Diary

Alan Brooker 25/11/1942 – 26/3/2019.

There is mention in the Cookie Look post on this site of Alan Brooker being the leader of a well known 1960’s Durban rock group called The Knights. Sadly on Saturday, I attended his funeral. Alan passed away after a long sickness. He was well known amongst the musos in Durban and post this for general information. Below is the link to the Cookie Look posting. https://www.fad.co.za/Resources/memoirs/cookie/Brian.htm

I managed to down load images of a Parlophone LP that the band produced. I noted that an old friend of mine Billy Gaugain was the drummer for the group. I knew Billy through the Durban Regiment and if my memory serves me correct he played for a band called A Group called Blue. The Knights consisted of Alan as Lead and Vocalist, Paul Janssen and Dennis Scott-Williams guitarists and Billy, drummer.

St Joseph’s School was situated on the corner of Broad and Smith Streets. It was adjacent to the Convent of the Holy Family Nuns which stood behind the school. When the school closed, the Durdoc Centre was built on the site.

I received the following letter from Michael McCann who started his schooling there in 1957. He sent the 1957 Class 1 photo as well. Unfortunately he cannot remember his fellow class mates and so I post this here with the hope that someone can respond.

” This is the Class 1 St. Joseph’s School photo taken in 1957. I’m the little tyke at top, second from right. I remember my first day – so exciting until I got teased for having the wrong socks. I must have created a little for the next day I attended class with the proper attire. Nothing much has changed it seems! I still have my class 2 schoolwork book wherein I practiced my alphabet amongst other class exercises. I remember there being a pedestrian crossing in Smith Street adjacent to the school entrance over which we were sometimes marshalled to attend ‘music appreciation’ in the hall opposite. Peter and the Wolf sticks in my mind. It is fascinating reading the shards of memories posted by those remembering those far off times. I will send more class photos in the future, perhaps someone in your blog group will recognise faces. Unfortunately I made no notations on the reverse and I can’t recall names of my class mates.”

Click on photo to enlarge.

I was clearing out some old CDs and found one I had saved these pictures of Durban taken in early 1969. In 1968 I had just bought myself a new Minolta SRT 101 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera from a firm called Modisons, 239 Grey Street. At that time Modisons were General Dealers but on the side they had a photographic counter and were agents for Minolta. It was a small shop with general goods, some pharmaceuticals, and groceries. An unpretentious camea shop.

I had been told of them through a friend, Derek Brown. I still recall I was in three minds what camera to buy as my budget was limited. There were three choices an Asahi Pentax K1000, a Nikon Nikkormat and the Minolta SRT. The Pentax fell away because the lenses had a screw in mount and the trend was towards bayonet coupling. Between the other two I ended up going for the Minolta because I fancied its features, had a mirror lock, nice feel, CLC light metering and I was offered a good discount. The Saturday I went to buy the camera, the Minoltas in their dull gold and black boxes were piled up on the top shelf of a shop cabinet.

Too high to reach by hand, the assistant had a dowel stick which he used to tip the box towards him, let it fall and catch it on the way down. Well he tipped one but somehow managed to let it slip his grasp and it fell to the floor. “Thank you ” I said “I will have the next one”. Read More

My earliest memories of Durban’s Trolley buses goes virtually back to the days when we first arrived in Durban as immigrants in 1948. I had never seen a trolley bus before as in Alexandria Egypt, their public transport was single decker electric trams. Read More

No doubt wherever you lived in Durban, I would say the majority of you experienced going to school by bus unless you lived across the road from School. My memories of bussing to school date from 1954 through to 1961. Read More

Arthur Gammage has asked if anyone knows where the Tongaat Locomotive that used to stand in Bulwer Park is now or if you have a picture of it. Arthur tells me that Eric Lupke obtained permission from the Parks Department to remove the loco in order to restore it to running condition. Eric died not long after after his retirement from City Electricity Department and Arthur doesn’t know if the project was completed or what happened to the engine.

I’d also be very interested to hear what happened to the locomotive seeing that I spent countless hours playing on it on walks around Bulwer Park in my youth.

I have just received this photo from a friend of mine that grew up in Woodlands. Apparently during the 1950s, this man would walk the streets of Woodlands beating his drum asking for donations. When given a donation he would beat his drum and do a bit of a soft shoe shuffle before moving on. Just recently on FB someone was asking if anyone remembered him. Part of the passing parade.