Who remembers?

[splat]

I remember Coke bringing in a yo-yo Champ from 'merica for promotional shows.

 

I won a yo-yo competition at a small local shopping centre - my prize was a new yo-yo and a cap signed by him   

(I think I was the only one that didn't hit myself in the face with a 'round the world')

[Fruity]

Getting into fights at school bloody nose and all, then getting three of the best for fighting, then going home and getting klapped for getting three of the best. Little wet-nosed instagramers will never know! 

These okes will never know either:

[Hairy]

We moved around a bit as kids, so I have various experiences

 

• early years in Robertson, had a older friend who was Afrikaans .... was handy being an English speaking youngster who recently came to the small town. We used to build "dens" and then also have klei latte fights with others in their dens that were also dug out of the klei
• slightly later we lived on an army base with a nice big bush, again built dens, pits with sharpened spikes and other interesting booby traps. Used to have spear and bow and arrow fights, with home made weapons sharpened nicely. Also did the coin and train thing .... we also used to wait ontop of the bridge and try to throw stones down the flu of the locomotive.
• later years .... might have to not lay out all the details for fear of incrimination 

[Stretch]

In the early mid eighties there was these bunch of Martial Arts movies especially enter the Ninja. We were so caught up with these things we made our own swords out of flatbar, those climbing hooks, even those that fits on the feet and hands. We also made our own stars and even bought some of them...we would sometimes in school holidays board the train at Florida Station to Braamfontein Station where we will walk to the Oriental Plaza just to buy some of these stars as there was one shop that was relatively cheap with all these gadgets. We also used conduit pipe of various lengths to make an aresenal of blow pipes. The darts were made from nails which was bought at the hardware store which was further sharpenned...the "feathers" were made from wool.

We used to shoot each other and these things would pierce the skin and sometimes even penetrate the skin...nearly got my eye shot out one time as I just turned my head and this dart penetrated my upper nose bone next to my eye...

 

Will I do it again now that I know the danger...without a doubt yes...we had some wild imaginations at that time...

 

Next post chorine bombs experiments...

Remember the ninja stars you could buy everywhere

 

 

as for the chlorine bombs...I have a scar on my elbow from one. We decided to make one in a 1l Coke bottle. h2h and pool acid. A small shard of glass went straight into my elbow

[Stretch]

Best fun we ever had was with the old call box generator thingies. It had a small crank and two wires that electricity was generated through. We used to get all the guys at school to stand in a circle holding fingers and then slowly build up the electricity and then suddenly give it a hard yank. One unlucky bastard in the chain would receive the full jolt of the charge.

 

With those also came metres and metres of that telecoms wire... What was it called? Scooby wire? We used to make rasta bangles and sell them

[Hairy]

Remember the ninja stars you could buy everywhere

 

 

as for the chlorine bombs...I have a scar on my elbow from one. We decided to make one in a 1l Coke bottle. h2h and pool acid. A small shard of glass went straight into my elbow

There used to be a place in town we would get them from ... Bashido's if I recall correctly .... then another awesome place that is now lost, was SGT Pepper in Town.

 

Town = CT

[Stretch]

There used to be a place in town we would get them from ... Bashido's if I recall correctly .... then another awesome place that is now lost, was SGT Pepper in Town.

 

Town = CT

Sgt peppers used to sell Doc martens if I recall

[Tromp]

Oh my genade...my brother also thought he was a ninja.

Did you not kick your kitchen door off it's hinges ? Vra maar net .

[Blokman]

Getting into fights at school bloody nose and all, then getting three of the best for fighting, then going home and getting klapped for getting three of the best. Little wet-nosed instagramers will never know!

 

I was in Middelburg Laerskool,Tvl. In the late sixties. We had maroon and khaki clothes. New guy arrives he's got blue clothes. Parents could not afford new schoolwear. There was a movie The Blue Max.So my friends and I tease him and call him Blue Max. He says nothing.

One day during break we hear fight, fight. There is Blue Max giving the strongest guy in the school the hiding of his life.

Proved his point. Then it was 'hallo Koos ,hoe gaan dit?'

[HeyYou]

Best fun we ever had was with the old call box generator thingies. It had a small crank and two wires that electricity was generated through. We used to get all the guys at school to stand in a circle holding fingers and then slowly build up the electricity and then suddenly give it a hard yank. One unlucky bastard in the chain would receive the full jolt of the charge.

 

With those also came metres and metres of that telecoms wire... What was it called? Scooby wire? We used to make rasta bangles and sell them

 

HaHa, yes I remember this, back in the early 60s we did this too, 'bolt out of the blue'!!!

 

Other playground activity I remember was getting 'newbies' to hold a stick up in the air, stare at the end of it, then turn round and round and round until you told them to throw it. Then they had to fetch it, to much hilarity all around the playground.

[Slowbee]

In the early mid eighties there was these bunch of Martial Arts movies especially enter the Ninja. We were so caught up with these things we made our own swords out of flatbar, those climbing hooks, even those that fits on the feet and hands. We also made our own stars and even bought some of them...we would sometimes in school holidays board the train at Florida Station to Braamfontein Station where we will walk to the Oriental Plaza just to buy some of these stars as there was one shop that was relatively cheap with all these gadgets. We also used conduit pipe of various lengths to make an aresenal of blow pipes. The darts were made from nails which was bought at the hardware store which was further sharpenned...the "feathers" were made from wool.

We used to shoot each other and these things would pierce the skin and sometimes even penetrate the skin...nearly got my eye shot out one time as I just turned my head and this dart penetrated my upper nose bone next to my eye...

 

Will I do it again now that I know the danger...without a doubt yes...we had some wild imaginations at that time...

 

Next post chorine bombs experiments...

Oriental Plaza.....in Mayfair. My hood so to speak. My mom used to work as a hairdresser across the road. Was right on the bus route. Used to catch the bus. There was a cycle shop on the corner of fordsburg square. Bought my first bicycle from them with hard earned glass bottle money.

 

Just down the road was the old rand show grounds. Just up from the gas works (is the gas works still in operation?). There was a race track on the corner - cannot for the life of me remember the name. Spent many Friday nights at the track.

[Blokman]

Oriental Plaza.....in Mayfair. My hood so to speak. My mom used to work as a hairdresser across the road. Was right on the bus route. Used to catch the bus. There was a cycle shop on the corner of fordsburg square. Bought my first bicycle from them with hard earned glass bottle money.

 

Just down the road was the old rand show grounds. Just up from the gas works (is the gas works still in operation?). There was a race track on the corner - cannot for the life of me remember the name. Spent many Friday nights at the track.

May I ask, which school?

[Slowbee]

May I ask, which school?

It could have been Western High School or Langlaagte or John Ore Tech but alas my parents, bless their souls, decided Parktown Boys.

 

We lived on the border of Brixton and Mayfair West. Close to the flying squad and the Brixton murder and robbery squad.

[Blokman]

It could have been Western High School or Langlaagte or John Ore Tech but alas my parents, bless their souls, decided Parktown Boys.

 

We lived on the border of Brixton and Mayfair West. Close to the flying squad and the Brixton murder and robbery squad.

I was just across the road. Helpmekaar.

[JJDT]

@Slowbee yes the gas operation is still functioning known as Egoli Gas now.

 

Speaking of the Plaza was there about two years ago after a long absense and although from the outside it looks the same, most of old shops are gone. Remember in the one corner of the center building there used to be shop that sold jeans...about every make and sizes you can think of and sadly this place is no more.

[Tromp]

Oriental Plaza.....in Mayfair. My hood so to speak. My mom used to work as a hairdresser across the road. Was right on the bus route. Used to catch the bus. There was a cycle shop on the corner of fordsburg square. Bought my first bicycle from them with hard earned glass bottle money.

 

Just down the road was the old rand show grounds. Just up from the gas works (is the gas works still in operation?). There was a race track on the corner - cannot for the life of me remember the name. Spent many Friday nights at the track.

Now that you mention a cycle shop , I grew up in the Roodepoort area. There was (is ) a small cycle shop in the dorpie.....guess what " Cajees ". Sold them my old Dikwiel to have enough money to go to Durbs with my Ouboet and his friends. Dad nearly killed me and forced me to get it back. The old Oom at the shop , with his white beard and pajama clothes ( sorry to those that may feel offended ) was less impressed. I somehow helped with the growth of Cajees to this multi branch group. Edited October 24, 2018 by Tromp