By Gerald Buttigieg- August According to the current TV ad when the grandchild asks the Grannies what they did for fun, the Grannies answer that they cooked and baked.
Well those Grannies if they were "young" in Durban in the late 50s, early 60s, would not have been "hip" and would have been regarded more as "squares" as the lingo of the day put it. Having been a young person at the time, I am recalling what we did in those days, long before TV, and when personal freedom was slightly more restricted.
First of all in those days, there still existed a healthy respect for one's elders, dress code was rather formal and seemingly enforced in that you could not access some places wearing very casual clothes. Virtually no "legal organised" entertainment continued much after midnight. Alcohol was strictly controlled due to the fact that anyone remotely under age was strictly prohibited from entering a bottle store the only retail source where alcohol could be bought.
Bars were not the jovial, theme decorated establishments of today, more just the basic counter, a serving barman and cigarette smoke. The interiors of bars were well hidden from public view by entry screen walls or barriers. Then there was the question of transport. You hardly saw women driving and it was only the 60s generation that saw young adult girls take to the road as drivers. For the young male under 18 , a new form of transport freedom hit the streets in the late 50s.
Buzz Bike. This was a 50cc moped which could be licensed by any 16 year old whose parents could afford to buy him one. I well remember at my school in the late 50s, the awe that all the boys stood in, as the 2 buzz bike owners came up the driveway on their respective Garelli and Dik Dik.
