SPRINGBOK CYBER NEWSLETTER
August 2003 edition
When Rudyard Kipling made his famous injunction to "Take up the White Man's burden" he was addressing the United States.
At the time for America "the West had just been won", but although the United States went on to obtain a few colonies in the Caribbean and the Pacific there was never to be any official American colony on the African continent alongside all the great European Empires. There was one de facto American colony in Africa however: Liberia.
Although (perhaps because) Liberia has officially been independent longer than any other African nation it has slipped back further than most into primeval savagery, to join such other "basket cases" as Somalia, Rwanda and the DRC. It has become a source of poison which, in this age of rapid global communications, could have bad repercussions throughout the planet. Some form of intervention to sort out the mess was therefore essential, but to rely upon another African nation - Nigeria - which is itself beset by tribal conflict and a breakdown in law and order is a classic case of the blind leading the blind.
Liberia is traditionally in the United States's sphere of influence, so the current intervention of American forces - limited though it unfortunately is - must therefore be greatly applauded, just as we must applaud UK intervention in the traditional British sphere of influence in Sierra Leone and France's intervention in the traditional French sphere of influence in the Ivory Coast.
A century after Rudyard Kipling made his famous call to "Take up the White Man's burden" the United States seems at last to be doing just that - not only in Liberia of course, but also in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ironically, alas, at exactly the same time too many European nations - particularly those termed "Old Europe" - seem to have negated the "White Man's burden" in their retrogressive and doomed quest for European Federalism.
Kipling's injunction must go out again therefore, but this time addressed to Europe more than to the United States.
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SPRINGBOK CLUB JULY MEETING
Raymond Simpson gave a masterful speech to a well-attended meeting of the Springbok Club last month, in which he outlined the history of South Africa during the latter half of the last century. He paid special attention to the part paid by Dr. Hendrick Verwoerd, and emphasised how if his policies had been carried through to their conclusion South Africa would today be an infinitely better place than alas it is. He also reminded everyone about how - in spite of popular misconceptions - Dr. Verwoerd was actually firmly in favour of unity between Afrikaners and British South Africans, and how under the present depressing circumstances such unity is now more important than ever.
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SPRINGBOK CLUB EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Springbok Club has been called for Wednesday 27th August, and all fully paid-up members of the organisation should by now have been informed of the precise details.
The main matters for discussion at this EGM will be fund-raising and our plans to produce new literature both for recruitment purposes and to distribute in South Africa itself informing people there of our continuing active support for their cause. Full details of decisions made at this EGM will be reported in next month's edition of the SCN.
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SPRINGBOK CLUB BRANCH NEWS
We are happy to be able to report that Robert Shipley has now re-made contact with the Springbok Club's Executive Committee, and has explained the unfortunate reasons why he was unable to fulfil his duties in organising the Kent Branch summer braai. Mr. Shipley's suspensions from the positions which he currently holds within the organisation have now therefore been completely lifted. A relatively young man, Mr. Shipley's employment position has evidently made it very difficult for him to do full justice to all his posts in the Springbok Club, and as a result it seems likely that he will relinquish his position on the Executive Committee, whilst still remaining Chairman of the Kent Branch. Over the year or so since Mr. Shipley became an active member of the Springbok Club he has proved himself to be keen, dedicated and ideological sound, so we are therefore most happy that we will not be losing his undoubted talents completely.
Pastor Nigel Owens, formerly of the embryo Essex Branch of the Springbok Club, has now moved back to his native Ulster, and has expressed great enthusiasm in forming a new branch in Northern Ireland based in Co.Antrim - having already produced a considerable amount of material about the planned branch. This branch in Northern Ireland therefore seems very close to formation, and we would like to congratulate Pastor Owens on all his hard work and efficiency in this respect - which hopefully will be an inspiration to all others who have expressed an interest in forming branches in the past.
A joint London and Chilterns Branches braai (or similar social function) is planned for September, and fuller details will be given in next month's SCN.
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LONDON SWINTON CIRCLE MEETING
The London Swinton Circle will be holding a very interesting meeting in September, the details of which are as follows:-
Date : Tuesday 9th September 2003.
Time : 18.45 hrs for 19.00 hrs.
Venue: The Thatcher Suite, Portcullis House, Westminster, London SW1.
Guest Speaker : Mr. Jeffrey Donaldson MP (UUP, Lagan Valley), who will speak on "Resisting the Joint Declaration of the British and Irish Governments, and realigning Unionism."
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MALCOLM WREN'S "SOUL WALK"
As all readers will know, the Springbok Club initially gave its full support to Malcolm Wren's recent so-called "Soul Walk" across southern England, allegedly in order to draw international attention to the ongoing murder campaign against South African farmers. Indeed we believe that apart from the Netherlands-based "CensorBugBear" web-site the Springbok Club was the only organisation to give this enterprise any form of publicity.
Inter alia the Springbok Club:-
1) Circulated the majority of names on our database both in the UK and in continental Europe with material detailing information about the "Walk" (at considerable expense).
2) Included details about the "Walk" in 4 editions of the SCN (April, May, June & July).
3) Circulated an e-mail reminder giving full details to all our circulation list shortly before the "Walk" was due to commence.
4) Obtained complementary accommodation for Mr. & Mrs. Wren through one of our supporters in Gloucestershire for the night prior to the commencement of the "Walk".
5) Organised a lunchtime refreshment break for the last day of the "Walk" at the house of personal friends in north-west Kent.
6) Telephoned a number of supporters who lived along the route of the "Walk" asking them to give their active support.
It was therefore with great regret that we were faced with no alternative other than to withdraw all our support from this "Walk" on Saturday 2nd August. This decision - which was approved unanimously by the Executive Committee of the Springbok Club - was not taken lightly, and followed a number of incidents which caused great offence to some of our supporters, caused the organisation considerable embarrassment as a result, and which suggested that Mr. & Mrs. Wren did not wish to receive our support - indeed as one Executive Committee member accurately observed, it was not so much a case of us withdrawing support, but rather the fact that all our support was being rejected. We will not bore readers by going into full details about these incidents, but they included:-
1) The total abuse of the free hospitality which was provided by the owner of the hotel in Gloucestershire where Mr. & Mrs. Wren and their party stayed on the night before the "Walk" began, which caused her great distress.
2) The arbitrary alteration of venues for overnight stops along the route with no attempts being made to inform the Springbok Club or anybody else in advance about these changes. This resulted in at least two of our supporters (probably more) going to the wrong venues in order to rendezvous with Mr. Wren.
3) The arrogant rejection of all offers to assist in the obtaining of media publicity and a venue for a final rendezvous point in Gravesend by Mrs. Wren.
4) The rude last-minute cancellation of the lunchtime refreshment break which we had organised at the house of a personal friend in north-west Kent after preparations had already commenced.
We must emphasise, of course, that this withdrawal of support for the Wren "Walk" does NOT indicate any diminishment in our support for the cause which the enterprise was allegedly staged for, namely to draw international attention to the plight of the South African farmers - quite the reverse in fact, for we believe that the offence, embarrassment and ill-feeling which Mr. & Mrs. Wren generated resulted in far more harm than good being done to the cause which they claimed to be supporting.
There are many unanswered questions concerning this "Walk" however - not only why the Wren's eschewed all support from the Springbok Club (the only potentially meaningful support which they received), but also why they obtained absolutely no media publicity in the UK, and indeed rejected all offers of help in this respect (when the whole reason for the "Walk" was allegedly to raise international awareness)?
We would therefore like to apologise to any other supporters who may have tried to support this "Walk" but who were similarly offended or inconvenienced in any way, and to emphasise that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Wren have ever been members of the Springbok Club, and that the movement was never officially involved in the organising of this "Walk".
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TRANSVAAL "RHODIE REUNION" - NOVEMBER
A "Rhodie Reunion" will again be held in the Transvaal on November 11th this year. It will be held at the Morningside Country Club, Rivonia, Sandton (between Johannesburg and Pretoria), and a live band "Sounds Like Thunder" (ex-Rhodies) will be appearing.
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HOME BILTONG MAKERS
Biltongmakers.Com! runs a monthly competition which is free for anyone to enter. There are some great prizes to be won each month. Some of the prizes during the last couple of months have included a Skottel Braai, Biltongmakers, Barbecue Utensil sets and Potjies!
To enter please go to: www.biltongmakers.com and follow the competition link!
Biltongmakers.Com! have created a special order page just for subscribers to the SCN at:-
http://www.biltongmakers.com/biltong09_sc_orderplacing.html
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RHODESIAN ON-LINE STORE
The Rhodesian on-line Store supplies Rhodesian and South African flags (full, mid-size and table-top) CDs including Wrex Tarr, John Edmonds and many more, and other Rhodesiana.
Based in Canada, their web-site can be accessed at: www.Rhodesiawassuper.com
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BRAAI SUPPLIES
Braai Supplies offer South African apparel including rugby jerseys and flags, and also offer World Cup Rugby 2003 apparel. They can be contacted at:-
http://www.braaisupplies.com/
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BOOK OFFERS
The Springbok Club is now retailing copies of the book "AFRICA PAR ADVENTURE", an anthology of African stories edited by Peter Ward. The book is priced at £14.95 per copy, plus 20% for p.& p. (though copies may be collected at Springbok Club activities for no extra cost.) Payments should be made payable to "Patriotic Press" and forwarded to: The Springbok Club, BCM SAPAT, London WC1N 3XX, UK.
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"GOODBYE OZ CULTURE" is a well illustrated and easy to read expose of what politicians have done to the Australia we loved as a homogeneous and peaceful society. Many of our suburbs have now lost all semblance of being "Australian". Meanwhile the families of servicemen have been threatened by strangers in our midst, we now need an army in the rear to protect the backs of our troops.
Price Aus $12.00 including postage. Send to: Nick Maine, 2/23 Duet Dve, Mermaid Waters, Queensland, 2418, Australia - or e-mail: nmaine@optusnet.com.au
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"WAY OUT OF LINE" by Trisha Jackson is a novel which tells the story of the profound impact that an innocent youthful love affair has on the lives of two young lovers. The plot moves from a cult and a maximum security prison in the US to the savannah grasslands of Mozambique and Zimbabwe - this makes for adventure, suspense and melodrama. Packed with conflict and sexual tension, anyone who loves romance, passion and excitement should enjoy reading this story.
Trisha Jackson was born and grew up in Rhodesia. She immigrated to the USA with her husband and three children in 1990. She and her husband live in a unique, rural community in the Tonto National Forest in the eastern mountains of Arizona.
For more information visit Trisha's web-site at:-
www.youngarizonarealestate.com
or you can order a copy of the book directly from the publishers at www.publishamerica.com - in the "search" sector, type in the title "Way out of Line" or "Trisha Jackson". NOTE: It is case sensitive and you should not include quote marks. You may also order by phone at 877 333-7422
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"PALM WINE AND LEOPARD'S WHISKERS", edited by Ronnie Anderson, is an account of experiences and reminiscences from the colonial service in eastern Nigeria, and will be of particular interest to all readers of the SCN. It is available price £20.00 from: "Yesterdays Books", 6 Cecil Avenue, Bournemouth, Hants, BH8 9EH, or direct from the editor at: "Betham Heights", Lake Hawea, R.D.2., Wanaka, 9192, New Zealand.
[We have again been asked to emphasis that Ronnie Anderson only edited this book, and didn't write it in its entirety, as we erroneously implied in the June edition of the SCN.]
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BILTONG SALES IN THE UK
Biltong Brother produces top quality, handcrafted biltong. 100% British beef is used, no artificial flavourings or preservatives.
There are 5 types, Traditional, Garlic, Pepper, Hot & Spicy and Ostrich.
To order, just click on:-
www.biltong-brother.co.uk
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ZIMERICK COLUMN
Though Mugabe's speeches belie it
When his "war vets" are causing a riot,
Though for his good he'll fight
And harangue with great might,
He prefers his diplomacy quiet.
- Yvonne Redfern Duff
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SOUTH AFRICANS WORLDWIDE
Does anyone know whether the "South Africans Worldwide" organisation is still functioning? We haven't received any material from them for some time, and circulars sent to their last known e-mail address (i.e. saw-mail@thos.co.za) are now being "bounced".
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BOERWORS AND BILTONG
From deep in the heart of Africa to you...
CAMPBELLS ORIGINAL FARM STYLE BILTONG, BOEREWORS, BOERE BURGER PATTIES & DRY-WORS.
Made from our tried and tested recipes in both Rhodesia and South Africa since 1965. Now made in the UK from 100% pure British meats, with no glutens or ingredients added, just our own secret blend of spices.
We would love to be of service to you too, so please give us a call on: 01803-380712, e-mail us at : ron@biltong-boereforafrica.co.uk, or visit our web-site at: www.biltong-boereforafrica.co.uk
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW ?
No.57 : Ms. DAWN DORKIN of Natal.
Dawn Dorkin, originally from Pietermaritzburg, was a most remarkable young woman who ran her own debt-collecting business in Durban. She was also a regular squash partner of the present Chairman of the Springbok Club during the early 1980s, and both he and a number of other friends would like to make contact with her again. She is believed to have married a German and to have moved to Zululand.
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RECOMMENDED WEB-SITE OF THE MONTH
The South African Neighbourhood Watch web-site gives far more information than just about the S.A. Neighbourhood Watch network itself. It is well worth a visit, and can be accessed at:-
http://sanwatch.homestead.com
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
AFRICA ADDIO
Sir,
Looking at events in the Congo took me back about forty years. Mad Mike Hoare, Black Jacques Schramme, Bob Denard - where are you now that we need you?
Seriously, it's becoming depressingly obvious that there are only two solutions for Africa. Either we abandon her to her fate or take the destiny of Africa into our own hands again. This means, among other things, a qualified franchise - those who can't read shouldn't be able to vote!
Yours etc.,
Mark Taylor, London, U.K.
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DOWN THE GLUG HOLE
Sir,
The June issue of the SCN was excellent in every way. I of course knew all about Mandela, but I am pretty sure that most White readers below the age of fifty don't. I dislike this crowd so much that when they (i.e. sportsmen, politicians, AIDS activists etc.) appear on TV, I switch off. White sports items, such as golf, cricket, surfing, etc. are generally about two minutes, but "Bfana-Bfana" is always at least three - once it was six, I actually timed it! There is always a terrific fanfare whenever they play a match, even when they lose, which is most of the time. Scotland beat them last month, and I hate to think what would happen to them if they were put against an average English club team. A new Black team has come into being, its name, believe it or not, is Ama-Glug-Glug. Black players are so enthusiastic that four times out of ten when they kick at goal the ball goes so high over the crossbar that it is almost out of sight. As both sides favour this practice I suppose it counts as a goal. This no doubt explains the huge mass of balls on the grass that we are occasionally allowed to see.
Yours etc.,
Richard Deane, Cape Town.
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WALK MAN
Sir,
The Springbok Club took the lead in publicising Malcolm Wren's Soul Walk, but reckoned without the incompetence of Mr. Wren who completely failed to arrange any newspaper publicity for this event - either from local papers or foreign correspondents in national dailies. I am astonished that they received free food and lodgings across England. This reflects well on the generous spirit of British folk but it was wasted on the curmudgeonly Wren and his wife.
I am annoyed that Mr. Wren constantly whinges about his lack of a send-off from Springbok Club supporters on 26th July, but a send-off function had been planned at the hotel we organised for him for the time of his original booking, but of course the dates which he gave the hotel proved to be incorrect.
Yours etc.,
Allan Robertson, Vice-Chairman, the Springbok Club.
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OBITUARIES
The 6th MARQUESS OF SALISBURY
It was with great sadness that we recently learnt of the death of the 6th Marquess of Salisbury. The great-grandson of the 3rd Marquess, the British Prime Minister at the time of the foundation of Rhodesia and after whom the capital, Salisbury, was named (and whose first ever chauffeur, incidentally, was the grandfather of the present Chairman of the Springbok Club), the 6th Marquess was no less of a friend of Rhodesia. He lived in the country for several years during the 1950s, and at various times was president of the Anglo-Rhodesian Society, the Monday Club and the Friends of the Union. He was also an active supporter of the Rhodesian Christian Group, and hosted a number of receptions in their honour at the House of Lords, where he gave powerful speeches and was always eager to make conversation with everyone in attendance. Many members of the Springbok Club fondly remember his courtesy and enthusiasm at these gatherings.
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RUSSELL ENDEAN
Russell Endean, who died earlier this month aged 79, played 28 Tests for South Africa. He was not only a great cricketer however, but also a great South African. Although he settled in Surrey after marrying a British wife his loyalty to his country of birth and to the Springbok badge never ceased. During the subversive opposition to the 1970 Springbok Tour he wrote many letters to the British press putting forward the South African case. As a result of one of these letters a young South African then visiting Britain, Vic Long, contacted him to express his support, yet busy though he was Russell Endean still found the time to write him a long letter of reply, which proved greatly helpful and was received with great pride by a young man in a strange country.
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See you again next month!
