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A Water Color From 1976


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2018 Mar 17, 7:41am   1,768 views  5 comments

by ohomen171   ➕follow (2)   💰tip   ignore  

#Noth Hill:A Water Color From 1976
Neil Sedaka once sang the song: “I Miss The Hungry Years.” Sometimes hard times leave you with some wonderful memories.
From 1993 to 1994 I lived in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Times were hard. The country was in a deep economic recession. Unemployment was above 27%. I had a job as a pharmacy technician at a government facility. I got the job because of the kindness of a judge in Cape Town, by the way. I lived in a humble rented room. I did not have a car. I was able to eat in the officer’s mess at a nearby military base. I was dead broke.
The whole country was in fear and dread. There was a transition from a white minority government to a black-majority government. Many people feared that South Africa would go the way of Zimbabwe, Angola, Mocambique, etc. with the white population stripped of all their money and encouraged to leave.
I was blessed to have a wonderful employer in Captain Alan J. Henning. People were kind to me. I had many friends including the radio personality Shirley Veal, Anthony Brian van der Westhuzen, attorney Claud Knoesen, David Goldberg, and Debbie Louw. When it came time for the first all-race election in South Africa, I was able to go and vote on 29 April,1994. I was a part of an incredible moment in history.
My favorite hangout place in Port Elizabeth was North Hill. It had a remarkable resemblance to San Francisco. In those days, it was very- upscale and I couldn’t afford to even rent a room there. It always had and still has a special place in my heart.
I sometimes buy things from a rare book dealer in Port Elizabeth-Lindsay Christison. His catalogue came out and I made the most surprising discovery. I saw a water color of the North Hill area of Port Elizabeth, I was surprised. I ordered it. It arrived a couple of days ago. It exceeded all my expectations.
Yesterday I took it in for framing. As I worked with Aaron’s staff to design matting and a frame, I shared the story with them. Someone painted a water color in 1976. They had no idea that it would survive for 42 years. They had no idea that their painting would end up half a world away in San Francisco. They had no idea that it would touch someone’s heart.

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1   RWSGFY   2018 Mar 17, 7:48am  

ohomen171 says
Many people feared that South Africa would go the way of Zimbabwe, Angola, Mocambique, etc. with the white population stripped of all their money and encouraged to leave.


And this is exactly where it's headed.
2   MisdemeanorRebel   2018 Mar 17, 1:35pm  

Absolutely.

"White Men, you must die"

This is outside of a school, by the way.
www.youtube.com/embed/XVd-_cZILhA

And it's getting worse, not better.
3   MisdemeanorRebel   2018 Mar 17, 1:37pm  

We voted to take the White Land without compensation. Don't let the PM mislead you.
www.youtube.com/embed/x8yES9IOp1Y

And the ANC, the dominant party, has gone after White Racists very quickly, while ignoring the onslaught of "Killda Boer" "Fokkof da White" type comments, not just by random people on twitter but by major party leaders and key influencers.
4   Ceffer   2018 Mar 17, 7:12pm  

That was really the olden days before digital CDs. Opps, some kids don't even know what CDs are.
5   Shaman   2018 Mar 17, 7:31pm  

Ohomen, you fucked up.

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