| I came across your web site by chance while researching something else. Oddly, I was just telling someone last night that I had bought my first motorcycle with winnings from The Generation Game. I was working in Johannesburg as an apprentice photo-lithographer with the newly started BEELD newspaper (1974), and fed up with catching the train to work. I was listening to the radio one evening and heard someone I went to school with on the Generation Game, winning about R160, (R480 for the whole team of three). I applied, was accepted along with my mum, and walked away with enough money to buy my first motorbike, (Suzuki AC50cc). The experience was brilliant, recording the four shows in two sessions at the old SABC building in Commissioners Street, (I think!). Clark McKay (Clackie) was the quizmaster, and the warm up man was a guy who's name escapes me, but I believe he went on to be rather big behind the scenes in television. The sponsor was "Lemon charged" FAB washing powder, and I kept a box of the free powder until I returned to live in England in 1985. One of my earliest and fondest memories of South African was listening to "Squad Cars" in Mac's Snacks Roadhouse on the old Main Reef Road in Witpoorje, eating waffles with cream and honey…very exotic for someone who had never been much further than a Yorkshire mining village before. Thanks for the memories. |
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| The following account was received 23 March 2002. It was submitted by Merle Lotzof, as dictated by her father, Solly Jankelow, who once owned and operated a business next door to the SABC building in Commissioner Street. This amusing account comes to us from Sydney, Australia. |
| The Pumamouse Website was born on 1 January 2002. Since that date, I have received many letters from visitors who have kindly shared their personal memories of South African Old-Time Radio, and particularly their fond impressions of Springbok Radio. All of these letters have been very enjoyable, and I am grateful for each and every recollection which has been shared with me. However, some of these accounts have been completely unique, because they tell the tale of an individual's personal interaction with a former South African radio personality. This webpage is intended to provide a space where those very unique letters from lucky listeners may be shared with everyone. If you have such a tale to tell of direct interaction with a South African radio personality which you would like to share with the world, please submit it for consideration. If your story is selected for inclusion on this webpage, your permission will be requested, and your consent must be obtained before your account is posted. In other words, you will have the opportunity to review your story and approve or withdraw it before it is added to this webpage, to ensure that what I post here is exactly what you intended to say. For those who may be wondering, I have created this webpage instead of a simple "guestbook" in an effort to reduce the risk of totally unrelated commentaries, vicious slander, or obscenities appearing upon this website. Please be advised that any submission containing one or more of these unfortunate elements will not be considered for inclusion. Those accounts which are selected shall be posted directly below this text in the order that they are received and chosen. The author's name will always be included, (no anonymous entries, please), and the author's present country of residence will be provided only with his/her consent. Thank you for your letters, and for your interest! The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) March 2002 |
| Many years ago, a funny thing happened in Johannesburg. It was one of those rare years when there was snow. My brother came out of the garage where he had parked his car (in the neighbouring service station on the corner of Commissioner and Polly Streets) which happened to be one corner away from Broadcast House. Eric Egan, on his way to work, ambushed my elder brother with a couple of snow balls which Sidney copped right in the kisser! Eric responded with gales of laughter. He was, however, unaware that I was on the fifth floor above him, observing his antics! The window ledge of our offices was at least six feet wide, and deeply covered with beautiful white snow. I picked my moment, and as Eric stood aligned with the window, so gleeful at his momentary victory, I pushed the collected snow off the sill. Silently it fell, and reached the target as if it were a guided missile! (Chuckles) This resulted in the issue of some very colorful expletives from the otherwise erudite Eric as he waved his fist at me. I responded by blowing him a kiss. My brother was duly avenged, and Eric went home to change his clothes. |
| The following account was received 24 April 2002. It was submitted by Peter van de Geest, as heard from his father, who played in the SABC Symphony Orchestra. This amusing account comes to us from England. |
| My father played the cello, and he played in the SABC orchestra in a period during which serious music flourished in South Africa. There were many emigre musicians who escaped the war or had left just after 1946 to seek a new life in SA. Obviously many of them were exceptionally good and thus the orchestra from the early fifties onwards was very good and attracted well known conductors of the era (Stravinsky, Boulez, etc.) One story I remember well was of a Dutch Jewish family who came across to SA. The father, Jos de Groen, and his son, Josie, both played the Bassoon exceptionally well. The father was first bassoon, and when his son joined the orchestra, he was second. His father was keen to teach him orchestra etiquette before his debut in the SABC - which was important anyway, but at the time there was a chief conductor of the orchestra by the name of Anton Hartmann, who was extremely authoritarian and not much loved, so keeping out of his wrath was good for one's long term career too. Jos told his son that one of the important things to remember was that, if you made a big mistake, especially during a recording, it was better to look at someone else so the conductor didn't think it was you. Anyway, they were doing some recording, and the bassoons had a solo that went wrong because of Josie's first day nerves. Anton Hartmann stopped the orchestra in a bit of a rage and glared at the bassoons. What he saw was Josie, innocently looking toward his father as if 'he' had made the mess up! |
| The following account was received 28 April 2002. It was submitted by Emiline Fabre-Murdey, who did some free-lance acting with Radio South Africa in Durban. This interesting account comes to us from Florida, USA. |
| To a certain extent radio helped raise me. My parents listened to Radio South Africa and Springbok Radio just about all of the time. I remember waking up late at night and hearing the signature tune for “Ten 'o Clock Tales” or the “Springbok Top 20” and the like. Our first television set moved into our house when I was nineteen, so radio filled a great deal of time in my life. My main source of entertainment after reading or being read to was listening to “Little People's Playtime” presented by the likes of Kathleen David and Midge Dogherty. Every afternoon by a quarter to three (some years later the schedule was changed and it was a quarter to four) I made sure that all homework was done and, once a favorite doll had been selected, would settle comfortably in front of the large radiogram for my story time. I can still hear “Aunty Midge” greeting me and wishing me well and I felt as though I was the only person in the world that she was talking to! She was right at my side. As I grew in years and paid attention to a career choice, the obvious was radio. I have a good voice and diction (though you would never guess from my grammar sometimes!) so I began to apply to SABC in Durban, the city I was born in and where I grew up. The pang of disappointment was harsh when a thin, “we-regret-to-inform-you” envelope arrived time after time. I am not a very pushy person so after about 5 of these I decided that it would not work out and explored other options. One day a letter arrived, inviting me for an interview. While I was assured that there were no posts available in Durban, someone was prepared to keep my file on record, just in case. So there I was, all of 18, dressed in my formal best, on my way to the SABC, to be interviewed by Geoff Stuart. It was more of a “getting-to-know-you” chat than a job interview and when asked why I was so passionate about radio, I related my hours with Aunty Midge and how I wanted to fill peoples' lives with as much magic as she had mine. I blinked incredulously when Mr. Stuart suggested lunch with the lady herself! Once again, a week later, I set off to the studios, this filled with more excitement, nervousness and anticipation than any new job could raise! There was nothing glamorous about the cafeteria but it could have been the moon for all I cared! There, coming across the room, was the lady! She was a dainty, fragile-looking frame with a smile that filled the room. Whoever she encountered on her route, from executives to cleaners, were greeted warmly and, after what felt like an eternity of watching her draw nearer, she was seated opposite me. Geoff Stuart introduced us, lunch was ordered and we chatted. Two hours later, with very little of our meals touched, we hugged and said good-bye, my life that much richer for the experience. She asked about my family, my schooling, my love for radio, my goals. She shared some of her loves and dreams and we had altogether too little time. Some years later, while at Drama school, I was able to do some freelance radio acting with Don Ridgeway as my director. Again, it was a huge honour working with the likes of Don and Harold Freed and Caroline Smart. More and more work was produced in Johannesburg so there were fewer and fewer opportunities in Durban and I had no plans to relocate. Marriage and motherhood and travel removed me from the environment but I remained in contact with the Ridgeways. When Don told me of Aunty Midge's death I was very sad, but he described it as such a wonderfully peaceful passing that I could not imagine a more dignified passing. I was able to read a copy of his eulogy, which was touching and so appropriate and she died, I think, as she lived - well loved and contented with her extended family of listeners thinking of her often, sending notes and messages of love and kindness because she is missed very much. I so wish that I could give my now 12 year old son some of that radio magic. I believe that a goal is a wish or a dream with a date to it so, as soon as I can, we are headed back to South Africa to, yes, you've guessed it, get into radio! I have been out of the country for 11 years, but with periodic visits. The last visit was in 1998, so I am desperate to get back! This time I am armed with life skills, ideas, and (I hope) talent to make something work. Whatever comes of it will be nourished by a wealth of cherished memories and nurtured with passion and love as a tribute to those who dedicated and are still dedicating so much of their lives to the art of Radio. |
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| The following essay was written in May 2002 and kindly provided by South African radio enthusiast Kevan Mardon, Durban, South Africa. |
| FOND MEMORIES OF SPRINGBOK RADIO BY KEVAN N.J. MARDON “You are tuned to the national network of Springbok Radio – Springbok Radio, the station for brighter broadcasting. When you hear the gong, the time will be exactly 10 o’clock………” Over how many years did that announcement, and the melodious sound of the Springbok gong, regulate our lives with accurate time checks? Springbok Radio officially opened on 1 May 1950, and I am sure you will all agree that she once proudly graced the airwaves of the old Auntie SABC on the ether. She was the flagship station of commercial radio in South Africa and was often referred to as the mother station of Auntie SABC. On 1 October 1950, Springbok Radio was relayed on Medium Wave from Durban for the first time – this was the first step since 1 May 1950 towards a national network. On 1 February 1951, Springbok Radio became a full national commercial station on Medium Wave. She was to be the very first national commercial station in the world and the largest national commercial station in the world, broadcasting from 6AM to 11PM except Saturdays when the station closed at midnight. In 1960 the station opened at 5AM and closed at midnight. The first English male announcer was Eric Egan, who had a ready sense of humor, and how many listeners can remember his very rich voice? At 7:20 each morning, before we left for school, he would say to us “I Love You”. One morning he forgot to say that and we were all late for school. Eric Egan was also known for his corny cracks for the day, and often was suspended for several weeks. One corny crack which comes to mind was back in 1960, he said, “How to catch a Polar bear in the Antarctic? All you do is cut a hole in the ice, take peas and place them around the edge of the ice hole. When the Polar bear comes up for a pea, you then kick him in the ice hole.” Some listeners will remember when he use to percolate his coffee in the studio. One morning, he blew the power in the studio and there was this silence-dead air. Yes, he once again got into serious trouble…….. Bless dear Eric Egan. The first English lady of Springbok was Sheila Raymond-Jones. I’m very proud to share with all of you dear readers that I am personal friends with Sheila. Her first programme on Springbok Radio was called “Sunbeam Time”, a weekday programme at 9:15 AM to 9:30AM. It had a pretty signature tune called “The Song Has Ended, But The Melody Lingers On” (orchestral version), originally sung by Nat King Cole. Sheila shared this happy memory of Eric Egan with his ready sense of humor. One morning, Eric said to the listeners, “I’m going to tell you how Sheila Raymond-Jones chose her signature tune. It all happened like this. There was this gentleman who was feeling rather poorly and went to see a doctor in the city. The doctor checked the gentleman all over and said, “My friend, if you can’t give me some idea what is wrong with you, you’ll have to go and see a witchdoctor.” With glee, he did, and the witchdoctor said, “Oh I think I have the remedy for you. You take this leather thong, it has seven knots, and I want you to go home and swallow a knot each day. On the seventh day, you should be cured of your strange illness.” Well as you can guess, nothing happened, whereupon the man went back to the witchdoctor and said, “What could have gone wrong?” The witchdoctor looked into the sky and said, “Ah, I’ll tell you what went wrong...the thong has ended, but the malady lingers on…” As Sheila said, how could she ever forget the theme of “Sunbeam Time”? The first Afrikaans gentleman announcer was Jan Cronje, and the first Afrikaans lady of Springbok was Esme Euvrard. What about “The World at 1PM, Elwyn Morris reporting” or “The American Cigarette Company, the manufacturers of Peter Stuyvesant, Paul Revere and Santos DuMont cigarettes presents The World at 7PM”. “The World At 7PM, Victor Mackerson reporting” or “The World at 7PM, Denis Smith reporting”. “This is Eric Cordell with your 7:30 edition of World News”. “The World at 11PM, Neville Dawson reporting” and “This is Hugh Rouse with your Late Night Special”. If you were looking for a lost friend on Springbok, you would listen to the weekday programme “Midday Mirror” at 12 15PM. “Midday Mirror is your radio magazine. We would be happy to hear from you. Our address is Box 1850, Johannesburg.” At 12:30PM, one heard, “Dis half een, dis hospitaaltyd met Dulcie van den Bergh.” What about all the interesting Afrikaans serials in the afternoon, which came after the lunchtime programme “Musical Moneybox / Munt Uit Musiek”, 1:15 to 2:00PM, with the catchy signature tune called, “Christopher Columbus” by the Oscar Brandenburg Orchestra, chosen by Elwyn Morris who first started the programme? Afrikaans serials like “Katrina Van Koringbaai”, “Die Vlugteling”, “Uurglas”, “Uit Die Skatkis Van Ons Skrywers”, “Vrou Uit Die Vreemde”, “Die Geheim Van Nantes”, “Die Volmaakte Uur”, and “So Maak Mens” with Esme Euvrard and Jan Cronje “giving all those recipes to the housewives”. The theme was called “Evening Stroll” by the New Century Orchestra from the Francis Day Mood Music Library, which was not available to the general public. Many of the signature tunes were not commercially available, only for film, television and radio studios, hence it was called Mood music or Library music. Then there were all those morning serials for the English listeners from 8:45AM , “Jessica”, “If Ever I Cease To Love”, “The Romantic World Of Barbara Cartland”, “Let Me Live”, “From Crystal With Love”, “The White Oaks Of Jalna”, and “Woman In Danger”. Going right back into the memories, “Springbok Radio presents...“Mary Livingstone, MD”...the story of two people who dared to love completely” or “We invite you up to Wakefield, the home of Mary Lane….” and “You’re right on time for your appointment with the man who puts humanity before himself...“Dr Paul.”” Then there was “Stepmother”, “Office Wife...the story of a woman who fell in love with her boss and the other one that came in between”, and “Portia Faces Life...the story of a woman that cared so much for others.” In the evenings, we were all well entertained. The whole of South Africa and yonder would switch on the wireless and hear at 7:15PM “No Place To Hide...featuring Mark Saxon and Sergei in Operation Gargantuar.” I will always remember Sergei assisting Mark when he got into trouble by pulling out his pistol and saying, “Quickly, Mark, I’ll cover you with Pretoshka,” which he affectionately called his pistol. (By the way, “Pretoshka” is the Russian word for parsley.) The theme for “No Place To Hide” was called “Challenge To Space”, taken from the Boosey & Hawkes Mood Music Library. Friday night at 7:30PM, after “The Mind Of Tracy Dark”, we would hear the familiar gunshots...“Squad Cars. They prowl the empty streets at night, waiting in fast cars and on foot, living with crime and violence. These men live 24 hours out of every 24, fearing danger at every turn, expecting nothing less. They protect the people of South Africa. These are the men of Squad Cars.” The title of the main theme was called “Shock Treatment”. Then there was “Consider Your Verdict”, “Medical File”, and “The Epic Case Book, in which Inspector Carr investigates”. Saturday night, we would all huddle together, next to our huge Pilot valve radiogram, and wait for the duty announcer to say, “Now it’s time to look who’s behind the door.” “Good evening, friends of the Creaking Door. The Creaking Door is opening, so do come in. Are you feeling the cold a little? Well it’s always warmer inside. We keep the fires going all the time, and you would not guess what we use instead of coal...” Then one heard the eerie laugh of Peter Chiswell, who did the opening and closing billboards. For a good laugh, we would tune into the numerous comedy programmes, such as “Life with Dexter”, “Reta And George”, “Friends And Neighbours”, “The Men From The Ministry”, “Taxi”, “The Navy Lark”, “Father Dear Father”, “Marriage Lines”, “For The Love Of Mike”, “Pip Freedman”, and “Telefuntime”. Then, if one wanted some erudition, you would listen to Dewar McCormack and “Test The Team” with the three wise men, Eric Rosenthal, Grant Louden, Robert Blythe, Anthony Da Veartree, on a Sunday night, or listen during the week to the many quiz shows like “Venture”, “The Punch Show”, “100,000 To Go”, and “Pick A Box” with Bob Courtney and Peter Lotis. Then there was “Pet’s Parade” with Leslie Green, the gardening programme “Fison’s Gardeners Corner”, “Radio Jukebox” with Mervyn John, “Nestle Greets The Bride” with Bob Courtney, and “Women’s Forum” with Nan Fletcher, who had a deep rich voice. Other notable serials were “The Sunburned Crop” by Adrian Steed, “The Final Curtain” by Ken Taylor, “The Evil That Men Do”, and “The Finger Of Fate”, not forgetting “Jet Jungle”, “The Radio Record Club”, “The Chappies Chipmunk Club”, “Superman”, and “The South African Top 20” on Fridays with David Gresham, who would often say, “Keep your feet on the ground and reach for the stars, and if you can handle today, tomorrow is yours-you’ve got it.” Then there was all those irritating commercials, adverts, and jingles like “When your tablets get down to four, that’s the time to buy some more, Phillips Milk of Magnesia….”, “Pink pills for pale people, buy Dr Williams Pink Pills”, “Eyes right with Eyegene”, “Travel near, travel far….Caltex is your lucky star”, “Fab, Fab, Fab, just use Fab and you’ll see…”, “Use Rexona Soap, it contains real turtle oil…”, “Go Well, Go Shell”, “K T A T, Kelly Tyres Are Tough”, and straight after that jingle, one announcer said, “And F A R T, Firetsone Are Really Tough”...he got into serious trouble. “Men of the world smoke Max...”, “Rothmans, the greatest name in cigarettes”, “The cream of the crop is in Rembrandt van Rijn, the masterpiece in cigarettes…”, “Men rate Gunston great…”, “For after action satisfaction, yeah, you and the number one cigarette, Lexington, that’s the one…”, “Benson & Hedges, boxed in pure gold…”, “Peter Stuyvesant, the international passport to smoking pleasure…”, “King size Coca Cola has more for you…”, “Coca Cola is it…..”, “Join the Pepsi generation…”, “Walk tall with Texan…”, and between each commercial, the gong had to be struck. The history of the Springbok Radio gong goes right back to the opening of this great station. It was used for accurate and precise time checks. It was imperative for the duty announcer to manually strike the gong in between commercials, to thus differentiate between the various products advertised. It was also used for competition questions. If the listener got the answer wrong, the announcer would say, “You have been gonged out on Springbok Radio”, and the gong would be struck. For those of you who wondered what the gong was, it was a musical instrument called a dinner gong, very similar to a xylophone. It had 5 keys, and some had 4 keys, and it was struck by a gong stick, which was about 8 inches long and had a soft rubber ball at the one side, so that when you struck the keys, it gave a smooth melodious sound as it reverberated. The tone pitch was marked on the one key “A=440”. The keys were set on a square box to give the resonant sound. Some of the keys were set over round tubes which also gave a resonant sound. These dinner gongs were also used on trains, passenger ships, hotels, motels and even some boarding houses to summon the people to meal times. On Friday, 7 April 1978, the automated recorded gong was introduced. It was the same sounding gong used on Radio Zulu. This gong sound lasted until early May 1978, when it was subsequently changed to three automated recorded gong sounds for use by Springbok Radio. During this period of the introduction of automation, the manual gong was still in use, but only for time checks. The last manual gong to be struck for a time check was in June 1978. After that date, no gongs were used for time checks. The automatic pre-recorded gongs between commercials lasted until May 1985. It was decided to drop the use of all pre-recorded gongs between commercials. This was a move by the SABC to save money in airtime. It was interesting to note that the manual Springbok gong made a reappearance from October 1985, only for the odd time check and competition. Then finally, on the very last day of Springbok Radio on 31 December 1985, it was used for the very last time. It was Colin Fluxman who gave the very last time check at 18H27. The gong was struck, which echoed through everybody’s radio sets all over South Africa for the last time. What about the righteous programmes? We all tuned into Springbok Radio on Sundays at 12 noon for “From The Bell Tower...this is Simon Swindell with music warm, comforting, and uplifting….”, with a beautiful signature tune called “Praise My Soul, The King of Heaven”, played by the Cathedral Strings, and the biblical serials, “Apostle Of Fire” and “Judith”, not to mention the request programmes, “Music By Postcard”, “Music For The Forces”, “Memories Are Made Of This”, and “Call Back The Past”. How many listeners remember phoning the studio, and you were asked, “What do you do for fun?” You had to answer, “I listen to Springbok Radio for fun.” For that you were sent a genuine hand-beaten large copper ashtray with the Springbok Radio logo in the centre. We must not forget to recall the “Springbok Radio Christmas Fund” and “The Toys For Joy Competition”, a wonderful cause that brought happiness to so many children. Then there were the plays, like “Lux Radio Theatre”, which had a very pretty and appropriate signature tune called “Stars In My Eyes”, by Andre Kostelanetzi & His Orchestra. In broadcasting language, that tune came from a CGR (Commercial Gramophone Record). There was also “Tuesday Theatre” which had a very poignant signature tune called “The Visionaries Suite”, composed by Trevor Duncan and played by the New Concert Orchestra from the Boosey & Hawkes Mood Music Library. To wrap up my crowded memories of Springbok Radio, the last lady of Springbok Radio was Evelyn Martin, the last English male duty announcer was Colin Fluxman, the last Afrikaans male announcer was Danie Smuts, and the last general manager was Leslie McKenzie. The last signature tune played was “American Patrol” by James Last & His Orchestra, which was used for a very popular Springbok programme called “Radio Jukebox”. In closing, let me share with you the sad closure of Springbok Radio and the sad farewell message by the last general manager, Leslie McKenzie, at 18H28 on 31 December 1985. “And so this is it, the last seconds of the station that was born 35 years ago, which began life as a revenue earner, quickly became a household friend and maintained both those attributes from beginning to end. Dit was nie moontlik om binne ‘n paar ure, al die stemme en herrineringe van Springbokradio vanaf 1950 tot 1985 in te pas nie. Dit is ook so jammer dat so baie van die klanke van Springbokradio vir altyd verlore is omdat uitsaaibande herbenut word, maar ons hoop dat u uit die bande wat wel behoue gebly het en deur die stemme wat elk hulle verhaal vertel het sommige aangename herrinderinge van Springbok kon herleef. We have been overwhelmed by the emotions, expressions of warmth , friendship, and companionship, which have been expressed by both listeners and announcers during these last transmissions. We pray that our new successor stations build the same togetherness with their audiences that we’ve been grateful to have received. On behalf of the tremendous team, who over the years have contributed to and made Springbok Radio, I say to you wherever you may be listening a most sincere thank you for your loyalty and your support. This station, which on the first of May 1950 said, “Good morning, South Africa...this is Springbok Radio”, now says, “Goodnight, South Africa...this was Springbok Radio.” So dear friends, as I really put the cherry on top of my fond memories of Springbok Radio, I’d like to share with you a very sad farewell to Springbok Radio by a well-known voice with the station, my late good friend, Yoland D’otman, who said: “I find it sad that the words, “this is Springbok Radio”, which have so truly a South African sound, will no longer be heard. It is with deep regret that I have to say goodbye to it, but my only wish during all these years is that I have given a little pleasure to a lot of people.” Dear readers, I hope that I have managed to rekindle some fond memories of those halogen days of brighter broadcasting with old time radio on Springbok Radio. I shall now leave you all with these words of wisdom, something to ponder upon: “We often enter the future with no record of the past, and in times of stress, we look back into our minds for guidance and only find a mere memory…” Sincerely Yours Kevan N.J. Mardon Durban, South Africa May 2002 A TRIBUTE TO SPRINGBOK RADIO By David Hughes & Kevan Mardon As we are IN TOWN TONIGHT, Relating 10’O CLOCK TALES, We forge ahead at TOP LEVEL As there is NO PLACE TO HIDE. It’s Sunday, so we broadcast FROM THE BELL TOWER, Well FATHER DEAR FATHER or are they THE MEN FROM THE MINISTRY, The SQUAD CARS are out on patrol, The ladies are at their WOMEN’S FORUM, Debating news FROM CRYSTAL WITH LOVE. THE CREAKING DOOR is opening onto THE WORLD AT ONE , We’ll have TEA WITH MR. GREEN, Until perhaps followed by black forest Cake with Esme Euvrard’s favourites, Until it’s TIME TO TRAVEL. The FORCES FAVOURITES shall be running at A CRACKER JACK SHOW pace, Until it’s 100,000 TO GO. Yes, MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS, SPRINGBOK CALLS THE TUNE. |
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| The following account was received 19 January 2003. It was submitted by Mike Bell, who was a winning contestant on The Generation Game. This heartwarming account comes to us from England. |
| The following poem was written in December 2003 and kindly provided by Miss Madge Hughes of Durban-Ethekwini. |
| "SPRINGBOK RADIO" Written by Miss Madge Hughes Durban - Ethekwini December 2003 Screaming sirens - police ready to fight Prowling the empty streets at night. R your eyes with Eyegene right? Is the bell ringing in the tower Sunday? Naughty jokes with Eric on a weekday. Give us back Springbok Radio one day Because we miss our programmes so much. Our "In Town Tonight", quizzes and such Kept us with the latest news in touch. Radio Theatre of Lux, tea with Mr. Green, And "The Silver Lining" with Shirley Beal. Dearest memories before the small screen Into the limelight and lounges did steal. Oh, we NEED Springbok Radio's pleasures real! |