206doorman

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Everything posted by 206doorman

  1. Ever since they changed the 'look' of Facebook, our page entitled "History of South African Skydiving" has had a couple of files missing and we'd like to retrieve them. Namely, A Licence and D Licence. 2 files. If anyone can assist, or tell me how to find them, it would be appreciated! Blue Skies, Nigel
  2. It's 11 years today that we lost t. Still remembered fondly.
  3. Same as others: friends scattered all over the world. I filter out some,avoids deleting them.Especially those that post religious stuff exclusively! Honestly, I guess most are not friends but really distant acquaintances, 85% are skydiving related. Beats e-mail for rapid info on what's going on!
  4. Mike wrote after i'd asked him if I could reproduce Skydiving Magazine articles in a newly created South African newsletter 'Paradox' back around 1991. I received the most encouraging and courtious letter. Respect Mike, Respect.
  5. Mike Stanton passed away yesterday at home in Plymouth UK. Born in London 05/04/32,he spent his early years in the Peckam and New Cross areas. Stanton,as he was affectionatly known, had major heart surgery in 2008,just after which he suffered a mini-stroke which affected his right side. He never fully recovered from the chest op,and had another stroke in 2009 which affected his speech and mobility. Always a colourful character, his stories around the campfire were legendary! He spent time at Elsinore back in the late 70's after leaving his UK home DZ Dunkeswell. He arrived in South Africa in 1981 and quickly established an association with Witbank Skydiving Club which lasted some 18 years. At WSC he was Chief Instructor and Chairman at various times. Also early on in SA he became the National Coach and Safety Officer,a position he held for about 4 years. He won't mind me telling you that in the early 60's he also spent time " At Her Majesty's Pleasure" after being the getaway driver for a bank robbery. As a young man he served in the British Army and the SAS. Married numourous times,he leaves a son, two daughters and three grandchildren. I was fortunate to have known him for some 28 years,and managed to stay in contact despite his frequent disappearing acts to various parts of the world! His last jump was in Sri Lanka around 2003. Go well my dear friend, you will be missed and never forgotten. Nigel Peart UK
  6. From Lionel,a close friend.... Yes he was far more intelligent than any of us gave him credit. He was in fact a straight A student, unfortunately he was expelled during his A level year for blowing up the science Lab, he thought it would be great to make some touch dust, or something along those lines, the experiment went wrong destroying the common room radiator, wall and window. He did it for a prank, however Scotland Yard took a dim view of anyone making bombs during the days when the IRA was blowing everything up, so he got sent to the Navy, 5 years as an apprenticed midshipman, finally qualifying as a Millwright with skilled knowledge in Gas turbines, electronics, fitting, turning boiler making, tool making and anything else required to keep a naval battle ship afloat. His South African equivalent is a Pr.Tech and is valid as a mechanical engineer. When he first came to SA he worked for Johnson Matthee as one of their hotshot imports from England, later he worked for the CSIR assisting on the design and prototype manufacture of the new safety brakes fitted to all mine shafts. Later still he had his own successful business. He had it all, fast cars, women and money. (Believe it or not he was once really attractive to the females, I’ve seen the photo’s, perfectly manicured and dressed to kill) Believe it or not it was a woman that turned him into what he later became. He fell in love with a Nigerian Princess.(during Apartheid SA, really wise move) They got a high class apartment in Hillbrow in the early 80’s and were planning to elope to England. Ironically it was her family, not the SA Police, that intervened, they came in and beat him to a pulp and took her back to Nigeria. At the time he had his own business, a panel and spray shop, with contracts with half the used car dealers on Jules Street. One of them refused to pay him for repairs to just about every car on the lot and Paul, with his typical sense of Justice, went on to the lot with a sledge hammer and put all the cars back the way they were. That got him a few months in Jail and cost him everything he had, including 5 years of judgments. He never recovered, financially or emotionally. I met him shortly after this had happened, In fact he lived with me for nine months when he was evicted from the house he was in. I had many arguments with him about his appearance and lack of ambition, I was the only one who could call him a hobo to his face and he would accept it, I once told him in an argument that if he continued along his path he would end up old, alone and poor. I really wish he had listened to me. He could have been anything he wanted to be, and in the end, he was exactly what he wanted. One thing I can say, he lived his life happy for 99% of his time, that is something few people can claim.
  7. Blondie passed away Sat 28th June after a long battle with cancer. He was briefly in remission from bugs in his lungs, but they had already spread to his head. He went downhill the previous weekend, and was hospitalised and comatose by Tuesday. British born, he first jumped at Pretoria in 1981. Soon after, Witbank Skydiving Club became 'home'. I met him early on, around 82/83, and didn't know him well. Latterly, in the last 5/6 years, I discovered a very articulate and intelligent character. He stepped into the manifest role with consummate skill and ability,despite many initial misgivings. His unkempt appearance,notably his hair, caused him to be maligned by some, including me. His love of the finest weed was legend,but he chided anyone who used anything stronger. BSBD Nigel
  8. I'll second that Andre. Well done everybody. We know how it feels to break a record, simply awesome! Nige
  9. A rotten day indeed. Such a warm and friendly guy to meet, whether you were a first-timer or a 25 year veteran. ....And such an articulate and erudite correspondant on this website. tonto, you've left us far too soon mate. My sympathy to his family, including Sue. Nigel
  10. I did but one jump out of this famous aircraft, and i'm privileged to have done so. This was Xmas 1980. Mr Hooper was running the show. Oh and hi Jim, last we met it was around Chris and Mari's dinner table! N.
  11. The turbo-charged version of the 206 is much quieter than the 'normal' one due to the design of the exhaust system. If you have continual issues with your neighbours, this may be a (radical) option.....
  12. Hi Bev, Perhaps you could refer his-good-self to your 'surrogate weekend sex provider' in the form of the most attractive guy on the dz? Who knows what his reaction might have been!!!!! Luv yer madly...n. Oops, sorry, that was a serious question...
  13. An American, who lived and jumped Pretoria, South Africa for several years, roughly early 80's to 1990, married a South African girl Marion. Relocated to the US 1990 ish, with a baby. Anybody?
  14. Perhaps, but if I found a tunnel-boring-machine in a barn and buried myself with it, i'd not be surprised by a similar dig. (sorry, pun intended)
  15. I hereby nominate Kelly Mills for a Darwin Award.