooked.

SHULS Lions Shul (Doornfontein), Wolmarans street ( Rabbi Rabinowitz 50’s and 60’s, then Chief Rabbi Casper) Yeoville Shul (Rabbi Lapin), Adas Yeshuran (Yeoville) , The Bnei Akiva Shul (Raleigh Street), Greenside Shul, Emmerentia, Fordsburg, Sydenham Highlands North, Mayfair (Rabbi Zagenov) , Kensington Shul (Rabbi Rabinowitz), The Curve (Observatory), Berea Shul (Rabbi Bender and Rabbi Aloy), Oxford Shul (Rabbi Bernhard), Chassidic Shul (Rabbi Lipskar) Cyrildene, Temple Emanuel (? and Rabbi Assabi), Temple Israel (Rabbi Super), Temple Shalom, Temple Beth-El (Rabbi Ben Isaacson) Sandton Shul (BHH) Rabbi ZS Suchard (but that was in the 70’s) Yeo Street Shul. Reverend Symanovitz from Yeoville Beth Din. The Beth Din was in Raleigh Street then.

CHAZONIM. Chazen Hass, Chazen Bagley, Chazen Dudu Fisher (1970s early 80’s), Chazen Johnny Glück (Wolmarans) in the eighties (Choirmaster Prof. David Cohen). Chazen Hasdan, (Warmbaths) Chazen Badash, (Yeoville, Choirmaster *Malovany) Chazan Mandel (Berea Shul) – Gus Levy choirmaster. (* a world reknowned Chazen - I did attend a concert of his here in Jhb a number of years ago), Chazen Berele Chagy

Yeoville Shul Choir, Lionel Levin, Kenny and Colin Koransky and their father, Natie Koransky, Martin Harris, Len Bobroff, Stanley Feinstein, Brian Feinstein, Robert Lapedus, David Shapiro. The Choirmaster was Mr. Himmelstein, I think his son Lior, was in the Choir too. Colin Opwald. Benny Lipchick (Z”l)

KIDS at the Yeoville Shul…. Percy Suntup, Fivie (Phillip) and Hymie (Z”l) Symanowitz, Olga Berelowitz, Joan Morris, Karen Feinstein, Linda and Stanley Chitiz, Wolfie and Marlene Teper, me and my Boet, Robert Lapedus, Gillian Erster and her brother Moishe Erster, Naomi Shapiro, Marilyn & Sheila Atkins, David Shapiro, Rhoda Shapiro, Jenny Winnick, Alan Kaye, Philip Eliason, Sheila Hahn and Irma Keifer I remember David and Daniel Lapin, ( Rabbi Lapin’s sons) being at the Shul .

Beni Akiva and Habonim Camps. Betar. Hashomer Ha’tza-ir (spelling, whoops!!)

AND REMEMBER WHEN the only children at a barmitzvah function were the Barmitzvah boy and his siblings, who were allowed to stay up for the night. The entire Simcha was for adults and the only time you heard the Barmi boy, was when he made his speech. Robert’s Barmitzvah was a Kiddush at home after Shul, and a “tea” that evening for a few friends of my Parents. Many kids had that kind of Barmi. Who knew then from Theme Barmitzvahs.

AND …..When Children were children, and played snakes and ladders, and ludo, dominoes, monopoly, yo-yo’s, and they read out of the Local Libraries and they played Cowboys and Indians, ( just entertained themselves. No Video games, computers, cell phones, I-pods, Electronic everything… and No TV then either.

BANKS and Building Societies. Barclays, Volkskas Bank, Allied Building Society, SA Perm(inent) The UBS (United Building Society) SA Perm, NBS (Natal Building Society) Trust Bank

ONLY IN SOUTH AFRICA ……………………………….

J’’’’enesburg!

Ag Shame, man, were you home stokkies aleen??

Wikkel. Sikkel. I’ve got no tom, hey?

Koeksusters. Konfyt. Biltong. Vet-koek. Braaivleis.

Boerevors en Pap. Poitjiekos. Mielie. Rooibos Tea.

Grondboontjiebotter

Ouma se Rusks. Fanny Farmers

“Hau”

The Tokoloshe is coming… Dorp ! Pandotjie!

He rocked up in an old Skedonk.

Question. Hallo Meneer………. Hoe Gaan Dit met jou vandag?.

Answer. Ag , No….. Fine ….Jaaaaa,………. Kan nie Klaar Nie !

My Oom se Bakkie

My Gran did the “Charlston”, but that was back in Nineteen voetsak

Why are you still Gaan-ing on? you Poepal !!

He is so Grotty….. A real Dweet …….A Drip.

It’s …Kwaai. It’s …. Skarm.

HOTELS : The Carlton (original Carlton) , Moulin Rouge, The Chelsea Hotel (Hillbrow) (I think this is where the Jacques BREL theatre was) Casa Mia, Langham , Gresham, the Jeppe Hotel (Norman’s Grill) Victoria ( Plein Street near Station), Criterion , Landrost hotel (Anabelles nightclub). Tollman Towers – (next to Jeppe Street Post Office), The President Hotel (Eloff Street), Anlar Hotel (Hillbrow), Courtleigh Hotel (Berea), Jocelyn Residential Hotel (Claim Street Joubert Park), the Quirinal, Waldorf , and Balalaika which was then way out in the “country” - Sandown, which is today, a hub of activity. The Skyline, The Capri and The Park Royal

SQUAD CARS. HOT RODS and the name Buddy Fuller comes into my head for some reason.

MOTORTOWN. Remember when all the motor dealerships were in Eloff Street, Ext. Motortown. And names like Rillstone Motors (Agents for the Simca), Lawson Motors, (Agents for Volvo), Lucy’s Motors (Katz) (Agents for Fiat), Curries Motors, Grosvenor Motors ( Agents for Ford), Sydney Clow (Agents for Peugeot), and a dealeship in Anderson Street called T.A.K. Motors, (Agents for Lancia and Ferrari), Ronnie Bass, (Sigma)

And then Main Street became the used car center for Jhb. Austin , Chevrolet, Mercury, Buick, Dodge, Morris Minor, Mini Minor, Hillman Minx, Ford Fairlane, Vauxhall Victor, Ford Cortina, (Ford) Zeyphyr, Sunbeam. Killarney Toyota. Lionel Gilinsky (Pilot, Motor Rally Driver/Racer) Brenner Toyota in Braamfontein, Chookie Brenner

PETROL Shell, BP, Mobil (Engen), Sasol, Trek, Caltex, Total,

REMEMBER WHEN Milk was delivered to the house????, in proper Milkbottles with red tinfoil caps, and the cream would be all at the top of the bottle? And Nel’s Rust Dairy in Victory Park.

DOORNFONTEIN. – Apollo Cinema near Crystals, Crystals, Beit Street (who later moved to Yeoville) Wachenheimers, Goldenbergs, and Nussbaums, all in Beit Street, and Dairy Alhambra (Zama Levine) - opposite the Alhambra Theatre in Beit Street. Zama Levine had the shop for about 40 years (according to his daughter Gloria Levine Ash). Gloria’s mom was from the ICHILCHIK family (Dan Hill and Gloria’s Mom, Emma Ichilchik Levine (a cellist) were siblings. Dembo’s in Beit Street. The famous sculptor Anton Von Wouw lived next door to the Alhambra and opposite Gloria Levine’s (Ash) Grandfather, Mr. Ichilchik in Doornfontein. American Café for ice-cream, Sour Kraut, Hot Dogs, Millers Antiques on Simert Road. Campbells. Cohen’s Café. And Ellis Park.

Doornfontein Streets Beit Street, Siemert Road, Siveright Avenue.

And Segall’s Sausages (Alf Segall) (spelling?). Kerk Street, York House.

ROADHOUSES. Dolls House (Highlands North), Casablanca (Nugget Hilll) Dakota (Crown Mines), and Uncle Charlies.

Ice CREAM. Papagallo.

WITS RAG Down Eloff Street, with the floats, remember? and the Rag Queens and Princesses. I remember one particular Jewish Rag Princess of 1971, and still a beautiful girl to this day - Blond hair, gorgeous and looks like she just stepped out of vogue magazine - June Gervis ( - two sons, Grant and Richard Reichlin, both of whom were at school with my children, Angela and Gregory Brest)

ONLY IN SOUTH AFRICA ………………………………..

“She took me around” Around where?

And what about “See that ou?? - he threw me with (wif) a stone”

The Spanspek is Vrot!

Takkies.

Ag Dame! …………………..

Listen, Lady ………………

And how many South.Africans when they first arrived in America, England, Australia, Israel etc talked about taking their “costume” or “Cozzie” to the Beach.

She’s the most prettiest girl.

My ou’ man caught me smoking dagga, hey, and I got such a SKRIK.

I bumped her on the corner of Cavendish and Becker Streets

I didn’t scale anything

*Spek and Eiers ( *Just because I know the name, doesn’t mean I’ve eaten it, see !)

Ek is a Ware Suid Afrikaaner.

Melktert! Guavas, Grenadilsh!! Marmite, Anchovette Paste, Jungle Oats.

Comment - That bike is Kwaai, so lekker…. Answering comment - MOH-SELFFFFFFF

YIDDISH/Jewish sayings - In alle Schvartze Yohren, He lives in Alle Drerderin, Meerskeit, Fahrpackt, Fahrkakte, Fahrkrimpt, Fahrbrempt, Fahrshtunkender, Farrible (Litvak word, in other countries they talk about a “Broigas”) He’s a Shlemazzel, He’s a Hundt, He’s a Chaleria, He’s a Peruvian, He’s a Shlemiel, … a Chazzer …. a Mamzer, She’s a plapper…. a Yenta, Gei n Drerd, Vos Macht Tzu?, Shreklich, Chader (not the Chader where we learned Hebrew or Barmitzvahs) , Kitke, Lax (lox in the USA) I need that aggravation like a loch in kop? I’m chalishing for some Petzah (In Dublin, we called it “Calves Foot Jelly”) Alter Kakkers , Bobbe Meises, Ebberbottled. She’s such a kochelefel.

Question - How are you today Bobba ‘Chuma ???

Bobba’s answer - Nu, does it do any good to complain???

RADIO. LM Radio who remembers the signature, “Aqui Portugal Moçambique, fala-voz do Radio club em Lourenço Marques, transmitindo ondas curtas e médias

(This is (here is) Portugal, Moçambique, the voice of the Radio club in Lourenço Marques, transmitting in short and medium wave) with Evelyn Martin (Martins) . David Davies and the LM Hit Parade and was it a little prayer ending off at midnight ? With a sort of mournful depressing music to accompany it. Peter de Nobrega… not sure which station..Bob Courtney Eric Egen Springbok Radio , Paddy O’Byrne, David Gresham (Gruesome Gresh) and Clark MacKay (Clackie MacKay) and Esmé Euverard (not sure if she was Springok Radio or what) Charles Fortune (Cricket commentator) Programmes like “Pets’ Parade”, and “the Creaking Door” –skriklig !!!! David Gresham - Gruesome Gresh - (keep your feet on the ground ,and reach for the Stars) Everyone remembers “JOHN BERKS” !! - “Long John Berks” - I always listened to the Talk shows and one show in particular has stayed in my mind. The Jhb Station Master, complete with an Afrikaans accent, (guess who) called a Yiddishe guy living somewhere in Killarney, to tell him that his consignment of chickens were on their way over. You could hear what sounded like a few thousand chickens all clucking their heads off and the poor fellow was protesting, saying that it was the wrong number, it wasn’t him, some mistake and besides, he had a small balcony, and he didn’t have room for crates of chickens, but The “Station Master” kept on saying that he has nowhere for them either, the fellows’ name and address were on the crates and the chickens were going to be on their way, shortly.. What a “lag” that was. Although this article is about the 60s, I can’t help but mention my fellow countryman, John Robbie, and John, if you ever get to read this “Go mbeanna Dia Duit” and enjoy Lá na Pádraig.

AND the Requests – I think It might have been Esmé Euverard who ran a programme, was it called “Forces Favourites”? with Messages from girlfriends to their ou’s in the army, with requests like this “ Poppie, het jy ‘n boodskap”??? Poppy, are you there? Speak up Poppie……., Poppie?? Crackle, crackle….. Hallo, crackle crackle ……….. Hallo, ja, D’is Poppie wat praat, Ag, man, I’d like to send a message to my boyfriend at Voortrekker Hoogte?????? Daw-ling, I love you Verrry much???????? , ek het jou lief, my skat??? I hope you are orite and I cawnt wait til you are home again awready, Vasbyt en Baie Liefde, van Poppie, hoor? En Frikkie says howwzit. LOURENÇO MARQUES. Polana Hotel, Avenida 24 Julho (July), o Zambi, o Cisno Negro (Black Swan), Xai Xai, S. Martinho de Bilene (aka San Martino) wonderful beaches, prawns to die for (*just because I said that, doesn’t mean I ate them!!!) “Cerveja” at sidewalk cafés, Caldo Verde (soup), wonderful buildings, Pregos.

BUILDINGS such as Palace Buildings, Rand Club, Old Arcade, Markhams Technical College, Manners Mansions. Broadcast House, Essanby House, Ponte - Harrow Road, Rissik Street Post Office, Union Grounds – Twist and Claim,Joubert Park. The City Hall - Rissik Street. And in Jeppe Street the Medical buildings ... Jenner Chambers , Lister Buildings, * Drs. Jacobson, Broer and Smith, later “and Barnard”, and later still, “and Kaplan”, Pasteur Chambers , Medical Centre , Archie Jacobson, Ivor Broer, Mervyn Smith. Michael Barnard and Neville Kaplan (not all at the same time.)

HOSPITALS: the Lady Dudley, Florence Nightingale, Princess, Marymount, Franklin, Queen Victoria, Garden City Clinic Parklane Clinic. Fever Hospital, Jhb Gen. (General Hospital) The Childrens’ Hospital, Baragwanath. The Frangwyn –(Maternity )

ARMY. The Drill Hall in Joubert Park! Voortrekker Hoogte (Pretoria) The first 3 months you were a rookie, and after you got out 9 months down the drag, you went to Camps for about 3 weeks a few years later. Boys went meshugah when their hair was cut so short.

And Polio – two major epidemics in 1947 and 1954/55, when schools were closed, and public swimming pools too, children in iron lungs and leg braces. Infantile Paralysis, they called it. (I wasn’t here then but I know about it)

Around the late fifties, a movie came out with Danny KAYE and Barbara Bel GEDDES (Miss Ellie in Dallas) , called the “FIVE PENNIES”. Story of Red Nichols, and his young daughter (played by both Susan Gordon and Tuesday Weld) who contracted polio. .

And “Interrupted Melody” Another polio movie about the Opera singer, Eleanor PARKER. Terrible epidemic, wiped out today, as far as I know . And then they found an immunization against Polio.

WHO REMEMBERS …... Gilooly’s farm, Boksburg Lake, Zoo Lake, Florida Lake, Wemmer Pan - Wembly stadium Ice rink , The Wilds, The Snake Park, Melville swimming Pool, Hillbrow Indoor Pool (at the Summit Club), and the Squash courts there, Brixton Swimming Pool, Rand Show/Skou, Milner Park, Tower of Life.

THE ELLERINE brothers, Sidney (O”h) and Eric

RESORTS. Lover’s Rock in the Magaliesberg, Little Roseneath (Ndaba, Fourways). Margo’s (where the bands all played on a Sunday afternoon. I think it was near Bapsfontein). And lazy days sitting on top of the Wilds, admiring the Flora and Fauna and watching the world go by (not today!) Linksfield Ridge.

ADVERTS.. Mac Phails - Mac won’t phail you

NAMES CHANGES Jan Smuts Airport – O.R Tambo , Halfway House - Midrand, Verwoerdburg – Centurion,. Hendrik Verwoerd Drive - Bram Fischer Drive, Hans Strydom Drive Malibongwe, DF Malan - Beyers Naudé, Harrow Rd - Joe Slovo Drive - , Sandown Square - Nelson Mandela Square. Transvaal – Gauteng, Eastern Transvaal – Mapumelanga. Warmbaths - Bela Bela, Pietersburg - Polakwane

NEWSPAPERS/magazines Rand Daily Mail. Die Vaderland, Die Beeld, The Star (still going strong) Sunday Express, Sunday Times AND Back Page of the Sunday Times… Scope Magazine

I thought I’d end off with a little song ………………….. anyone want to sing along? You all know Sarie Marais? Here we go. Een, twee, drie……..

My Sarie Marais is so ver van my hart,

Maar’k hoop om haar weer te sien,

Sy het in die wyk die Mooirivier gewoon,

Nog voor die oorlog het begin.

O bring my t’rug na die ou Transvaal,

daar waar my Sarie woon

daar onder in die mielies by die groen doringboom

Daar woon my Sarie Marais.

Lekker Bly Skatties, and Alles van die Beste.

Anne Lapedus (Brest)

one of the “SIXTIES ROCKERS” … still ROCKING ON !!!!

Uitlander, no more

!!!!

Contact details.

[email protected] or [email protected]

082.452.7166 .

DISCLAIMER. This article has been written from my memories of S.Africa from 48 years ago, and if a Shul, or Hotel, or a Club is not mentioned, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t exist, it means, simply, that I don’t remember them. I can’t add them in, either, because then the article would not be “My Memories” any more.

more.

7 notes · View notes

shtish · 5 years

Note

Just do the whole 1 through 35 of the dnd asks, you know you want to

@alextblue said: “For the DnD ask: 1, 2, 31, 32, 33″

So you’re both getting what you want, let’s get into this thing! I’ll put it under a readmore, because holy shit will this thing get long.

1. A favorite character you have playedIf I really have to choose… I loved playing Thora Snowfoot, my 11ft tall, draft horse-based centaur. Started out as a life cleric, but in the end killed her goddess and became one herself. (Long story short, the original goddess was basically lying to part of her worshippers and also causing the world to die, so Thora and the rest of her party decided to put a stop to it, and succeeded!) Although I’ve also recently enjoyed playing Bottle-O-Wine, a grumpy Kobold who has a drinking problem and a giant rivalry with another party member. Also Margret, the escaped biological experiment (dragonborn but reflavored) and a bardlock whose idea of being smooth when teleporting into a room she shouldn’t be in is saying “I was looking for the toilet?” before teleporting out again.

2. Your favorite character that someone else has playedEmmmmm… I think Tizen would be my favorite. Also from the Thora campaign (which was called Sever btw), but he was a very edgy warlock, whose patron was Thora’s goddess in her not-lying form. We called his race Fiends, basically a fancy way of saying “satyr” (minus the horny connotations… Well technically he had horns BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN)

3. Your favorite side questOkay, so this wasn’t technically a side quest in the traditional sense, but it was one of the most emotional moments from the Sever campaign to me. You need to know a bit of background about Thora for this: Thora became a cleric of Epona because of her mentor Rotlaus, an elderly centaur who saved her after she pissed off a moose. The animal broke her hind leg, and if it hadn’t been for Rotlaus stepping in and scaring it off she would have died. He then introduced her to Epona, and she learned pretty much everything from him. This was all fine and dandy, until the mindflayer invasion happened, and we all needed to storm a castle to get to the next barrier. We made the mistake of storming the wrong one, and Rotlaus died a horrible death while our party was teleported to safety. But what we did not know, was that the Stillborn God (god of death) gave Rotlaus the choice to return as a revenant, and to go around the country killing people to create a mindless undead army. Thora learned about someone killing entire villages, and heard murmurs of this killer being Rotlaus. She tried to contact him through Sending, which worked, but not well enough to actually have a long conversation. So she went to him on her own, to understand what had happened. It was at this point she learned he was a revenant, and she could not get him to stop murdering whoever was around to create this army. She left very distressed and feeling super guilty, and Rotlaus took his army to the city of Aesengaard. Thora swore to herself that come what may, she would find the way to fix this, asking her goddess for help. Epona went “No can do, he’s the Stillborn God’s property now”, and Thora got more determined to Fix This Shit.Fast forward to a few months later, when she learns that Epona is also Shub Niggorath, who used to be a powehungry Alhun named Glyoc. Thora gets very fucked up about this because she’s spent almost all of her life serving a lie, loses most of her magical power, and has to realize that she is her own power. Goddess or no goddess, Thora is the one that protected her friends, not Epona. She undergoes a ritual with the help of her friends (fucking emotional moment as well, as they have to give their favorite memories of Thora to help her stay grounded and herself and UGH MY HEART), which ends in her ascending to fucking godhood on her own.-This is where the favorite side quest comes in. Because Thora goes back to Aesengaard. Back to the army of shadows, back to her revenant mentor, and stands before them all. And she offers them a choice. Because they were murdered where they stood, and raised again to become an army to fight an enemy without getting a chance to say no. Because Rotlaus was given a choice with strings attached that he did not fully understand. Because he would never have gone around murdering people if he had had a proper choice. Because it was not fair. She could now offer them the choice. No strings attached. If they wanted to continue and fight, they could. If they wanted to go home, they could. No conditions. No fine print. “Under whose authority?” asks her mentor.”Mine.” Thora lifts her staff, and brings it down on the ground. A wave of energy comes off of her, weaving through the crowd of silent shadows, rippling outward through the ruins of Aesengaard.Nothing stirs. Until something does. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a shimmer of color come back into the form of a shade. And slowly, flesh starts to knit together. Some figures hesitate, but then they too begin to materialize. Clothes are torn, but visible. Hair flutters in the soft breeze, and feet shuffle on the floor. She is surrounded by a crowd of breathing, living people. There is no divine presence here. It’s just her, and them. An army of former shadows. Who have a choice now. And then someone collapses. And another. And another. They stop breathing and close their eyes, and simply fall to the ground. Her heart stops in her chest as she looks at what is happening around her. Has she done something wrong? Is Shub behind this? Did she make a mistake?And then she looks at their faces. They are peaceful. And as Rotlaus sinks to the ground, he looks up and smiles at her. His old smile. The one she hasn’t seen in a long time.”Thank you…”-Thora Snowfoot lifts her staff and brings it down on the ground again, harder. The earth begins to rumble as the buildings of the abandoned city begin to collapse into fissures that pull apart all around her. The bodies fall too. A perfect 200 foot circle of rubble forms around her, finally bringing the dead to rest. She lifts her head, smiles, and sends a message to her home.There is peace in Aesengaard.

4. Your current campaignThe newest one we’re playing and planning on keeping going long term is called Four Color Engine, but we’re also playing one called Happy Trails (which is underwater, pirate-ish, and definitely dark in many places). Another friend of mine is also running one placed in the MtG universe, which is also great fun.

5. Favorite NPCI think that spot goes to Tezzeret in the Kaladesh campaign (the MtG one). In that campaign, we had a joke session where we would NOT deal with the boss, due to some of our players being out. So the rest of us decided we’d use magic to pretend to send him a letter from Tezzeret’s future self, so he would allow our super powerful allies to join us in a dinner at his place. He gets the letter, kiiind of believes it due to our swashbuckler’s mad forgery skills, and casts commune with planes… And promptly loses his entire memory because the spell misfires. We took him in, then some random vampire ripped his arm off, and my first character gets to the scene first and frantically tries to stop the bleeding. Later that evening, she brings him a cup of tea and they have a long talk about how you can change for the better, even if you have done terrible things. This later turned into her becoming his secretary, them fleeing from the cops, and eventually settling in a cottage with goats on another plane… Only to promptly get targeted by an assassin and having to find Tezzeret new legs due to assassin-removal. /The shenanigans of Suki and Tezzeret caused him to shift from evil to neutral, and I really love that development. He’s great in our campaign.

6. Favorite death (monster, player character, NPC, etc)The best death was Shub Niggorath’s (lying goddess from Sever). Bitch cast invulnerability on herself when she was almost down, but Thora ripped it away with a dispel magic. AND THEN WE MURDERED HER WITH THE HELP OF THE COMPUTER PROGRAM RUNNING THE WORLD!!! Very satisfying to finally murder that one and save the entire world to boot.

7. Your favorite downtime activityGetting to know my party members and the NPCs around us is definitely my favorite thing to do. ^^

8. Your favorite fight/encounterHmmmmm… We had a very funny one with a wizard called Tavorlin the Passable, who was a fan of our party and gave us all nicknames. That was a fun one. I also really like ones where I can work around the encounter and turn it into not-a-fight. The one with the monster that Giggle and Bubbles had would qualify as well. We chose to talk to it instead, and Giggle even wrestled it for fun.

9. Your favorite thing about D&DI think my all time favorite thing is exploring the relationships between characters, and seeing them grow and overcome obstacles.

10. Your favorite enemy and the enemy you hate the mostMy most hated enemy… Anything that can kill me or my party with no save. My favorite ones would probably be the ones that I don’t need to kill to win.

11. How often do you play and how often would you ideally like to play?Depends on the campaign. We’ve got one currently going once every week, and a bunch of others that happen whenever there is time. I’d love to play twice a week though, or even more often, but alas. University is a thing.

12. Your in game inside jokes/memes/catchphrases and where they came fromThere’s a bunch of them, but the one that was written on my door due to poor timing is the following:Tezzeret: -struggles to put coat on due to having lost an arm-Suki: “Do you need a hand- I mean help?” There’s also the “[X] happens. “Tizen squints”My friend who plays Tizen tends to squint suspiciously a lot. So now when someone squints at something that happens, we say “Tizen stop possessing them”.

13. Introduce your current partyLet’s introduce the Happy Trails one, since that’s what I’m playing every week!1. Jack. The Pirate captain of the ship we all sail on. 16 years old, somehow the owner of a ship, dumbass who finds everything cool and does not take the responsibility as captain very seriously. He’s damn good at stabbing shit though, and tends to find everything his crew does just fine. Very chaotic neutral.2. N’chastacha Atsee (me). A piebald Yuan Ti Fighter/Pugilist, who takes pride in her position as Quartermaster. Speaks with long “s”, uses the rigging to grapple and throw her enemies overboard, and defends the NPC crew fiercely (although she might hang people from the rigging for a night if they offend her, so it’s best to tread cautiously). Probably one of the more responsible people on the ship, and does not seem to have a whole bunch of humor. Used to date a princess, but only learned about her ex’s identity recently. Probably lawful neutral in alignment.3. Paranoia (played by @creepygoblin). A Tiefling Rogue with tight leather pants and a very heavy French accent. Most likely to use weird ritualistic sacrifice or sell people into slavery with Jack, and has given the captain drugs and too much alcohol on multiple occasions. But hey, she’s very good at what she does. Alignment wise she’s some sort of evil, but I can’t quite remember what. 4. Theo. Our Triton Ranger, who used to be a whaler. He’s a bit racist towards Knotsmen, but otherwise one of the more stable people on the ship. He is up for adventure, as long as he does not need to leave his best mate Otto behind. Very good at shooting harpoons and setting chocolate factories on fire. No clue what his alignment is, but I think Neutral.5. Otto Kuchenheim. The ship’s cook, human Emergent/Physician, and with a very boisterous laugh that is used about every other sentence. Also the host to a weird creature that telepathically yells “REAP BREAK SOW” every time it gets out and rips our enemies apart. Which happens when Otto gets too fearful, generally. It’s a bit touch and go with him, but hey, he’s part of the crew now, and the thing hasn’t taken an arm from anyone of the crew… yet. Some sort of Neutral as well I think.

14. Introduce any other parties you have played in or DM-edThat will take forever tbh… I’ll introduce the Sever one, since that is over now and probably the most fun. 1. Thora Snowfoot, Clan of Blacksock (me). Life Cleric Goddess, originally worshipping the Goddess of Life, Epona, before learning she and Shub Niggorath were the same and deciding to become her own god. Snowfoot centaur, a bit on the serious side, but fiercely loyal and protective over those she considers close. She spent most of her life with her family, but had to leave them on their treks due to a bad hind leg. This is when she got roped into trying to stop first a Mindflayer invasion, and then a Beholder invasion, and then ultimately saving the world from Shub Niggorath. She spent that time keeping the group together, making sure her friends survived the fights with her healing, and make sure to not give up on the world. It was never an option to flee and leave it to die.2. Aelin Naïlo Xylia and Fayre. Played by @alextblue. Aelin was a Hideling (homebrew race) Ranger/Druid, with Fayre the white panther as her beast companion. Aelin lost her family when she was very young to a big abberation they tried to slay, and spent most of her life around the small village of Sigrholm in Sever, borrowing books from the library and carrying out some hunting for the villagers on occasion. Arguably the most “childlike” in her enthusiasm about many things, but also the one that ended up imprisoning Cthulhu in a vault that she controls. She also managed to get her feet turned into hands over the course of the campaign. In the end, took the role of goddess of nature, and started a giantass wildlife sanctuary.3. Rin Velvetmane. Rogue Trickster Cleric Falabella-based centaur. She got kicked out of the community that she lived in under the mountains, and found her way to the surface very angry, distrustful, and only moments away from stabbing people’s kneecaps. A pro at hiding for at least 33, and later learned she used to be a mountain elemental who joined a pact to reincarnate continuously to attempt to save the world from the corruption Shub Niggorath brought to it. This also led to us discovering that Rin used to be Aelin’s mother, a plot point that we then all refused to further investigate because it was Hella Weird. Rin ended up usurping the god of death by forcing him to take on her form through evoking duplicity on him, and basically turning him into herself permanently. She still visits her parents, and actually told them (almost) all about what happened. They’re supportive of her, but she has left out that she now rules death itself.4. Tizen. The vampire goatman of Eldritch Warlock-ness. He’s part of the Fiend race (homebrew), which was cursed by Shub Niggorath to have infertile females, and males that could only mate with humans. The race is bound to her so tightly, that there is an entire organization of warlocks that have her as their patron, called the Favored. Tizen is part of this group, however unwillingly, and is highly suspicious of many things. He is sarcastic, a touch arrogant, but also came to care for the world throughout the whole “saving it” business. When Thora died, he chose to take curses upon himself to save her, and had to be turned into a vampire in order to not lose his mind and become a monster. In the end, he killed the creature who had ruined the lives of many Fiends, took her realm for his own, and became the shadow ruler of the city of Kvidbelgr. What kind of a god he is is unknown, though we all refer to him as the god of sass.

15. Do you have snacks during game times? Fuck yeah, snacks are the best. We have all kinds, although we do try to make sure there are low-sugar options since one of us has to watch that. Hummus and carrots are usually there, along with chips and chocolate.

16. Do you play online or in person? Which do you prefer?In person all the way. Although since we all go to an international university, and some have graduated/dropped out, and the rest is graduating in a few weeks, it’s highly likely we’ll have to move to online. But in person is the best, there are so many ques that you miss when you play online. I have a character called Ink-And-Blade and he communicates through message and not much else. We have a list of the words he spoke out loud. It’s 22 over 3 multiple hour sessions. Ink is impossible to translate satisfactory to online, because so much of his communication is non-verbal.

17. What are some house rules that your group has?Ummmm… The rule of cool is one we employ every now and then. I don’t think we have strict ones, we tend to go with the very Barbossa attitude of “The PB and DMG are more like guidelines anyway”, plus our DM is always homebrewing things and changing the rules around. So I suppose our house rule is that if you can justify it, you can try.

18. Does your party keep any pets?Hmm… Familiars I guess. And we recently picked up a Cambriman who doesn’t really do too much. He’s kinda sentient, but not the brightest. He keeps calling everyone his “prisoner”, even though he’s tiny and made of soft flubbery goop. He’s cute.

19. Do you or your party have any dice superstitions?Oh hell yes. Some of us are worse then others, but I’ve had dice roll consistently below 10 and switched over for the session. A friend of mine has a dice jail that she puts bad rollers into (for the duration of a session). We all tend to switch dice around if they keep rolling low.

20. How did you get into D&D? How long have you been playing?I wanted to play DnD for a long time, but I did not have the right people around me so my first exposure to it was through podcasts. The first one was something called TableTop RPG, though I can’t currently find it. After that I got roped into actual DnD at my university, about 2.5 years ago, when the gaming society held an introductory event. I played for a bit with a very old school DM in 3.5, which was hard and confusing, and then fell into Sever with my friends, which was a 5e game. So I’ve been playing for 2.5 years, and I will not stop any time soon.

21. Have you ever regretted something your character has done?Oof… Well, yes, I very much regret taking the luck feat after I forced a boss to reroll a nat 20, which rolled up as another nat 20, and then attempted to reroll a nat 1, which came up as ANOTHER nat 1. I regretted that a lot. Other than that… Hmmm… In character, I think Margret really regrets teleporting into a dragon’s room. OH, WAITSo Bottle-O-Wine the kobold was very angry at a party member, and threw him into the harbor. Then, as he was running away, he accidentally set the crowd on the rest of the party. He didn’t realize the crowd became a mob of racists who wanted to murder them all. The party got away luckily, and Bottle has since apologized. For the first time in his life. So yeah, that was regrettable, if very fun for us all OoC.

22. What color was your first dragon?I think the first ones I ever had to deal with were two green and red hatchlings, who were playing with coins. My character spoke draconic at the time, so it did not end in bloodshed but instead with me polishing the coins and being led to their parents, who were metallic dragons. Because adoption.

23. Do you use premade modules or original campaigns? I mean, most of what I’ve played has been homebrew, although I am attempting to run the Tomb of Annihilation, and we played a bit of Curse of Strahd. But I think I love homebrew the most.

24. How much planning/preparation do you do for a game?Depends. I do think out my character’s backstory and develop it further between sessions, but sometimes I do small RPs with my DM pre-session to get a feel for my character a bit more.

For DMs

25. What have your players done that you never could have planned for?My players decided to go shopping when I had not prepared any type of store due to it being a small oneshot. They then decided to try and steal a dress, which the shopkeep nat20 noticed, the tried to flirt her way out of it only to learn the shopkeep was a gay elf who had the hots for the dragonborn fighter. They got the dress by paying him “in natura” with the Dragonborn taking his shirt off and playing a little tune on his lute. He got pulled into the backroom and had a lovely few hours, came out with a sparkly costume, and it had the table in stitches. Me included.

26. What was your favorite scene to write and show your charactersI haven’t written that many scenes myself yet, but I had great fun portraying an Eyewitness who had been locked up for 100 years, and who just couldn’t wait to get out. She was slightly… well, she talked to floating lights and really really REALLY wanted to go see the world. She made a deal with the adventurers that if they could wait a day, she would let them take the treasure she was watching over for free, since her contract would be over at that point. I pretended my hands were eyestalks for that one and portrayed her body with my head. That was a good time.Another good one was when I had Gnoll NPCs who attacked the party with wild laughter, acting out the motions while screeching at the top of my lungs was fun. Freaked my table out pretty well too. :P

27. Do you allow homebrew content?Hell yeah, I love homebrew. I try to keep it balanced though, but I am all for coming up with your own stuff.

28. How often do you use NPCs in a party?Not that often? I started it up in the ToA, but I haven’t gotten to actively use the guide yet.

29. Do you prefer RP heavy sessions or combat sessions? RP heavy sessions definitely. Combat can be fun to run, but I much prefer atmosphere over crunching numbers. Although describing finishing moves is really good.

30. Are your players diplomatic or murder hobos?Most of mine are diplomatic, I think the closest I got to a murder hobo was the flirting bard who tried to undress everyone. So actually, all of them prefer not to fight.

For Players

31. What is your favorite class? Favorite race?I honestly loooooove the beast races. All of them. Class-wise I love me a caster, although monks are also good. I haven’t played every single class yet, so I’m still seeing whether there is one I truly dislike.

32. What role do you like to play the most? (Tank/healer/etc?)Healer. But tank is also fun.

33. How do you write your backstory, or do you even write a backstory?I write backstories for every character I’ve got. How they come about varies, sometimes it’s the idea that comes first and then build a character around it, and sometimes it’s “I want to play this” and I continue from there. I generally come up with it myself, but I have rolled up a backstory with Xanathar’s guide as well. The importance of the backstory depends on what kind of campaign I’m playing though. One of my DMs is really fucking good at making backstory matter in-game, whereas others I’ve played with didn’t work it in that well.

34. Do you tend pick weapons/spells for being useful or for flavor?A mix of both. Margret used to chase a thief around, so her pre-party spells are very much useful for this purpose, but fit in with her backstory as well. Thora has all her spells, but she picked whatever was most useful for the situations they were going to be in.

35. How much roleplay do you like to do?ALL. OF. IT.

#Anonymous #Alextblue #Ask #Whew that took me three hours to answer #I hope you all have a good time!#:D #DnD #Shtiya talks #A LOT #A whole lot #like 4k+ a lot #fuck if I had spent this much time on my essay I'd be a lot further along #XD #oh welllllllllllllllllllllllll #If anyone wants pictures of my characters hit me up and I shall provide

2 notes · View notes