Muizenberg was a special time in my life, deep roots to my past. We stayed in a brown house right on the vlei, so it was natural to fish and spend time on the beach.
Bully was my favorite dog, a white mix that looked like a wolf. We were always together, me with dirty jeans,green parker jacket , light blue woolen cap and I walked around with a stick. He would come running every time I whistled for him, a true friend. Many people wanted to buy him from me, but he was a one mans dog. Remember once I locked him in the toilet on Muizenberg station when we went to the 3 Arts midnight movies. The next evening he was still there, I’d forgotten him, but he still loved me.
I used to spend time on the mountains, remember going into the caves. Had to crawl on all fours leaving candles burning to find the way out.
Jack (Gunk), my moms boyfriend and I were fishermen. We spent much time around the vldi fishing for the families food, mom was quite the expert with fish cakes. Sometimes we spent the night fishing, had a jug of wine and would down a glass for each catch. We got drunk together, and many times he would talk for hours about his life as a street fighter. He was like a father to me, it was him that inspired me for the Gospel.
Daily I’d be in the vlei pumping prawns for bait, it was illegal but great fun. Had many customers and made some cash, my first business. Needed money for going to discotheques on the week ends, at Strandfontein beach club and Fishook beach. Wow! those were the days.
During the week I’d hang out at the Majestic playing pinball, or at my friends houses. Sometimes the day would start by drinking wine on the beach outside the Balmoral Hotel, this was a gathering place in the mornings where we would splice for the wine and share a pipe.
Would hang out with my friends, Glen and Greg Bok, and Rod who lived with them. Aape, Willy, Careck Auld, David Redman, Herbie Meeck, Jimmy the Bullshiter, crazy David Carew, Shawn McGee, miss those days. Smoking parcels of ‘dagga’ and listening to good music. Those days it was Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep and if we were lucky then Robin Auld playing on the front porch. Hanging out down at the pavilion, playing put put after hours etc.
Up near the station there was a guy that had a circus trapeze in his garden, remember hanging upside down on it, stoned out of my mind watching the trains go by with Herbie, Glen, Carack and Aap. Seemed like those days there was always something going on.
Remember leaving it all behind for the army, was on the troop train with Rod and that was the last I saw of him. Met Jimmy on the border, that guy new how to get what he wanted, think he liked the army.
Went back to Muizenberg after the army but felt like everything was changed, maybe it was me.
