When a swan loses his mate he swims off to die, and utters a song so sweet it defies description; believe me when I say it is the nearest thing I have come across to poetry in motion. This is my swan song, minus the sweetness and poetry. The time has come, the walrus said, to call it a day. My cuttings file shows me that the first Rat appeared on Fri 21st May last year (issue 1151) and believe me when I say that day has more memories for me than you will ever know; it is therefore opportune that I should wind the column up almost on the date of its inception. Why? Freedom of speech is not a privilege, it's a right; the problem is not what you say but where you say it. The FTW tends to be a dichotomy in that it strives to articulate independent comment yet is reliant upon advertisers to exist, and conflict can arise when the implementation of the former clashes with the interests of the latter. I have the greatest sympathy for an advertiser who spends a lot of money to publicise his company, only to see it (or himself) described occasionally in an unfavourable light by me. By the same token, my sympathy is eradicated when this displeasure is channelled into petulance by threatening to withdraw support, as opposed to a more positive reaction such as addressing the criticism in the same vein as it was applied. This results in irony, whereby an independent publication runs a very real risk of becoming nothing more than a PR puff containing favourable reviews for those who pay, whilst maintaining the right to be acerbic towards those who don't. Anyway, cowboys don't cry, and it's been fun. To my sainted editor I offer unreserved thanks, mainly for her patience, firmness and fairness; she has been thoroughly supportive throughout and has gone out on a limb for me on many an occasion. Maybe one day the Rat will appear on a web site, X-rated, and un-plugged. Who knows? This is a difficult column to finish, but if I had to choose an epitaph it would be: fools don't suffer me gladly. Oh, and as Gavin Wade would say, thanks for your support...
Alan Ainscow phones me with a good idea, an event of such rarity in itself that it deserves mention, but still; I digress. Why don't you write about the Port Natal Marine Club, he says, and get people to join? An excellent suggestion. The club, in Point Rd, Dbn, is currently a shadow of its former self; sandwiched between a back-packers' hostel and a brothel, it is ideally situated for the industry and merely needs more members and support in order that funds will become available to restore it to its former glory. The grottiness of Point Rd will shortly change with the planned development of the harbour mouth area for tourism and prospects are limitless. Current membership is diverse and top-draw (Messrs Bonser, Van Wyk, Brink, Kurten etc) and Jacko Pretorius is the chairman; I myself even carry a card. The industry sorely needs a decent watering hole, so come on guys; help turn the place around and let's put our entertainment money into something worthwhile for a change...
The Maersk Golf Day and dinner was an enjoyable occasion tinged with sadness; the function doubled-up as a farewell for Gert Andersen and Yawn Nielsen, both of whom leave S Africa in the very near future to take up senior positions overseas. It's difficult to think that it was a mere 18 months ago (Nov 99) when we gathered in the Blues Room for Gert's first SA party. How time flies. Peter Ehrenreich will take over from Gert but will remain based in Cape Town, with Andy Price holding down the Jhb end. What makes Maersk's entertainment unique is the sheer professionalism and attention to detail that goes into the organisation, from table decorations through to the give-aways, and full credit must go to Melody Barber at Maersk Cape Town; she's easily the best in the industry. All in all, a great night out; I left when it was dark.
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