The Common Vein

Reside: Melbourne Australia since 1986

email:

bob@boblor.com.au

D.O.B.  10th August 1951

Spouse: Lorraine Goldberg (Glen Hazel, Jhb)

Siblings: 2 daughters ? Cassandra (Casey) Lee ? 24; Erin -21;

Hobbies: Photography, Golf, Bridge,  (Bush)Walking

Primary school ? 1st day?.(std 2. )

I can see myself, a small skinny kid  lined up in single file outside the classroom of my new teacher at my new school. Mrs Meduniou (spelling?) looked very smart & kind with her short cropped blond hair. I?m standing in the front of the line, the new kid on the block, the little ?gattis? from Sannieshof, short back and sides haircut, grey shorts white shirt & brand spanking new black shoes ( I never wore shoes at Sannieshof (primary) laerskool ,wanting  to impress and be a good boy ?cause that is what mom & dad would expect from their 9 year old son on his first day at the new Jewish school, many miles away from home.

The bell rings and all the children in the playground rush off to line up outside their respective class rooms. And then some kid decides to stand in front of me in the front of the line. This is not good. What happens next, I believe defined who I was for a number of years ? I politely asked the boy to move and as I recall he refused so I smacked him in the eye, just one punch.  That kid was Mervyn Woolf ? Later we became fairly good friends / Mervyn do you recall this incident? / Mervyn lived right across from the shool ? probably 12 steps from the school to his front door & me my home was 300+ miles away ? I was not taking shit from anyone!

The reprimand I received from the teacher seemed harsh and I could not stop crying ?  that was the 1st  and definitely not th last time I got in trouble at both primary & high school years.

The year was 1961

 I was boarder  at  Herber House. The boarding School affiliated to King David Schools. Herber House was perched on the Koppie overlooking Doornfontein & what we now know as Harrow road (across from the Ponti building) ?  The best thing  about Herber House was that it was close enough to Ellis Park & whenever there was a rugby test on between the Springboks & Lions, All Blacks,etc. I would bunk out on that Saturday afternoon  and sneak into the ground and watch my childhood rugby heroes. But Herber House was an awful place and more reminiscent of Charles Dickens novel and best left for another day.

We caught the bus to school those days ? Esau (lion), Robert (ostrich) ?I don?t recall any other drivers ? the Herber house kids pretty much stuck together & looked after one another. Thankfully they shut it down in 1964

The Hostel  opened in 1966 and I was a founder member of Sachs House. ?  my brother Philip was the 1st head boy. Willy Brouze, Tevis Shapiro, Alan Crown, Allan Yellin , Milton Levine, Russel Feigen, Manfred (Doos) Levy,  (thin) Hilton Cohen, Paul Paster, Raymond Friedman, Sara-Lee Smith, Bev Bentel, Leonie Jorge, Vivienne Goldsmith, Stan Kaftel, Janice Cooper ? hostel kids  names that come to mind of the class of  ?69.

I read with interest the bio?s and recall wisps of incidents only

High School -1st day

I do not recall much of that day except that Milton Levine and I landed in the Bosses office for 6 o? the best / later that day back at the hostel Meish Zimmerman called us in to his office and explained that since we got flapped by Mr Sandler , he too would land him mark and proceeded to give me 5 more -(as he said we?ll make it one short of a dozen, not  a bad start to the year, Robbie!)

In those days I was always in shit ? only a matter of depth.

Me thinks of the rugby song +? Balls to Mr Sandler the dirty old shit

He keeps us a waiting while he?s masturbating?..

We had good reason to sing that song with gusto?

Form 11K ? Mr Klopper Soccer player & Bookkeeping teacher & the incident of sitting on the drawing pin. As described by Eric & yes I recall Leslie Singer owning up last day of school

I was appointed the one to blow the Shofar at morning prayers and I remember that I sang for Ben Gurion when he came to the school. (I don?t recall the date) I was in Mrs Amiels? Choir for my voice & out of the choir for my lack of commitment, preferring to be on the rugby field or just messing about with my mates ?

I was an average student, more interested in sport, mates & my girlfriend. (Karen Wasilewsky & Hilton who lived in Myer street Linksfield ? the same street that Rhona Segal,Ashley George Subotsky, Choni Becker lived in ? I regularly used to?go for a run? bunk out to visit her or land up at the Six Gun , which was also out of bounds to us hostel students

Form 111- 1967 ?6 day war & Ulpan / what fun ? Pension Margoa. I recall we bunked out one day & went to the wailing wall .I think it was Milton L, Barry J and me . We were caught by Meish Twinkletoes Zimmerman but somehow avoided any punishment.

I also recall protesting at the food ?

? stick your chicken, stick your chicken we want steak!?

Form V ? 1969 ? 69 was always a good number ? Matric dance and I recall the Boss asking my date for a dance. Adrienne had a backless dress & Norman did not know where to put his hands, so rested one on her shoulder & the other came to rest on her ass ?the dance did not last too long?

I matriculated and decided to become a Vet ? so I went to Tukkies University ? and there met up with Tevis Shapiro and Steve Selesnick ? one thing I do know is that we didn?t attend too many lectures.  For me I lasted 1 year and then moved on to work with my grandfather & uncle in an Curtain, Manchester & Interior business in Springs ? I was good at my job and decided after 4 years to study interior design in New York ? so off I went to the NYSID. New York was an absolute blast. (that is another story for another time?)

Returned to SA and continued to work in Springs until 1986? when Lorraine and Casey (9 months) and I emigrated to Melbourne.

The years 1970-1985 involve a lot of the easy life that we were fortunate to experience being white South Africans ? working hard & playing harder ? with good friendships cultivated at school & after..

 ( Tevis,was most prominent )

 1980 December ? I was on holiday with buddies in Cape Town going to dinner one night at the Hard Rock Café when I spotted a girl with shoulder length blond hair, khaki shorts, purple T shirt & the most beautiful eyes. I just had to meet that girl. Lorraine (Goldberg) and I married in late 1981. Cassandra (Casey) Lee was born in 1985.

Casey is a qualified primary teacher  with  masters in teaching & a bachelor of applied science

Erin was born in 1989 ? studying Marketing /fashion ?

My girls fortunately take after their mother, but I left my mark ? with each of them having a cleft in their chin, not unlike mine

We migrated to Melbourne Australia in 1986 and it was a struggle!

The job that I came to did not work out. Lorraine was missing her family, the weather was dreary, overcast & depressing & we struggled to make ends meet. I hated my job, one that promised so much turned out to be a crock. I found another job, which was a little better, more in the field of my experience and slowly the dark clouds started to recede.

Then one of my friends offered me a managerial position in a finance company ? a new start up. I had nothing to lose. I took up the position and remained with the growing successful company for 7 years.

In 1995 I decided that I wanted to be the maker of my own destiny .I left the finance company to start my own business.

With very little experience in importing & wholesaling but a whole lot of determination I went into my study, closed the door and started a import & wholesale business ? with  assistance and guidance I entered the Appliance & Consumer electronic business ? it took me 2 months to secure my first order & the rest is history. ? 35 employees and a very healthy turnover and a merger that did not work out for me made me decide to leave the company in 2007

I am now working as consultant in the Finance industry ironically with the same friend who has started up a new venture.

So life is good.

 I have a beautiful wife, my best friend & 2 beautiful girls. I am healthy and am privileged fortunate & lucky to still have both my 93 year old father and mother living in Melbourne ? with all their children, grand children & great rand children My brother & family/ sister& family live in Melbourne too)  ? I suppose it is the deserved reward for the early sacrifice they made of sending their children away for a better education and not being able to enjoy our teen years ? we have been making up that time for the past 21years together in Australia

I would have loved to be at the R-union, but the timing is not right for me .

So I wish you all a very good time reminiscing, and partying and just having fun and to you all a Good Yom Tov & a good fast.

Stay well and remember ????.

Oh Lucky man ( The Animals) ?

If you have a friend on whom you think you can rely

You are a lucky man

If you?ve found the reason to live on and not to die

You are a lucky man

Preachers and poets and scholars don?t know it

Temples and statues and steeples won?t show it

If you?ve got the secret just try not to blow it

Stay a lucky man! A lucky man!

If you?ve found the meaning of the truth in this old world

You are a lucky man

If knowledge hangs around your neck like pearls instead of chains

You are a lucky man

Takers and fakers and talkers won?t tell you

Teachers and preachers will just buy and sell you

When no one can tempt you with heaven or hell

You?ll be a lucky man

Takers and fakers and talkers won?t tell you

Teachers and preachers will just buy and sell you

When no one can tempt you with heaven or hell

You?ll be a lucky man

You?ll be better by far to be just what you are

You can be what you want if you are what you are

And that?s a lucky man!

Oh yeah, a lucky man

And that?s a lucky, a lucky, a lucky man

A lucky, a lucky, a lucky man