Author Topic: Bikesquad - Unit Nostalgia. Training Process to follow. (Read 85308 times)

Karel Kat · « **Reply #80 on:** November 05, 2015, 09:53:04 am »

Great pics, Badger. Priceless pic of Grensvegter Daan too. Respect to all.

2StrokeDan · « **Reply #81 on:** November 05, 2015, 12:27:03 pm »

Quote from: raffie on November 05, 2015, 09:51:09 am

A friend of mine Robin Spence was in the bike squad, I think he was there around the same time as 2SD. He's in PE and is a WD member, he's seldom on the forum though. I don't know his forum name.

You guys should arrange a get together, sound like theres quite a few of you around still......

Robin Spence was in my intake, and I have been to see him once in PE.

raffie · « **Reply #82 on:** November 05, 2015, 01:12:20 pm »

Quote from: 2StrokeDan on November 05, 2015, 12:27:03 pm

Quote from: raffie on November 05, 2015, 09:51:09 am
A friend of mine Robin Spence was in the bike squad, I think he was there around the same time as 2SD. He's in PE and is a WD member, he's seldom on the forum though. I don't know his forum name.

You guys should arrange a get together, sound like theres quite a few of you around still......

Robin Spence was in my intake, and I have been to see him once in PE.

I meant more along the lines of you ex bike squad guys should organise your own get together/bash thing while there's still so many of you around, time flies......

The Badger · « **Reply #83 on:** November 05, 2015, 01:47:55 pm »

Quote from: raffie on November 05, 2015, 01:12:20 pm

Quote from: 2StrokeDan on November 05, 2015, 12:27:03 pm
Quote from: raffie on November 05, 2015, 09:51:09 am
A friend of mine Robin Spence was in the bike squad, I think he was there around the same time as 2SD. He's in PE and is a WD member, he's seldom on the forum though. I don't know his forum name.

You guys should arrange a get together, sound like theres quite a few of you around still......

Robin Spence was in my intake, and I have been to see him once in PE.

I meant more along the lines of you ex bike squad guys should organise your own get together/bash thing while there's still so many of you around, time flies......

You are right Raffie. ... we should and it would be a hellaver get together.

The Badger · « **Reply #84 on:** November 05, 2015, 01:49:38 pm »

Quote from: Karel Kat on November 05, 2015, 09:53:04 am

Great pics, Badger. Priceless pic of Grensvegter Daan too. Respect to all.

Cheers Karel Kat....... and yes that pic of 2SD is classic.

Hoofseun · « **Reply #85 on:** November 05, 2015, 06:12:25 pm »

Hi Serf and Hondsekierie,thanxs for drawing.my attention to this post.

Badger, such a great experience.for such good memories to resurface.

Yip, was at Okatopi from Dec 84 to Dec 85.

Keep the front-end light!!!

The Badger · « **Reply #86 on:** November 05, 2015, 06:33:05 pm »

Howzit Hoofseun....for sure awesome memories. I have read your posts from Bikesquad.....very lekker.
Did you have Capt Barnard as Okatopi OC. Did you ever meet Patrick Devy ?
We were lucky to get sent to Ruacana which was a holiday compared to Okatopi.
Please gooi some pics when possible.

Hoofseun · « **Reply #87 on:** November 05, 2015, 06:51:52 pm »

Yatti or Capt Barnard was our Coy Cmdr at Okatopi. I have met Patrick Devy at some stage in my career in Defence Force.

Will see what photos I can find. See attached....

The Badger · « **Reply #88 on:** November 05, 2015, 07:14:37 pm »

Lekker pics ..... keep them coming. Thanks.

2StrokeDan · « **Reply #89 on:** November 05, 2015, 07:55:05 pm »

Okatopi and Miershoop were the two bases along the Oshivello to Ondangwa road, right? I am a bit vague here, but one of the was right on the main road, and there was this big
Boabab tree right by the entrance.

Once we were ballasbakking and Lemmer Visser[1980/81] put his army mattress on one of the broad horisontal trunks of this Boabab, and he was relaxing in style when
a DC3 Dakota came flying at just above tree-top level, and as it approached from Ondangwa's side, it seemed so low that Lemmer fell out of the tree mattress and all.

BlueBull2007 · « **Reply #90 on:** November 05, 2015, 07:56:10 pm »

Massive respect to you guys. Ortos, where r those pics you were going to scan?

The Badger · « **Reply #91 on:** November 05, 2015, 08:12:16 pm »

Thanks BB

Yes Dan it was just those two bases between Oshivello and Ondangwa.

We were on our way from Oshivello to Oshakati, a whole bikesquad platoon which was very lekker and we stopped in Muirshoop for fuel.
When we pulled out everyone that Could wheelie did.... and one of the last guys flipped....in front of the whole camp that was on the sand walls watching us leave........ lol We cringed.

In the second pic you can see my peroxided stripe in my hair.... we did that the night we left for the border and got into so much kak heehee most of the platoon had some peroxide in their hair...... the pf''s called us f ING Ducktails. ..... too funny.

chopperpilot · « **Reply #92 on:** November 05, 2015, 08:50:23 pm »

Quite a rebel, hey Badger! 🙀

GT stripe on your head!😉

Awesome pics! Keep them coming!👍

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Whethefakawe · « **Reply #93 on:** November 05, 2015, 09:59:15 pm »

Quote from: The Badger link=topic=182247.msg3400059# :bueller:msg3400059 date=1446704900

These pics are general bikesquad pics of various intakes.

Enjoy

Man what a way to lighten up my morning......the last three are some of my pics, all of pl 12.....and I know the names of each and every oke in them ......first one was Johnnie Welsh, and as can be imagined, quite a story behind the turban on his head

I just got back from a short trip to Oz, stayed with my Durban mate John Alexander in Brisbane who was in my platoon at Oudtshoorn in 1980 and then went to bike squad with. He was pl 10's pl sergeant until he got badly fecked up in a crash....broke both arms, and bashed his face in.....I have a photo of him before he was casevaced......hilarious

Besides Piston Pete on here, between John and me we still have contact with a few okes from that platoon.....they were July 80 intake.

2SD, jissis china you looked ..........dange-roos

I missed you by a month, I got to BS on 5 Jan 1981, on the very day that Piet Swanepoel was killed .......Patrick always talked about you and your brother....wasn't he a loot? And do you remember Nicky Basson? He was a two-pipper, from your intake I believe.....I have contact with him, he lived in NZ (Oz?) for a long time but is back in SA now, Nelspruit if I'm not mistaken.

Btw.....that box under the rear carrier was intended to carry an A53 radio. Just like the bung-bars and bashplates off a Tiger Tank that were mounte to the old XL350's and then the bigwheel XR's, severe misunderstandings of the terrain and mission by some well-meaning engineer or tiffie somewhere

We carried 50- round magazines on our R4's, and 35-round ones in the webbing, bigger one didn't fit......problem with the big one was, if you loaded it to 50 the R4 would jam because the spring wasn't strong enough......we soon figured out that 45 rounds were the max you could rely on. With three or so tracers, loaded five or so from the bottom

I am now really going to intensify my efforts to track down Larry in Oz and get those obscene pics from him

Thanks for the giggle

Whethefakawe · « **Reply #94 on:** November 05, 2015, 10:09:06 pm »

I just hooked up with one of my old section leaders from pl 12 after 33 years....he is a bigshot at Caterpillar in the US....I'm hearing many stories I remember, from his perspective......very funny

Karel Kat · « **Reply #95 on:** November 06, 2015, 06:05:11 am »

Quote from: 2StrokeDan on November 05, 2015, 07:55:05 pm

Okatopi and Miershoop were the two bases along the Oshivello to Ondangwa road, right? I am a bit vague here, but one of the was right on the main road, and there was this big
Boabab tree right by the entrance.

The one with the massive boabob was Okatopi. Some history attached to the tree but I can't remember.

2StrokeDan · « **Reply #96 on:** November 06, 2015, 06:41:48 am »

Well, perhaps it is time for a Bike Squad Bash?

I have recently spoken, via telephone, to both Murray Hoffman and Leon van Jaarsveld and what a lovely bit of nostalgia it evoked! I would love a Bike Squad get-together,
just to reminisce as my memory is not that great.
When you find yourself in a group discussion, it is amazing how memory comes back and you can re-arrange your position in a life 40 years ago.

ThomasT · « **Reply #97 on:** November 06, 2015, 12:43:27 pm »

I was Demo Team in 87 & 88 for his sins or was it ours not to sure

Patrick Devy was in charge of keeping usin line

Dish · « **Reply #98 on:** November 06, 2015, 01:06:59 pm »

Hey Congrats to all, its an awesome thread.

Looks like you okes had a fantastic time when the bikes were running LOL, I heard, and it may be incorrect that your "opF..ks" were with a 500R that had to be pushed.
Us normal okes had rifle PT, you okes had push bike PT.... is that correct. Can anyone share some Basics stories of life in the bike squad before you were let loose on the terrs?/

dirtyXT · « **Reply #99 on:** November 06, 2015, 01:19:36 pm »

this is next level awesome, so lucky and unlucky to have these kinds of memories/experiences. I was 1 years old when you lot were doing this shit. thanks, grateful and green with envy. my late teens was safe and boring.