More than fifty years ago, when I was well into my employment at the steel company, John Lysaght Australia, I had a very brief but happy stay at a unique and fascinating resort in South Africa, the Kyalami Ranch. I was suddenly reminded of this visit the other day, I think possibly for the following two unrelated reasons.
The first reminder of this stay occurred recently, when Sue and I were watching a cooking show on Channel 10, “Food Trail South Africa”, just before the evening news. It was presented by Warren Mendez, a chef who lives in Australia but who was born in South Africa and who obviously loves the local food, very happily returning there to do his cooking show. What I liked about his show was the way in which he was able to interact with the local people, in the various locations which he visited. He managed to come up with new versions of old recipes, some of which I had very much enjoyed and remembered from a very long time ago.
South African food appeals to me and it was seeing it being prepared in different parts of that country which made me think back to the time when I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Kyalami Ranch. Sometime later this year I hope to write a post about my other experiences in South Africa and my adventures on the island of Mauritius.
The other reason for remembering the Kyalami Ranch has to do with Formula 1 racing, which is shown here on TV at the moment. I’m not really an F1 follower, but Australian driver, Oscar Piastri, was doing very well (at the time of writing this story), so it is almost impossible to ignore it. Moreover, with my Dutch background, I can’t help being interested in Max Verstappen’s achievements. “Mad Max” has already won four Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles, competing under the Dutch flag, and was in 2nd place when I wrote this story. So, I was reminded of Kyalami because, when I happened to stay there, it was just a few days before the South African Formula 1 race was to take place at the nearby Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. Kyalami means “My Home”, in Zulu language.
My business trip to South Africa, back in February 1973, had, however, nothing to do with racing. I was there to spend time with the people of ISCOR, a steel company. ISCOR was owned by the South African government at that time but was later privatised and broken up. Kyalami Ranch, which was located north of the city of Johannesburg, happened to be just a one-night stop, on our way elsewhere in the country.
For those of you who are interested, the 1973 race was won by Jackie Stewart. I don’t think any Australian drivers were in it. Stewart, who won three F1 world drivers’ championship titles, and had many other wins under his belt, was a legend in the F1 world and was nicknamed “the Flying Scot”. He later became Sir John Young Stewart, a popular broadcaster and television sports commentator.
The Kyalami racing circuit itself has a long history, having been used, on and off, for Grand Prix and Formula 1 races for many years. In 1985 the races were suspended, due to the nation’s policy of “apartheid”. At the end of it in 1991, F1 racing returned, but only for 2 years. Since then, there have been no further Formula 1 motor car races in Africa. I understand that there are plans to re-start F1 racing at Kyalami again, in 2027.
The Kyalami Ranch hotel, I am led to believe, was first opened by a KLM airline pilot in the 1960s. It soon became used as a regular stopover hotel for the crews of several European airlines, as well as a convenient venue for racing car enthusiasts. It was a beautiful location, close to, but away from, the city of Johannesburg. When I stayed there it was obvious that it still operated as a favourite stopover for airline crews, as several of them were present in the lobby upon our arrival.
I can’t remember much about my room in the hotel, or about the food we ate, but I will never forget the evening we spent in the resort’s main room. We were there as the guests of ISCOR, and some of their people were with us that evening. From memory, I think that the large main room had many tables and a thatched roof, held up by large gum poles (probably made from Eucalyptus trees). It had a relaxed casual ambiance.
Most of the tables were taken, and, close by, a large group of Italians, possibly members of an Alitalia Airlines flight crew, were having a great time together and enjoying a few drinks, after a very long flight. I remember this, as we talked about it with the ISCOR people, because we were wondering how they would cope, flying back to Italy with a hangover. Other tables were taken by other airline crews, as well as by people who were associated with the upcoming Formula 1 race.
The biggest surprise for me, and the reason for me remembering this venue from so long ago, was the unexpected appearance of a group of singers and dancers, who produced a rip-roaring show on a stage in the front of the room. I think that our hosts from ISCOR may have known about this entertainment, but I can’t recall them telling us about it in advance.
I later learned that the Kyalami shows were choreographed by the singer, dancer and composer, John Rothman, who presented this show there for 16 years. He became very well-known in South Africa, and he also appeared on-stage in London, Paris and elsewhere around the world. He became famous as a composer of children’s programs and as the writer of hundreds of songs for children. He later became famous in Las Vegas, where he produced musicals.
That evening was certainly a memorable one for us. One of the numbers performed by the singers and dancers was “Hey, big spender!”, a song made famous by Shirley Bassey, which was popular at the time. I read on Google that she sang this song live at Prince Philip’s 80th birthday celebration.
Just for the fun of it, I have copied some of the lyrics. I think many of you will remember them:
“The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction, a real big spender
Good looking, so refined
Say, wouldn’t you like to know what’s going on in my mind?
So let me get right to the point
I don’t pop my cork for every man I see
Hey big spender!
Spend a little time with me”
Wouldn’t you like to have fun, fun, fun?
How’s about a few laughs, laughs?
I’ve heard this song many times since and it has always made me think back to this one, very happy evening in the Kyalami Ranch.It is amazing to me that an experience which lasted for just a few houmore than half a century ago, can bring back so many memories.
Without becoming too philosophical, I think that this story proves to me that some memories are precious and worth keeping and preserving, and some may even be worth sharing.
O.P.
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