Fidler in the Hood: The lady doth protest too much

Easter has come and gone, but is still with us if we are enjoying the delights of what is on offer here during the holidays. Make the most of it whilst we still have water. Last week’s protests, organised by the DA, against the impending water tariff increases (22 per cent; and no free allowance – effectively, a 54 per cent increase) in Uvongo were met with a definite decrease in water pressure from the taps at home. Coincidence?

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Meet Gerry Gregory

The upside of life down here is meeting the many nice people who have had a lifetime’s experience, all with a tale to tell, kicking into touch the doom-and-gloom merchants and those who are hell-bent on making life as uncomfortable as possible. A case in point was meeting Gerry Gregory, of Sappersglen, Uvongo. Your scribe had picked up on Gerry’s Wolverhampton, UK, accent, establishing he was a Wolves’ football follower, so he was ‘in’, football-wise. The delicate subject of his team missing out on playing Manchester City in this year’s FA Cup Final was avoided.

Instead, Gerry invited your scribe to visit Sappersglen Combined Ops Shellhole. Amazing: having lived in Uvongo for the past four years, your scribe didn’t realise there so many hidden gems. Sappersglen is a ‘live’ museum of South African and Central African military memorabilia, showcasing a proud history. Visitors are ‘greeted’ with a WWI howitzer gun, strategically placed to defend Sappersglen from neighboring ‘enemy activity’, aided and abetted by an original WWII Royal Navy gun, along with a magnificent peacock, constantly ‘on guard’ outside the shellhole.

1947 Royal Visit

Gerry’s career in the military has spanned some 40 years, including service in the army and air forces, both in the UK and RSA.

Recruited by Atlas Aircraft in the late 1960s, Gerry specialised in aeronautical engineering, working on the legendary aircraft of the day, Vulcans, Vampires, Spitfires, Shackletons, Buccaneers.

Now general manager at Sappersglen, Gerry showed your scribe around the shellhole. For the layman, it was quite impressive: one item of interest which caught the eye was the Union flag, which was draped above the steps of Johannesburg’s City Hall during the 1947 Royal Visit. Having just finished reading the excellent South African book on the Royal Tour (“The Last Hurrah”, by Graham Viney), your scribe had noted a picture in the book of the Union Jack. Now the very same flag is here in Uvongo.

Full military honours

Gerry narrated a million experiences, far too numerous to record, but with the not-really-unexpected invitation to ‘come along, meet the officers and other ranks, and have a drink with us’. Par for the course: a quick hello, and a quicker invite to ‘join up’ with full military honours. Your scribe recounted to Gerry that his questionable military career (‘up north’) included the 400 metres ‘get the hell out of here’ dash when facing the enemy for the first time. “It’s called the ‘Cowardy Custard’ medal, does that make me eligible?” he asked Gerry. “You’ll do,” was the reply. Your scribe thinks he might be perfect for “Dad’s Army”.

Water skiing? Are you crazy?

Seems the gremlins got hold of your scribe’s copy last week and reported that he had gone along to the ski-boat club’s AGM. In fact, he has joined SHAFTS (Self-Help Association for the Seniors) and its AGM was held at Shelly Beach Ski-boat Club.

See you, Rob.

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