Smugglers - Rabie Street, Randburg ... (Smuggies)

This is a blast from the past .... The late 80's "Smugglers Rest" - I had moved out of home and was living in Long Street in Ferndale, Smugglers was the place to find good music, lots of drink and a really enjoyable evening!

It was our hangout on a Friday night and any other night from about 1987 till the early 90's, I used to frequent the place with my friends.  The band who played always sang songs that everyone could join in, anything from the Beatles, Thin Lizzy (Whiskey in the Jar) and would always end the evening with "You'll never walk alone".

I met some really good friends there who I am still friends with today.  Mark, Deon, Caroline just to name a few, it was a great Jol, and even on a Saturday afternoon to sit in the beer garden. 

I remember at one point though, we decided to find other pubs outside of smugglers, Randburg always had good Jols - there was Buccaneers at the top of Republic Road, and a few places that for the life of me I cannot remember the names now.  So maybe one of you can help me - there was the bar / restaurant in Windsor East, the one near the Randburg shopping center where Ballyhoo played. - Remember "Man on the moon"?

I remember when I used to frequent smugglers, beer was R1 a bottle and a brandy and diet coke about R3.50, the barman was so nice, but they worked their butts off especially on a Friday night.

Would love to hear your memories of Smugglers!   

Commune parties in Jo'burgs Northern Suburbs

I think it must have been around 1987 or so, I was living in Randburg in a cottage and there were lots of young 20 somethings in the area sharing houses or as we called them "communes".  

A lot of the guys who rented these houses would have commune parties to help pay the rent, a commune party was an open house party, some charged entrance fee and sold booze, where as others had free entry and sold booze.   The booze was cheap, the music was loud and there was loads of fun. 

I do however rememer one night I think it was a party on Republic road or somewhere around there, the neighbors got really upset and you can't blame them.   The police would be called, they would come and tell them to turn the music down, but as soon as they were gone, the music would go up again!  This particular night the neighbor took matters into his own hands and threw a canister of tear gas over the wall.

It was the first time I had experienced tear gas, and I remember running with my friends to the garage over the road and splashing water on our faces, only for someone to tell as after that, that is the worst thing you can do.   I don't remember what happened after but it is possible we went to Bimbo's for a schwarma, we often did that after leaving Smugglers on a Friday night on our way home, more often than not still with a glass of wine or a beer taken from the pub.

There were so many communes in those days, a lot of times run by varsity students and needing to make some money for the electricity or some other utility.  I do remember going to these commune parties in Illovo, Parktown, Sandton, Rosebank and more often than not these were beautiful old houses, that by the time the students left were asolutely wrecked.

I'd love to hear your memories on commune parties round the late 80's early 90's.