East London Days

Memories of Old Slummies

Over the past few years I have been rather harsh in my criticism of my hometown of East London in the Eastern Cape, often lovingly referring to it as a shithole. Most of the time, it is merely an expression of my disappointment and frustration stemming from the steady decline of what was once a great place to grow up. The East London of my childhood and teen years is a far cry from the mismanaged and neglected city I now visit. That does not mean my memories of the place have been tainted; in fact, I treasure countless special memories of life in East London, and reflecting on the EL years recently prompted me to compile this list for anyone else who grew up here in the 80s and 90s. Regardless of how things change and where we end up, there is no place like home after all.

You know you grew up in EL in the 80s and 90s when:

You over exaggerate the awesomeness of the Shamrock pie. Guys, it's good but it's not the holy grail of pies.

Similarly, you claim that nothing can come close to a Friesland milkshake - often your first and/or last stop when arriving and/or leaving the city.

You know who the Flower Lady was (may she rest in peace).

Music Mix was thee place to buy CDs (when everyone still bought CDs) and you were assisted by the super efficient manager who vaguely resembled Sinead O'Connor.

The best Sundays typically comprised Sunday School, "Kentucky" for lunch and a drive along the beach front.

You felt like a cool kid when you went to a Teen Rave at Numbers on the beach front.

You agree that Numbers on the beach front was the best club ever.

Gonubie was considered "far" but worth the drive to be able to walk on the boardwalk.

The Smartie Train at Marina Glen has assumed the status of a legend that must be referred to when discussing "the good old days".

Your family bought all of their appliances from ELCO and their furniture from Joshua Doore or Morkels ("Your two year guarantee store").

Your idea of going out for dinner entailed a table at the Spur or Mike's Kitchen, where you inevitably had a cream soda float.

You remember the sound of school shoes on the wooden floors of the museum as you respectfully passed the coelacanth and the dodo.

The zoo was a place that you actually wanted to visit, where you just about peed your pants when you saw one of the bears and ate most of the peanuts before you got to the monkey cages.

Going to look at that house in Beacon Bay with its Christmas decorations "from overseas" was an exciting family outing.

There were three highlights on your calendar: The Agricultural Show, the Grahamstown Festival and the Christmas Carnival.

You remember the orange and blue light fixtures suspended from the ceiling at the airport - when you could still stand on the rooftop outside to watch the planes land and take off.

You recall the six months that Lock Street Gaol was a shopping and entertainment centre.

The Christmas lights of Oxford Street marked the start of the festive season and you would stare up in awe at the twinkling lights as you drove under them.

You went to the "bioscope" at the bottom of Oxford Street.

You can remember when it was safe to set foot in Oxford Street.