Friends for Life (My other family)
My friends whom I met & known over the past thirty (30) plus (+) years have always meant the world to me as I would always try my best to be loyal to all my friends, as friendship has always been very important to me. We would always meet up for beach braais (bar-b-que), birthday parties, stock cars at Goodwood show grounds (long before it became Grand West) on a Saturday & Friday nights.
We did alot of stuff together and felt like a family (almost like a brotherhood). Many nights we would just sit and chat when we didn't have money to go out or go to local clubs like Aligators (Paarden Eiland), Arena (close to the waterfront) , Crowbar(CBD), Quay 4 (on the waterfront) and many other venues. The Blue Peter was just a small little venue back then in the early nineties (1990's) and we often pop in for late night drinks. Then there was also a club called Tramps in Greenpoint very close to Arena which we went on quite a few occasions as well. Those were the good old days fun days. I personally stopped going to clubs during the early 1990's as I felt "been there, done that. So I had no more great eagerness to go clubbing. I would drink on weekends and occasionally during the week as well. I would get to bed at 5am and be up at 06h30am for work and felt wide awake. I had alot of energy back then and could stay awake for hours even on end. Nowadays I don't have that kind of energy to jol like that anymore. But we always remained together as a close knit group so when whatever was happening wherever we would phone one another to find out what the plans were for that day or the weekend. Many times alcohol would play a part in us having fun / parties as a group and we would drunk as usual but really enjoyed those days.
Some friends stood out for me namely Chris, Damian, Erik, Keith & Gerald Hopkins.
Chris is a mechanic and we would at times take our cars to him for repairs. He hardly ever refused us visiting him, unless he was really busy.
He can withstand patience only for so long then he would explode if people abuse his for his hospitality as I learnt one year after he just had enough, so I gave him some space and we discussed it afterwards and understood fully where he was coming from so I would preferably call him so he is aware I'm planning to pop in and so I learned to respect his privacy including his needs as a father and breadwinner in his own household.
In April 1995 my dad passed away and they all came late one evening to lend their moral support as I was absolutely devastated and wore black for more than a year, as I mourned the loss of my father.
For a long time I could not accept that he was gone. It was a very difficult time for me and didn't know how to deal with it. There isn't a manual that teaches anyone how to deal with traumatic situations except for the Word of God (The Bible). I really had to grow up fairly quickly at this time in my life as I had to start paying bills like water, electricity etc. As my mom could not just survive on her pension and me at the age of 24 up until then it was just KFC Steers and parties and alcohol etc.
Some years later, I was unemployed for about 3 years and Chris arranged from the group of friends to contribute each a certain amount which I was able to pay for some essentials petrol (fuel) etc.
Erik once volunteered to fit my car's breaks and didn't know how much it meant to me and this was during 1993. He used to host many times nice causal braais (barbecues) at his family home and his parents were always very accommodating to all his friends being there having parties or just a visit for coffee. I suffer from severe depression and anxiety and I had been feeling down for quite some time. One night I drove to the Edgemead / Bothasig area and parked down a quiet street when I wanted take my own life. As I held the gun to my head, I didn't know how to deal with what was going on in my life. But for some or other reason I decided against it and lowered the gun. Then I drove to Erik's house and he was alone as his folks had been away on holiday. When I pitched up at his front door he told me to enter and have a seat and he made us some coffee and I proceeded to explain to him what had just transpired. I thank my lucky stars he was there for me that night and on so many other occasions.
Damian is another very good friend of mine and he is always available to help a friend and hardly ever says "no". Damian has knowledge of electronics, computers, cars, etc. He is self-taught and has a very inquiring mind and that's how he accumulated his knowledge of some technical issues in the above-mentioned scenarios. One very important thing I learned about Damian, Don't piss him off!
On more than one occasion he has repaired my cars in the past and refuses any compensation for it. Damian I trust with my life and know he will always do something within your best interest.
God brought this wonderful group of friends into my life for a reason and they mean the world to me and never ever take them for granted.
My friend Damian
Myself & Damian on 20 January 2008
I also had other friends over the years and some are no longer around as they went be with The Lord, namely:
Marie Upton,
Cathy Ward
Deon Marais,
Raymond Murray,
Sandi Shaw (born Tuck, also formerly known as Sandi Rumble)
Erik van Gemst
These were very close friends of mine with some I would often share very personal information and brought a form of mental salvation to me at the time.
My friends are my family and I feel very proud to have such a great bunch of guys that I made friends with almost thirty (30) years ago.
Don't take your friends for granted and have the utmost respect for them and take their social needs into account so you don't crowd your friends and cause a very taste of dislike, disrespect and emotional discomfort and maybe feel too embarrassed to show your face again.
Raymond Murray
Sandi Shaw
One day I had an argument with Sandi on the phone and I was very upset and felt very guiltily after that argument. Sandi sent me a letter which she called a "Thank you gram" Thanking me for being her friend and I had known her for about twenty (20) years. She mentioned something in her letter to me where she said "Don't let the sun set on an argument." This was I think at the beginning of 2015 and passed away after suffering complications from cancer.
She lived at the time in KZN but we kept in contact on almost a daily basis. Either via email and /or Skype and phone. I was very heartbroken when she passed away.
Sandi Shaw
Mr Kent is a very special friend of mine, he is a retired school principle and was also a good friend to my mom when we didn't have a car to transport my mom to and from hospital. He also assisted me with taking me to my clients at the time when I had to supply them with paper rolls which I sold through my business. He even cancelled a family commitment in order to assist me once I needed to be dropped off or collected me where I had to go one afternoon. Mr Kent was kind enough to transport us wherever we had to go and was a great help and inspiration to me and still is. He is such a very humble and loving person.
Mr Kent
STEF JUNCKER
I met Stef in September of 2006 after placing an ad in the local news paper which was also accessible online for an admin job. I went to see him and agreed that I would work for him after hours part time as I took a day job with a paper distribution company and so we hit it off.
I loved the experience as the duties included taking care of his computer work like backing up his computer and editing his website. Basically attending to all his IT needs etc. I would also drive for him occasionally and was always invited to meetings, parties, etc.
After a couple of years Stef and I saw less of each other as I started my own business and he also travelled abroad quite often. Whenever he would get back he would get in touch with me and he would have a get together and would show all his friends that were invited a slide show or sometimes videos of his travels abroad. I always enjoyed seeing him after he came back from overseas trips and then he would maybe ask me to do some backups or other computer work for him as I always enjoyed doing that kind of work.
As the years went on we would see less of each other as Stef's priorities would change to better his future and look at his next challenge in life as to what he wanted to tackle next in life.
Stef is a professional hypnotist, clown, and also owns his own paragliding company in Cape Town called Parapax.com which I was very proud of being a part of once in my life as I learnt so much about him and about life as Stef is a people's person.
He is currently sailing in the Caribbean enjoying life at its best. Stef has always been a very generous person and shares with everybody whatever he is able to share.
Stef is a very special and an absolute gem of a person. I can never forget his generosity.
My mom had the pleasure of meeting him one day after I drove his car back from Jeffreys Bay and I fetched him in Somerset West to collect his car from my home in Lansdowne at the time.
My mom always spoke about him and the wonderful way he greeted her as if he had known her for many years.
I regard Stef as one of my best friends and will always be.
Interesting fact is that Stef is from Belgium and speaks several languages for example French, Dutch (Home Language), German, Spanish, English
He is from a Flemish Belgian and so am I on my father's side. He is also the same age as me.
So we have quite a few things in common and I think that's why we were always able to get along so well.
Here is his YouTube channel link if anyone would like to follow his adventures sailing in the Caribbean.
STEPHANE JUNCKER
MIKE DU PREEZ
I met Mike after moving to the farm in July 2023 after I was forced to move out of my rental property in Malmesbury. He is originally from the Gauteng region. He has been a long distance truck driver for most of his professional career.
I ran into some unforseen problems shortly after I arrived on the farm and Mike was immediately there to protect me and look after my best interests. For that I will always owe him a great debt of gratitude. He went out of his way to make my life as easy and comfortable as possible for me as that is the norm to help one another whom are new comers on the farm. We have been through some tough and trying times together and he is always there to stand by me. So this is to honour Mike Du Preez for his great help in assisting me and so he is my hero and will always be.
Thank you for your unfailing and unwavering willingness to always be there for me.
People should all learn from his example and we must help one another in these trying times.
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