Your article (The Bag Lady, July 18, page 5) in the COURIER reminded me of growing up in Booysens 60 years ago.
My mom would send me to the shops in Booysens Road with a few shillings and a shopping list. I would go to the butcher and buy sixpence soup meat. Then to the grocery store by the name of De Kock and Matus. You stopped at the counter and handed your list and money to the assistant who filled the list and gave you the change and the goods in paper bags (no charge for the bags and no extras purposely positioned at eye level to tempt you).
I would then go to the veggie shop and buy a tickey (2.5 cents) soup greens which were a bunch of each vegetable. Then to the milk shop for a glass bottle of milk with a layer of cream on the top.
The reason we children did not mind going to the shops was for the smell wafting over the entire area from Adelson’s Bakery which was next to the blacksmith shop across the road from the Anglican Church which was where McDuling Motors is today.
It reminded me of the haunting music of the pied piper seeing all the children’s noses guiding them to the bakery hoping for a few broken biscuits. They were lovely people and I am sure they broke them on purpose.
Thank you for truly happy memories of growing up safely, playing in the street or at the veld and being free without all the trappings of today.
Ian Barry
Read:
For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also email our offices on cvdwalt@caxton.co.za, juliem@caxton.co.za or luckyt@caxton.co.za
Add us on WhatsApp today! Comaro Chronicle: 079 427 8074 and Southern Courier: 079 404 5789.
