Kobus, I will be out your way next week, Tues to Thurs., can I come and visit?

Sure how about supper one evening.
Supper and room. Your call

Doug,
I would be one of those guys that they call a Boer. But still the matter is not a simple one as Gerald did mentioned. There is great conflict between the different thinking Afrikaners. You get those that are extremely right and then we can go across the scale to extremely left. I see myself somewhere in the middle. I am not overly conservative but very proud of my heritage. I am busy with some research on my ancestors and I found that from the early days they were very independent individuals. I think most South Africans are. Thats why we make such excellent Inventors. :D We are still like that today. To disagree with each other is a very common thing. I think it is because of all the different nationalities that have a part in our make up. Dutch, French, small part Irish, Scottish and local Koi, Hottentot (which a lot of snob Afrikaners doesn't want to know!:)). There is even eastern blood in some of us as well. (Slave women - early Cape)

That last comment by Johan on eastern slave blood is something that foreigners find intriguing. Africa is well-known to have "exported" slaves....however, the Dutch in South Africa imported slaves to Africa. These were Malaysian/Indonese/Javanese artisans brought in as skilled labour. Today they are a significant community, particularly in the Cape Town area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Malays

I know I just said this but...

There are many, of which I am one, who love learning about other cultures, and points of view. It is way more fun to learn it directly from those people with another point of view than to simply read about it.

Thanks again guys. I appreciate the time.

Kobus you need to start taking those bike spares off that worktable :)

You are so sharp Hennie, the problem is WHERE to put all the rubbish. Gerald will just have to take it as it is....LEKKER DEURMEKAAR.:o

Kobus, I think Hennie was suggesting some space for me to sleep. Hey, you all know I prefer dirty tables to clean ones. :)

Bull twang you cannot sleep on my MM, that space is reserved for when the BOSS throws me out of the house....Nice Hennie ...putting my guests up in the shed is no option, maybe in the Eastern Cape :D

Come on make the Big boss feel at home with your MM.I didn`t know MechMates can build motor bikes .Maybe A Yamie but not a suzie:D
Gerald can pick Sedgefield or Plett.

Thanks Kobus. I'm broke right now but someday I hope to have enough cash to visit y'all. By then, you probably will have forgotten who I am. :)

Johan, I'm proud of my heritage also and have done some genealogy research over the past few years. The internet makes it much easier now.

To all of the SAers, thanks for teaching us about your culture.

Doug, You must send me some of that internet references. I would like to know more about other peoples culture and history. Movies tends to distort everything.
Groete(Regards)

Cannot for the life of me figure this one out.

Also stuggling with Bull Twang, but sorta got the gist of it I think, or maybe not. :eek:

Heath

Sedgefield is a small holiday town also in the Garden Route and Plett is the holiday town where I work & live.If things go according to plan and we don`t drink ourselves to death because of this year that has gone past I will start building my second house in Sedgefield in January then when Gerald come to my side of the country He can stay there or he can stay in Plett.The condition is that if he comes he needs to bring his fishing rod with.:D
Gerald note that everybody that comes and visits that look older than me becomes my little ones ouma & oupa!:D

Hey Gerald,

This photo came as one pic in an email to me today titled 8 amazing holes.
The caption read :
Apparently the largest ever hand-dug excavation in the world, this 1097 meter deep mine yielded over 3 tons of diamonds before being closed in 1914.

It looks incredible!!

Hi Dough,

The time to visit South Africa is NOW....with the exchange rate at the moment you can have a very nice holiday for very few dollars. Rate is around R 1.00 / $ 12.00
A pizza (medium) will set you back R 40.00...about $3.33 ??

On special I can get a Pizza for around R 26.00......NOW is the TIME

Inspection by the BOSS
 

Be aware you Mech Mate Builders Big Brother :D is Watching you and he intends inspecting each and every MM being build. The good news is he is light on drinks and did not eat much, but we had a nice chat during the BRAAI.

Attachment 2391

Not much of a inspection! Everything is full of dust!

Just the way the Boss likes it !

And some oil!:)

Great photo guys!!:)

Greg, I flew over that hole 2 hours ago, on the way back from Jo'burg.

...boy I bet your arms are tired! :p

Gerald,
When are you doing the North American Inspections? I want to make sure my machine is done in time. :)

Okay then . . . . I sat over that hole.

Does that sound better? :p

Heath, you are safe for a looong time. :(

That hole is where my great grandfather planted carrots....:D

Sat over the hole...that sounds even worse :o

We need to talk a little bit about culture today!:D
Blue looks nice on a machine:cool: but it looks 'exhaust product' on a Rugby Jersey!!:eek:

I am PROUD of you Johan keep up the correct support..that is my team as well..born and bred a "piesang boer"

Congrats to the Piesang Boere on the win today, they were deserving winners, being a Province Boytjie at least it went to a coastal team :p

Thanks Alan it was a tough final.

Thanks Alan! It was a sweet victory:) I nearly had a heart attack when they lost the broadcast link during the match.:eek: Luckly the radio was on standby! The 'Blue Bull" fans were nowhere to be seen afterwards in our residential area!:p

Gerald (and all my other South African friends),

My brother traveled to SA recently and LOVED it. He sent an email to my mother and told her that it is his favorite place on earth. He's lived and traveled all over the globe so that's a huge compliment. I'm not sure exactly where he went but I believe it was a wine producing area. My mom couldn't remember the name but she said it sounded German. Eventually, I'll get a chance to speak with him and I'll let y'all know where he was.

Also, I wanted y'all to know that I haven't stopped checking in with this forum. I retired from the Army in Jan and I've been job hunting and working on my house but I try to log in once or twice a week to see if I have any PMs. If I can help anyone, please don't hesitate to ask. Also, I bought an old Army jeep that I'm restoring.

Thanks again Gerald. You'll always be my hero. :)

That "german" wine producing area must be Stellenbosch. (Actually Dutch origins)

that's the town where I was born and where I studied engineering - it is about 25 miles east of Cape Town

Hey, good to hear from you again Doug!

Doug,

You are back as a leerker....... just the other day, I was wondering why we haven't heard from you. Good luck on finding a job and contragulations on your retirement.

Info for earlier part of thread
 

Hi Guys,

I have been lurking and reading everything I can while attempting to make space for my build (a slow process) but I have aquired some steel and I may well start with the rails... meanwhile...

We Brits seem to have a had a penchant for rubbing folks up the wrong way during our Colonial past. I think that at one time or another we have managed to pi*s just about everyone off!!

In reference to this post:
Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant (9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902) was an Anglo-Austrailian, horseman, poet and soldier whose renowned skill with horses earned him the nickname "The Breaker." Articulate, intelligent, and well-educated, he was also a published poet and became one of the better-known "back-block bards" of the 1890s, with the bulk of his work appearing in "The Bulletin" magazine.
During service in the Second Boer War, Morant was a Lieutenant in the Bushvelt Carbineers and was responsible for the summary execution of several Boer prisoners and a German missionary, Daniel Heese, who had been a witness to the shootings. His actions led to his controversial court martial for murder; his death warrent, was personally signed by the British commander in South Africa, Lord Kitchener, although he subsequently denied the issuance of it. Morant was executed for murder by a contingent of Cameron Highlanders (a regiment of the British Army) in Pretoria gaol on 27 February 1902. He was used as a scapegoat for British Policy.
In the century since his death, Morant has become a hero in Australia. His story has been the subject of several books and a major Australian film. Even during his lifetime, there was a great deal of conflicting information about this romantic but elusive figure, much of what we 'think' we know about him relies on what he, himself, told people - thus many of the stories about him are undoubtedly apocryphal.


My better half and I have often thought about emigrating to warmer parts. She is a Podiatrist and will soon qualify as a Podiatric Surgeon. Most Countries mainly Commonwealth or former Commonwealth will take her, but not me :( I am classed as a potential burden for their medical systems. Not forgetting the poxy UK Goverment would stop my War Pension thereby halving our income. Ho Hum, where's my Umbrella and wellies:rolleyes:

Tim, the name "Boer War" is no longer politically correct out here, but everyone knows what you mean. :) My father's side was Brit and my mother's side was Boer, so I can tell the following little bit of nonsense . . .

During that war, the Boer's guerilla tactics had the Brits in disarray - whereas the Brits started the war wearing red tunics so as to hide signs of blood, they ended the war wearing khaki coloured trousers so as to hide signs of . . . . . . .

Gerald,
What is the politically correct term then? Or is this a subject that is not easily discussed?

Gerald,

Indeed lol hehe.

Our presence in India also helped to give the world Anglosised Currys as well as Khaki.

However at that time we Brits also invented (To our everlasting shame)the 'Concentration Camp':mad: and the Boer also gave us the term, 'Commando'.

As a retired 'Royal Marines Commando' I for one am very proud to have been able to use it. There are plenty of other Marine Corps but I am unaware of any other Corps that offically has that word as part of their title (I feel I am about to be proved wrong) LOL:o.

I am amazed that such a huge part of SA's history should not be PC unless it is associated (sp) with Apartheid, which is a bit of a long and tenious link and should be perhaps aimed more at the recent end of colonial rule and the failure then to make amends.

I think I shall shut up. Politics is perhaps best not discussed as things can be taken out of context too easily and hurt caused when there was no intention to do so.

I will however continue to believe that the GB has managed to cause some of the worlds most wide ranging and long lasting (in the words of Clint Eastwood) Cluster F**ks!!

The "South African War" is the preferred term these days as that war was not exclusively Anglo (Brit) vs Boer.

http://www.southafrica.info/about/hi...ves-260905.htm

http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/ch...rationcamp.htm

The term Anglo-Boer War is not regarded as offensive, just not conveying the full picture.