My Life...

By Ivor Wiid

"I am just an average type of person, last two years at school I attended boarding school. Played first team rugby, as a front row forward, "loose head". When I left school I started my career as a bank clerk in Pretoria,  I was transferred to Salisbury. In 1960 I did a trip of just under 14000 kilometers from Salisbury to London, in 1960. Toured the continent of Europe for three months on a 150cc Lambretta scooter (Lambretta was also an Italian firm, in opposition to Vespa, they ceased production in 1987) On my return to Africa in 1961, I worked in Harare (Salisbury) for 5 years, and returned to Pretoria South Africa 1966. Eventually I ended up as a new car salesman for 20 years, and then met "someone" a very important "someone" who taught me to write poetry, Christian Poetry."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ivor Wiid
• Release date: Mar 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215809884

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Copyright © 2023 Ivor Wiid

First edition 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Ivor Wiid

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MY LIFE

3rd July 1935 to…………………………..

I was born in Paarl. Western Province, SouthAfrica, on the 3rd July 1935. I do not remember anything about the Cape, to start off with, as our family moved to Pretoria, Transvaal, when I was 3 years old, so I was told.

All that I can remember about the beginning of My Life, the first days at school. I started school in the Iona Convent, Capital Park, Voortrekker Road Pretoria. Seeing as though I was born in 1935, and one usually goes to school aged 6, and I do not know if it was 1941 or 1942, I assume it was 1941. I do remember though, that when I left Iona Convent,because we had moved house, to attend Robert Hicks School, in Gezina Pretoria, they, the management of Robert Hicks, put me back one year. I think I was in Standard One, when I started going to Robert Hicks, and they put me back to Grade 2. Ask me why, I do not know. Back to Iona Convent. When I started school there, it was during the second World War.(1939 to 1945) The second world war did not figure much in my life to start off with. The Nuns that were the teachers, with their ‘hoods’ and black ‘dresses’ cannot recall their names, remember lunch breaks, and once we had to write some test, or answer some questions, we had to write the answers down on paper and I drew a motor car. Resulted in chaos. I also recall everyday, after school, I had to wait to be collected, one waited in Voortrekker Road, and some parents collected their children by car, even in those days, my Dad had told me that a specific car was named Chev. It was a 1940 or 1941 model. However when this car arrived to pick up whoever it picked up, I could see the name and it stated Chevrolet. I memorised the spelling and told my Dad about it later. He explained that it was easier to say ‘Chev’. So a ‘Chev’ it has remained. When I think back, that is when my interest in ‘cars’ started. My Dad owned a Willys, it was a 1934/35 model, in the days I went to Iona Convent. But then those were the second world war years, and cars were not used too often as petrol was rationed, as were many other things, like, rice, butter, cheese. The war ended in 1945 and I remember chewing on my first piece of chewing gum in 1947. I had read about chewing gum in the American ‘comics’ we had as children, but chewed on my first piece of gum, 2 years after the war! (Now they chew them as soon as they are born !) When I started writing this I said that the first things I remembered were going to school, not 100% true as I also remember going to my Grandfather’s farm in Hekpoort over weekends and Christmas & New Year holidays. I also lived in the suburb of Gezina in Pretoria, before the train line was laid, that currently runs through Gezina. We were number 419 in 11th Avenue. Currently that property is right next to the train line that was later laid, installed. My grandparents owned 2 properties in Gezina. 418 10th Avenue and 419 11th Avenue. They were back to back. May Dad worked for S A Permanent Building Society, and often on a Saturday, when he got home would say kom ons gaan plaas toe (come, lets go to the farm) my Grandfather’s farm in Hekpoort. From Pretoria you travelled to Hartebeespoort Dam, then through the tunnel, over the bridge, that was on the top of the dam wall, and then after that first road left, up the mountain (dirt road) turn left after a while, over a train line, next to Hekpoort railway station, and then if you carried on with road you would end up in Magaliesberg/ Krugersdorp, but we did not go straight on, we turned right, and my Grandfather’s house was further on, about 2 o3 kilometers, on the left. Currently this house is being used by a Christian Mission group. I can remember spending many a weekend there during the second world war years. My Mom had 3 sisters and one brother, and most of the time, when I was there, they were there as well. Parties like you have never seen before.

We were three brothers during the time we went to Grandfather’s farm, and my Aunt Jacqueline, my mom’s sister, had three children, Andre, Marianne and Corinne. Many a good weekend was had there. I remember one incident, about milk. In those days milk was delivered to your house, if you lived close enough to the dairy, in 1 pint or 2 pint bottles, by the milk man. He used to ride a bicycle that had two baskets fitted to it one at the front one at the rear, the baskets being so made to hold milk bottles, (0ne or two pint bottles, remember this was before S A went ‘decimal’) so that they could be transported with reasonable safety. If you needed milk, you left and empty clean 2 pint or one pint milk bottle on your front veranda, porch, with the money, and then when the milkman came past your property early in the morning, he would notice the empty milk bottle, park his bicycle and go into your property, with the fresh milk, take the empty bottle and the money, leave the property. You received your milk and the dairy ‘clicked up’ a sale. Therefore the milkman brought the milk. At Grandfather’s farm, one week end, we were all there, and there was a hold up with the milk getting to the breakfast table, and my cousin Corinne asked Where is the milk? She was told my Uncle Victor had gone down to the cow shed to go and milk the cows so that we could get milk. She said Cows milk, I want the milkman’s milk. Used to have fun on that farm. Once the three of us, Laurence, Raymond and I, were caught smoking cigarettes. Gee whiz, the oldest I could have been was 10 years old, and trying to smoke a cigarette. My Uncle Victor used to make mampor, it was, and still is an alcoholic beverage made from distilled apricots. They used to put the apricots in a big vat, drum, then we as kids would get in the drum and walk around, bare foot, in the vat, drum squash the apricots, then this juice would be distilled, and there you have it, mampor. Talking about something to drink, my Grandmother made a delicious ginger beer. It was one of the first items we received, as kids, when we arrived at the farm for the weekend.

From Gezina, the suburb where we lived, we moved to Lys street Rietondale. Lived there most of the second world war years. Used to walk to school and back every school day. Remember the army trucks, painted khaki, (with men in uniforms, sitting on the back) going to war. Used to walk past Chamberlains Hardware store. They sold us kids, glass tubes that we loaded with a piece of paper, or whatever, and were able to use as a ‘spittoon’ My Dad worked for a building society and was prevented from going to war as he was told to remain to ‘run the building society’ It was termed Reserved Occupation All my uncles went to war, some lied about