Memories.
Introduction
I was born Raymond Francois Roos in Johannesburg on the 5th January 1954 to Louise Gertrude Roos (nee de Wet) and Raoul Francois Roos. My parents split and divorced before I was 3. My earliest memories are: going to a pre-school nursery, my third birthday at my aunty Joyce (my mothers sister) and uncle Harry Ayres in Malvern Johannesburg with whom my mother and I were living. On 17th January 1957 my mother and I immigrated to Southern Rhodesia. We returned with my uncle Rudy de Wet and his brand new bride Olive de Wet (nee Waskis) who had married in Bulawayo but had honeymooned in South Africa. We travelled to Rhodesia on their return from honeymoon. My mother and I lived with my Maternal Grandparents, Daniel Rudolf de Wet (Oupa) and Lizzie de Wet (nee Jordaan) (Ouma). We lived at 12 Forbes Avenue, Northend Bulawayo. I went to a pre-primary nursery school in 1958 and 1958. My mother was working at Kingstones Bookstore where she met my Father Tony Osborne. They Married in 1958. In 1959 when I started school at Baines Kindergarten Northend Bulawayo. In mid 1963 when I was in Standard 3 at Baines Junior School my father was transferred to Salisbury with Kingstones.
July 1963
On arrival in Salisbury we moved into a two-bedroom house, 17 Wendy Drive. When I arrived at Belvedere School I only knew Stephen Harrod with whom I had been a friend with at Baines Junior School. His father had been transferred to Salisbury with Wright-Rain. I remember nearly coming to blows with Michael Gibbons whilst playing a more robust form of schoolyard soccer than my schoolmates were use to. The first classmates home I visited was Christopher Robinson who walked home from school with me.
I soon made friends with Keith Brown, Michael Gibbons, and Peter Young and of course Stephen Harrod. I well remember having to get Keith Brown and his dachund PeeWee out of bed when I visited him in the school holidays. Our major adventures were exploring the storm water drains in Dingle Avenue, especially the one that went across the block and came out in Cromarty Avenue outside the Palmer-Owens house. The Gibbons house was used for many swimming activities as they had one of the few homes with a private swimming pool. Swimming alternatives were a cycle to Merrick Park, Avondale or Les Brown (Town) pools. Peter Youngs house was famous for its mud clog or Guava fights.

In 1965 the year we were all in Standard 5 a couple of my memories are recorded below.

Sport

Soccer
Having been one of Mr Wyatts colts since 1964 I along with Phillip Pretorius (Goalkeeper) Neville MacDonald, Peter Young, Neville Calvert, Michael Gibbons, Mervyn Upton, John Peacock, Keith Brown, Rogan Brown and others played 1st XI soccer. I well remember that Mr MacDonald (Nevilles father - if my memory is correct he was a a former Rhodesian national soccer player) took us for soccer practice on Saturday mornings at 09h00. I often battled to get to saturaday morning practices on time because I liked to listen to the Dairymaid top ten hits on the radio which aired at the same time.


Hockey
Mrs Rose, aunty Rosie took both the girls and boys 1st XI hockey practices. I was the first year that boys played hockey and as boys we had to play the Prince Edward under 13 team as no other junior schools played boys hockey. If I remember correctly we held our own against Prince Edward winning most of our games. If I remember correctly Rosemary Rix went on to represent Rhodesia in Hockey.

Cricket
The boys cricket team captained by Neville Calvert include two standard 4 students Euan Cameron and Ross Kennedy. I remember the game at home against Louis Mountbatten school (the Indian junior school) on the 11th November 1965. We had all been sent home early from school to hear Ian Smith make is rebellious declaration of independence at 11h00. We as young white Rhodesians were elated with this development. Our fellows Indian Rhodesians had probably a better perspective of UDI and were dejected by this development. Neville of course became a Rhodesian Rugby and Cricket representative.

Tennis
Peter Young, Michael Gibbons, Mervyn Upton, Neville MacDonald and I represented the boys in tennis.

Swimming
The new boy to the school Phillip Pretorius challenged the dominance of Michael Gibbons in swimming. If I remember correctly Phillip as an under 14 student at Prince Edward represented the Rhodesian mens swimming team.

Athletics
I can remember that Neville Calvert was the speed merchant and Mervyn Upton as the king of the hurdles.

School Parties
The School Dance
Can you remember the compulsory ballroom dancing lessons in the fold-out school hall? These were in preparation for the school dance. This was a major occasion in my life as my parents had to buy me my first pair of long trousers. Of course there were major problems for the boys in the class, firstly there was a severe imbalance in the genders, two boys for every girl; secondly most of the girls were already in their pubesent growth spurt and towered over most of the boys. As one of the shorter boys (a year younger than most), mt problems were compounded. Of course Kathleen Palmer-Owen was a popular dance partner with her good looks and stature.

The private parties that also have some memories.
Keith Brown's boys war.
Graham Healy's - casino.
Kathleen Palmer-Owen's swimming party

Mr HAUNT
My favorite teacher, who forced me to sit right in front of his desk so he could keep an eye on me.


Post Belvedere School
Prince Edward School 1966-1971

Whilst at PE I was under 13 for two years Form 1 and 2. I was fortunate to be placed in the A stream, which I managed to compete with a few others for the last 5 positions in an exceptionally bright class. Of course former classmates like Keith Brown Keith (Major Beans-brown eye), Patrick Keys, Phillip Pretorius, Mike Gibbons (Gibboon), Lance Sanders, and eventually Neville Mac Donald were also in the A stream. Brown was the class boffin, leaving school; with straight distinctions at O and A level. I was also nicknamed Barnabas by Rex Dog McCullock. Rex taught us like a Varsity lecturer, with his famous dictum of - you cannot listen to me and write notes at the same time. I managed to complete an MBA without ever taking any notes, learning while I listened and then relying on my memory. The other teacher at PE that has had a lasting influence on me is Bill Baker our 4A History teacher. He certainly taught me more about writing an essay (more than Mrs. Skermy-Jones the English teacher) and passing exams than any one else. He managed to get both the 4A and 5RR to get more distinctions than anyone else.
My only claim to fame was playing for the A team hockey, culminating playing for the 1st XI in 1971, and being able to run steeplechase well. My moment of glory was coming second in the under 14 finals and running for the school cross country team at the Rhodesian cross country championship at Peter House. The holiday running training often took place from the Gibbons house up the Monovale Hill. We would setoff at intervals with Andrew Titch Gibbons leading off followed by me the Mike Gibboon Gibbons and Finally Brian (Smuts) Gibbons.
The other great pleasure I was introduced to was golf at Warren Hills Golf Club. Many thanks should be given to Mr Frank English who was the founding father of Rhodesian junior golf. His efforts have produced the world famous golfing millionaires of Nicky Price and Dave Ledbetter (both Belvedere School old boys as well as Mark McNulty (ex PE) and Dennis Watson.
Of course Brian Gibbons with his yellow submarine Ford country estate (Latter to become Mikes wheels) introduced our crowd to the marvels of the amber nectar. Of course the taste was far too mature for our tender palates so the standard order at the Jameson Hotel Beer Garden was a Sumba with a dash of lime. The dash of lime was of course to sweeten the sweetest beer in the world Lion Lager. I had to chew down about the first 3 or 4 before I could manage to drink the rest of my fill. It turned out that the chewing down of the first few beers was due to my allergy to malt. So I cannot partake of beer, whiskey, and malt of any kind or any nuts. What you will do to be part of the crowd and get drunk. The crowd that I hung around together with included, Brown Eye Brown, Peter Pyjamas Young, Mike Gibboon Gibbons, Andrew Titch Gibbons, Brian Smutty Gibbons, Derek Robinson, Keith Raspberry Rose, Phillip Pixie Pryke and Mike Deall. We lost contact with all the girls at Belvedere except Kathleen Palmer Owen, Sheila Bagshaw, Pauline Fox, Barbara Budden and Gillian van Neikerk.
The highlight of my school career was being sent to do the Outward Bound Junior boys course in the Chimanimani Mountains in Jan 1971. We left on the night of 2nd January. Besides missing my own 16th birthday, I really enjoyed the experience. It gave me far more self-confidence, willingness to lead others and to push myself. On my return to school my leadership qualities were immediately recognised by Nick Erskine the Wilson House housemaster, and I was made a sub house prefect. I responded to this high calling by never again attending a house assembly on Wednesday in the quad and sitting with my white upper sixth shirt in the rogues upper gallery at school assembly. My major incident of conflict with authority occurred at the George Hotel. Brian Gibbons, Derek Robinson, Pixie Pryke and myself decided to see the Wednesday 6 o clock cabaret at the new Celebrity Club. Afterwards we retired to the George Hotel beer garden to partake in a few sumbas. My upper 6th form master Slobber Thompson (the Latin Master) arrived with the new single female Afrikaans teacher. I was somewhat conspicuously dressed; white bell-bottom trousers, and an orange with white trim jersey. (A Real psychodelic Hippy outfit for a 17-year-old schoolboy.) Well I was trying to hide myself when Derek who had already left school summoned over Sir to join us at our table. He momentarily forgot that Pixie and I were still at school. To make things worse Derek was the gentleman to the end, and offered to save sir a long trip (remember petrol rationing) by taking “Sirs” date home. Well the next day Slobber stayed on stage after assembly to make an announcement. The first time I ever remember him doing so. Well eventually after scanning the 1000 or so faces he found me sitting in the rogues gallery with my white shirt. Well I thought here comes 6 of the best followed by immediate expulsion. Well eventually all the other teachers had made their announcements and left the stage. Mike Matthews the head boy turned to Slobber and asked him to make his announcement. Well to me great relief he declined and walked off stage. He never said a word about the incident. I saw him in 1975 whilst at I was studying and he was lecturing at Rhodesia varsity, and was temped to thank him for his great kindness towards me.
After the annual 1st team Hockey game against the Teachers we were invited back to the teachers pub, at Gil Ferreiras house on the end of Jameson House. Rex McCullock offered Keith Brown, Mike Deall and I a drink to which we replied a Coke would be fine. He then asked whether we would prefer a Beer. Well he could see the shock on our faces, and said the masters did not drink at the Jameson Hotel (the closest pub to the school) because that is where the schoolboys drank. We nervously drank the beers offered and road home on our bicycles somewhat bemused.


Rhodesian Town and Regional Planning (TRP) Department Dec 1971 to Feb 1973

On leaving school I had no real idea what I wanted to be, for Fortunately Bill Kok the deputy Head Master at PE had persuaded me to do my A levels and not my M levels. In my final year of school we did a Geography project, monitoring traffic flow into the central Salisbury area. That started my interest in Town Planning, and I was the only school boy who attended a 5 evening Town Planning conference at Ranch House College in 1971. That resulted in me being approached by Mr Whittle the Chief Town planning Officer of Rhodesia to join their cadetship scheme. So a day or two after finishing my final A level exam I started with the Town and Regional Planning office on the 4th Floor of Robinson House on the corner of Union and Angwa Street. The rest of my classmates went off to Varsity to take up their chosen careers. Keith Brown as Anglo American scholarship Civil Engineer (UCT), Mike Gibbons as an Accountant (UCT), Keith Rose an architect (Durban Uni) Mike Deall to do agriculture (Pmb Varsity), Peter Young second attempt at 1st year (Pmb Varsity) Peter Young and Mervyn Upton had tried 1st year at Rhodes Varsity in 1970. Derek Robinson was off becoming a commercial pilot.
So I was left with a much-diminished crowd of Smutty, Pixie and myself. We managed to engage in a very active social life. Brian had just returned from his National Service in the army engineers, and had got a brand new Peugeot 404 for his 21st present. He was working at Pearl assurance, so he gave me a lift to work. We listened to his 8-track tape deck and parked outside the Rainbow movie theatre. We went swimming at the Les Brown (Town) Pool or went to Herbie Gibbons (no relative) Gym. Every Friday started at Bretts Nightclub 6 o clock cabaret. Of course during Varsity holidays the party was really on. We ended up running with a crowd of Girls High school girls including; Wendy Fried, Georgina Demarais (now Basset), Sue Mill, Debbie Harris, Linda Rosenberg (now Mrs Brian Gibbons). Sue Robinson, Sue Robertson, and Shirley Hazlehurst amongst others.
I also played hockey for ld Hararians second XI with notables as Brian davidson and frankie Hodder.
Well the year of 1971 ended with me not being offered a Rhodesian Government TRP cadetship but only a Government bursary or a City of Salisbury bursary. As the City of Salisbury bursary was as opposed to I went off to wits Varsity to study for a B.SC (TRP). The previous batch of TRP cadets had done more partying at Wits than studying so the scheme was severely downscaled with only Geoff Underwood (ex Churchill) being awarded a cadetship.
John abbots well organised pub-crawls with rules and pub games are still a vivid memory. How we were never arrested or killed driving around the streets of Salisbury at high speed and drunk-in-charge of a vehicle.

Witwatersrand University 1973-1974

I arrived at Mens Halls of Residence (Dalrymple House Room 35) on the main Wits Campus in February 1973 to start my initiation. Unfortunately Geoff Underwood and I were marked men. The previous year of Rhodesian Government cadets (especially John Abbott) had pre-warned the initiation committee of our arrival. I had to wear a mining helmet for three weeks and was continuously on the stage being humiliated for the amusement of all. Well I got well known, which was help. I roomed with John Mercer a fellow TRP student from Port Elizabeth. In the mid-year vacations Peter Young, Keith Brown, Keith Rose and I went to Beira in my Dads 1960 180 Mercedes Benz. Well Pyjamas and brown-eye certainly did some serious drinking on the way down. After browneye ate the gate pass at the Portuguese border and drinking stops we eventually arrived at the Estoril camping ground. After waking up the whole campsite, and nearly being severely assaulted by Alan Simpson and Dave Donnelly of SAS and Rhodesia Rugby fame we got to sleep. We woke to find all the surrounding caravans had relocated to protect their daughters. We managed to remain drunk on Lorentena Beer using our limited Portuguese of Uno Cherve Abrigado. (Sic) On my return to Wits I had my religious revelation that Jesus was either who he said he was or an absolute fraud. I joined the Haven Church under Pastor Carl Cronje (still my friend and working at Natal Technikon Business Studies Unit).
In 1974 I moved to room 110 in the new wing of College house (next door to Geoff Underwood). Geoff, Malcolm (Twinkle toes / Abercrombie) Barker and I revisited the Chimanimani Mountains in early 1974, just before it became a war zone. After joining the Darts Club for some serious drinking feats 3 beers in 25 seconds and then reciting the Urubuku Bird and the Sexual urges of the camel, I gave up drinking beer. The last beer I drank was with Pixie Pryke in Hillbrough when he came down with his folks. In 1974 I ran the Comrades up ultra marathon from Durban to Pietermartizburg. I was seconded by Malcolm Barker and finished in 9 hours and 55 minutes. Could not walk properly for two weeks and lost 6 toenails. Not a good idea to run without socks in a brand new pair of racing flat shoes.
I also phoned my biological father after I turned 21 and he took me to Old Edwardians for a chat.
Eventually after failing my TRP theory exam and being forced to repeat 2nd Year, I decided to move to do a B.Sc. Psychology honours degree at the University of Rhodesia.
My parents threw my second ever birthday party at their home 19 Pollett Ave Belvedere to celebrate my 21st Birthday. At that stage I was a non -drinking unattached male. It was one of the last times all the old Belvedere Crowd got together.

University of Rhodesia 1975-1977

I was the only white male I my class at the multi-racial Kremlin on the Mt Pleasant hill. Fortunately I became a Rhodesian Railways Personnel Cadet from 1976, and drew a salary, was a member of the pension and medical aid funds whilst going to Varsity. I treated Varsity as a job spending the many free periods in the Library doing my essays etc. I was involved in the youth groups at the Mabelreign Chapel (Don Norman) and the Grange Chapel (Neil Gibbs).
I went on the Mabelreign Chapel youth trip to the Chimanimani Mountains with Tim Salmon where I met my future wife Beryl (nee Frederiksen). I also went with the Varsity David Livingstone Exploration Society trips to the Chimanimani Mountains (in the middle of the war) and the Otter Trail on the Tsikama section of the wild coast.
On the academic front I did reasonably well. I managed to become an understudy of Professor Sid Irvine a Scottish Canadian. He was a world authority on the cross-cultural use of psychometric pencil and paper tests. I helped him do research at David Whiteheads in Gatooma. I also learned a lot about statistical analysis. I assisted Dave Harrison teach statistics to IPM (Institute of Personnel management) members. I ended up doing my undergraduate thesis on “fair selection using psychometric tests in a cross cultural situation. I looked at the predictive validity of the tests used to select apprentices at Rhodesia railways. So I left Varsity as a boffin on psychometric tests.
Thanks to the Railways generosity and the requirement of compulsory military national service Beryl and I got married on 4 September 1976 at the Mabelreign Chapel. Don Normand did the honours and Beryls brothers organised a garden reception at 7 Norwich Ave the Frederiksen home. Malcolm Barker (Abercrombie) was my best man. I was already boarding with his mother at Beit Ave, Milton Park. Mandy Kenmuir was the brides maid and Gwen Franks sewed Beryls wedding dress. My folks paid for our Honeymoon at Troutbeck Inn in Inyanga. We went on honeymoon on a bus departing from outside the Monomatapa Hotel.
This meant that I had just over a year of married life before I had to start my National Service. Depending on where I was to be posted, I would not see Beryl very much during the 18 months I was to play hurry up and wait. We got married with almost nothing, a hand me down double bed from the Lyons, a second hand Belling stove from my folks, a cupboard from the Aarands, a pine table and chairs, a desk and a fridge (bought on HP). Amazingly enough we managed to have a bit of a social life.
We lived for 10 days at 44 Oakwood Flats, then at 41 Tivoli Gardens overlooking the Salisbury central park.

Rhodesian Railways / National Railways of Zimbabwe

On graduating from Rhodesia varsity I was due to be called up for my National service. The Personnel Manager of the Railways Jim Henderson lent me to his brother-in-law and I started work at Chibuku head office on the 15th floor of the Monomatapa Hotel. I was asked to help them develop a psychometric test battery hat could help them select and recruit honest tanker drivers. They knew they were being ripped off as the drivers were all driving flash cars and had their kids at private schools. After some detective work it turned out that their 11,000 litre tankers actually were 11.500 tankers and the drivers were stealing the unknown 500 litres within a margin of 2%. No amount of pscho-babble was going to detect honest drivers. Whilst at Chibuku I had contacted the exemption bord who allocated people to the various units. Well I was offered an interesting choice, the RLI (Rhodesian Light Infantry) or the Rhodesian Airforce. Well I knew what being in the RLI entailed, but they were very cagey about what the Airforce wanted me for. All they would say is that it was a special intake. Well the choice was easy and I reported to Airforce Headquarters as a Bluejob. The intake was special only 5 of us. Two school leavers and three 24 year older, two of us being married. We were whisked off to New Sarum to be kitted out and sworn in. I was sworn I on a Collins pocket dictionary, which amused me. Then off to Thornhill by train, and told to report to the Armoury. My career as an armourer lasted three days. Our special function was to work 4-hour shifts per day pouring Molten TNT into bomb casings. Phillip Pretorius (ex Belvedere and PE) was the newly appointed Medical Officer at Thornhill. He advised me that this was an occupation injurious to your health, as it was strongly associated with Leukaemia. That is why National Servicemen and short-term contract women were being used. The stringent medical and safety precautions were good on paper but did not exist in reality. Notions of clean and dirty areas at the bomb factory were a joke. Eating a high protein diet of eggs, bacon a sausage for breakfast was nice but of no value I coating the gut to prevent the absorption of TNT when our skins and lings were exposed to massive doses of TNT fumes. Well with Phillips help I saw the Station Commander Group Captain Pink, and was interviewed by the Wing Commander, head of the flying school at Thornhill for the position of Aviation Psychologist and Squadron Leader Griffiths the Education Officer at 1 Ground Training School New Sarum. Despite the offer of a commission, a cushy job and free married quarters at Thornhill I opted to teach apprentices maths, Science and Technical Drawing at 1 GTS, and do the Airforce recruitment testing. This enabled me to live at home and travel into work on the Airforce bus. Thanks to Rogan Brown and the SAS for liberating the Russian bus I rode on for nearly 2 years.
I was partially responsible for the recruitment and training of the first black apprentices, pilot cadets and Airforce Regiment Officers.
In retrospect I was most fortunate to have never had any basic training including marching drill, or having ever fired a shot in anger during the Chimerenga war. I still managed to be awarded 2nd place along with some fine soldiers. During this interlude the Railways were paying me a handsome salary. In fact so generous that I was earning more than my Squadron Leader (major) boss. The Mugube elections put an end to my career as an Airforce sergeant and off I went to Bulawayo to start work for the Railways for the first time in 4 years since joining them.
We lived at 17 Belview gardens, Belvedere and then finally 39 Caithness Road, Eastlea.

So off to Bulawayo I went and lived in a mess in a double storey house in Khumalo, with Neville Stein, Duncan Grant-Stewart and others. Beryl and the poodles arrived shortly after with the furniture. I started work running all the recruitment testing for the Railways at Anchor house in Fort Street. My attempts to get us legal in regard to the use of tests and to make better use of the information got unexpected attention. Jim Henderson and Ray? Bolton asked to come and see me. This caused a great deal of commotion with my staff. I was totally oblivious to the reason until they had left. Henderson was my boss the Personnel Manager and Bolton was the deputy General manager (number 2 in the Railways. They offered me the job of writing the first Manpower plan for the National railways of Zimbabwe. So off I went to Railway headquarters to join Larry O Shea (Senior Personnel Officer. The plan was for the minister of Transport, Herbert Usawakunze, to present to cabinet and parliament. Well 6 months later I had Africanised myself out of any further promotion in the Railways, so off to the National Breweries.
We lived at 7 Frith Road, Romney Park and then 31 Abbott Road Paddenhurst. I sold my Mazda 1300 and bought a brand new VW Golf 1100 four speed. In Easter 1980 time we went up to Victoria Falls and Wankie for Keith Browns wedding to Linda Breen. That was an experience in itself, better told by browneye. He did more damage to MK than he ever did to Zanla, whilst under the influence. We also went down to Pietermartizburg, with Baby Rachel and Mrs Fred to attend Beryls sister Carolines wedding to Roger Claytor in Pinetown. We drove down in my BMW 2000 (Natbrew company car) to show off our new baby. We popped into see my biological father Raoul Roos and his wife Beryl at their home at 220 Floreston Ave Mondeor Johannesburg. I saw him one last time when I studying Industrial Relations at Stellenbosch

National Breweries 1981

Life as the Regional Personnel Manager (south) and driving my BMW 2000 was great if short lived. I enjoyed my first official position as corporate leader. I was in charge of payroll, recruitment, Industrial relations, and canteens. I certainly learned fast, I fired my first employee the incompetent Pauline Thata, learned about budgets and controlling expenditure. Rachel was born about a week after joining at the Lady Rodwell hospital. It was great to be present at the birth. It was easy to identify her in the nursery; she was the only white baby.
It was short lived as Dennis Watts and Dave Wright Africanised me. The only comfort was George Mazunzi (spelling) resigned two months later to go to Triangle Sugar. His comment was that I was Africanised how long would a Shona last in Matebeleland. He said he could not work for a company that treated its employees so badly. This comment came back to haunt me 20 years later at Bell Equipment.
So off to South Africa with R600, five suitcases, two poodles (Curly and Mindy) a wife and baby.
My major claim to fame was being in charge of the three staff canteens, two after hour worker pubs and issue of free beer issue to staff. This was amusing, as I did not drink beer.

CG Smith Sugar Sezela 1982

Beryl, Rachel the two poodles and I moved down to SA. We set up camp at my parents home at 1 Poole Ave Athlone Pietermartizburg. I eventually got a job as a Personnel officer (Industrial at Sezela. One of the major perks was that they gave us a rent free house. I sent Beryl and Rachel up to her sister Dales home in Brakpan to help her with the two boys, Gavin and David, whilst she had her third son Brendan. I did this with my last monies I had. I lived in the Sezela bungalow for bachelors sleeping in a sleeping bag and surviving on ProNutro. Literally I had to survive on R7.00 for the entire month until I could be paid and get Glens removals (sorry the Gibbons boys) to deliver what little stuff Comrade Mugabe allowed us to take out of Zimbabwe. I had given our lounge suite and VW Golf to Edward and Suzanne Frederiksen, the oak dining room suite to Des and Heather Frederiksen, the TV to a young couple at the church, the fridge to Alan (Kaffir) Kedda.
Fortunately Sezela paid me some monies in lieu of removal expenses, which we use to buy a fridge, washing machine and tumble dryer. The Sezela church of Mouse Mason, the Goodenoughs and others lent us enough to live in our house at 8 Barracuda Bend Kelso Beach. I worked with Richard Dady, English (I disappeared for 10 years) Luthuli and Mel O Brien (of BSU Natal Technikon fame) I was soon off to join Meadow Feeds also in the Tiger Oats stable.

Meadow feeds 1983-1984

The lure of a company car was enough to get me to head up the Personnel Department of Meadow feeds in Maritzburg. We lied at 7 Charles Boniface Ave on the brown side of Pmb. Beryl had a miscarriage and gave birth to Jonathan whilst we lived in Pmb. The only memorable thing before being retrenched for the second time was that Meadows paid for me to study at Stellenbosch University Business School. Under professor Willie Bendix, Blackie Swart and P.A.K. Le Roux I managed to graduate cum laude and win the Pilkington Glass prise for the best student in Comparative Socio-political studies. More importantly it laid an excellent foundation for my continued negotiations with COSATU trade unions.

Frasers Furniture 1984

If Meadows was a disaster, then Frasers was a nightmare. The 5 long months with this retail group, exposed me to the sin of selling things to people on credit who could not afford to pay for it. Shortly after I left them they went bust. They could not adapt to the changes introduced by Prof Weinhan to the labour front. It was a better option than the offer of a position with Goldfield sat their West Driefontein Mine. They had the 16,000 black employees looked after by the technical department along with the mining equipment. The Personnel Department only looked after the white employees. Also membership of a mine trade union the surface officials association was compulsory, It did mean that Jonathan was born in Pmb. Than God and the prayers of Tim Salmon and elders of the Maritzburg Christian Centre that the gynaecologists and Paedatricians predictions that Jonathan would be born with a heart defect were proved wrong.

SASKO 1985 to 1986

I was the only non-Afrikaans speaking senior staff member at SASKO. SASKO was a co-operative cartel that was owned by the Afrikaans wheat farmers. They controlled the entire flow from wheat field, to storage silos, to flour mills, bakeries and delivery to retail outlets. Under Dr. de Swart we implemented to year of the bulldozer and year of the trowel. In the year of the bulldozer, we negotiated recognition agreements with a variety of emergent black trade unions, bought, closed and modernised the SASKO bakeries in Natal. I did a lot of travelling and learned a lot about how to run a small business. I had to negotiate recognition agreements, wage and conditions of service agreements; retrenchments deals, as well as resolve numerous wildcat illegal strikes. My major highlight was as a member of the Durban master bakers association negotiating the resolution of the first regional legal 3-week bread strike. I was one of the mlungus fighting the shock troops (COSATU Trade Union members) of the ANC revolution. I had an Indian manager murdered by the union shop stewards at Ladysmith, the factory blown up with a land mine by an ANC operative we had employed as a shift foreman at Umlazi Bakery and was almost lynched at Ulundi bakery during its temporary closure. Man like in Rhodesia, I learned to use my imitative, make decisions and justify them later. Unfortunately the broedebond who ran SASKO from Paarl had little idea of what the reality was on the ground.
On the personal front Beryl had an extremely difficult pregnancy with Deborah, our youngest. She suffered with Placenta parovaria, which meant she spent one month in Greytown Hospital and two months in Greys Hospital (Pmb) during her 7-month pregnancy. Fortunately Mrs Fred came and lived with us in Greytown and along with Beauty the Zulu maid looked after Rachel and Jonathan. I was travelling 7,000 kilometres a month and sleeping in Greytown and Pmb with my folks on alternate nights. I was fortunate to be in Pmb for the birth of Deborah (2.01 kilograms) and 2 months premature.
During the year of trowel they tried to settle all the commotion they had created the year before. I was a casualty being told I was being promoted to Atlas bakery as Manpower manager. Fortunately for me I found out that the current incumbent of the more junior post had no inkling of my arrival. Fortunately Darryl Thwaits who I had met on my arrival in SA found me a job with Bell Equipment.

Bell Equipment 1986 to 1998

So it was off to sunny Empangeni in Zululand we went rather than to Johannesburg. Bell was a fast growing import substitution manufacturer and distributor of yellow metal (mobile capital equipment). I started the HR function for a company with 300 employees that within 2 years had grown to 1000 employees and eventually to 2000 employees on all 6 continents. This was great opportunity as the Bell boys had no idea about HR and left me to get o with it. Unfortunately with the growth of the business a number of Executives including the Bell boys could not grow fast enough with the business. The company was always in a cash poor situation as it expanded. With the 1990 and 1997 down turns they had to go to institutional borrowers to rescue them. The Bell boys shareholding was diluted, the business listed on the JSE and eventually sold to Deere (John Deere) of the USA.
I was privileged to lead a great team of people. I learned a lot about management. I am still a believer in employing good people holding them accountable and letting them enough freedom to get on with it. The role of the manager is to be an enabler and a coach if needed.
Fortunately I was able to study for my Advanced Business Programme (Natal Technikon) and Master Of Business Administration (University of Wales: Cardiff)
The real lesson I learned was no mater how high you are up on the food chain in a corporation you are still the hired help, who can be disposed of at will. I learned to my detriment that to advise the shareholder directors to do the legal and moral thing when faced with hard decisions is not always politically astute. I left after being retrenched for the third and last time. At least I can sleep with myself having done the moral thing. The Bell Boys will have to sleep knowing that at least they are very wealthy.
In 1993 I took 6 weeks holiday and travelled to New Zealand with my younger brother Robert. The political situation in SA was about to change and the future for a white HR practitioner was numbered. Robert had just graduated with a Masters in Horticulture and was struggling to find any kind of relevant work. The thought was to let him set up in NZ and then follow. Well he came back within 4 months having failed to secure work.
The hard work, studying and political tension took some strain on my personal life. A big house new flash cards meant that although I was earning a fortune I was poor at a high level. I was on the treadmill singing I owe, I owe off to work I go. I joined the Amway organisation started to read Robert Kirosaki and learned about business studying and doing my research thesis. This all amounted to a revelation to me that I was on a never ending treadmill making someone else rich in the false hope that I would also become wealthy.
After my brother-in-law Vic van Biljon (Hills) was murdered the reality of the violence in SA struck home and I finally decided to leave Africa before I turned 45 and it would be too late.

Productive People 1998 to present

In the interim after leaving Bell Equipment and coming to New Zealand I started a consultancy business. I did some interesting work for Leo Mattioda of Leomat Construction and Glen Martin of Portnet Richards Bay. Not easy to make money as a consultant in Africa when you have created an expensive cash hungry life style. I also managed to complete my MBA thesis (Improving productivity through team collaboration).
Once the paper work went through the NZ bureaucracy (held up at the NZ qualifications authority for 6 months) I was off to NZ in July 1999, with Jonathan and Deborah. I started my business in NZ. I have tried commercial cleaning, share trading, recruitment and now finally Security marketing. I started