Songs That Take You Back

going back to primary school.
we were going to be living in mauritius for a few years - i was not too happy about leaving all my friends behind.
i was going to be sent to boarding school in kzn - but would fly back and forth every school holiday.

i recall these in granular detail, as though it were yesterday afternoon.
playing tennis at a friend's house, we were pretty much done, it was about 4.30pm, i was about to leave for home (and say goodbye to my friends).
this was playing at that very moment:

New york groove:

another from the same day
dancing in the city

next morning in the plane, music was playing while we were waiting to be pushed back from the apron and on to the runway:
voyager - halfway hotel

next up as we were being pushed back:
promises - baby it's you

my mother was a great one for sentimental souvenirs.
my boarding pass - right up in the front, smoking section (left side was smoking - right side non-smoking).
she would always remember the name of the plane - this one was named "helderberg"
bp dbn-mru helderberg.png


our house was directly on the beach, where our front lawn ended, the beach sand began.
here we have me
IMG-20260731-WA0016.jpg

my father on the front patio - the wall to ceiling wooden doors behind him are "cyclone doors", to protect the glass doors:
IMG-20260731-WA0015.jpg
 
Last edited:
one of my mother's favourites back then - often got played in her car.
my parents had a pair of landships.
my father had a jaguar mark x - he bought it when we lived in hong kong, it was shipped back here when we came back.
then we moved to mauritius for a couple of years - again the car was shipped there, then back again when we returned.
my mother hated the thing, as kids we loved it, tray tables in the back and all those things, it was like a funfair for us.
my mother had a mercedes , also massive - but compact and nimble by comparison.
the final time she drove it, she took us kids to the beach in it - tried to do a u-turn, but got stuck - too big.
it blocked durban summer beachfront traffic. she refused to ever drive it again.

so in her car:
mistral - starship 109

those cars: (not their actual cars, but identical)
mother
Screen Shot 2026-09-12 at 08.31.54.jpg

father
Screen Shot 2026-09-12 at 08.40.29.jpg

years and years later i asked about the jaguar.
turns out it belonged to the british high commission in hong kong, sometimes used by the high comissioner, but generally reserved for special occasions - state visits etc.
it still had its flag holder thingeys at the lefr and right front fenders.
probably had some interesting passengers in its time
 
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X