1977-78 Guys only NewLife

June 1977 

1  Change from Mixed to all guys

4   YFC Come Together Rally – Reefland – Sat Orange Grove

6 TV for Group Additional SABC recording

7 LP Meeting Tuesday (Probably with Pat, guess it is about recording the LP)

17-29 PE Tour (see separate section under TOURS)

29 See Pastor Kevin Doran, Hatfield – Wed

July 1977

17  Bethany Baptist, Lyttleton Sun – 7.30p

18  Sharon’s Kitchen Tea (Pennys Sis-in-law?)

19  SA Gymnasium – Tues

23  Ivor’s Wedding (Pennys Brother)

August 1977

1  Derek Weston’s goodbye, Wesley Methodist – Mon

6  Van Der Bijl Park – Come Together YFC

7  Castle Carey – Sun 5.30p

13 Keswick Methodist – Sat

20 Mac & Penny Wedding

One of the first events as an “all guys” group was the Reefland YFC Come Together at the old Ster Kinekor cinema on Louis Botha Avenue in Orange Grove, Johannesburg. The cinema had been purchased by a church which then made the venue available to YFC for their Youth Outreaches – complete with drinks and popcorn! It felt like a regular cinema, and it was a great venue for bands to perform in.  Naturally, it was a very neutral venue for kids.

There was one problem though, the church held its service there on Sunday mornings which meant that Ted Carr, Reefland YFC Director and his family, and other YFC volunteers had to clean up and get the place spotless for the next day! That, of course, happened at very late hours! It was a lot of work, but those were very fruitful times

Seph: The change to “all guys” was an exciting time, and one that probably saw us laughing a lot more! Especially during practices.  The YFC rally was the first of many at Orange Grove. We always had a great time. And the audience was always so responsive! Ted Carr did a great job.

Back in March 77 we had gone to SABC to do a TV recording which never finished as we ran out of studio time. This occasion was to finish “recording” and I’m not sure how they handled it was the group had changed to all guys since the last recording!

The 7 June entry says LP meeting. I have no memories of how deciding to do a LP came about, but I’m sure Pat Berning probably was the main promoter.

The next event mentioned was Derek Weston’s farewell. He had “retired” from YFC and was about to head back to his previous profession, forestry work in the Eastern Transvaal I don’t remember much, but I think it was held at the large Wesleyan Methodist Church near Burgerspark.

Seph: Mac & Penny’s wedding was at Hatfield Baptist. My memories are very thin here, but I do remember them moving into a flat in Sunnyside with that great green living room set – still the most comfortable couches I can ever remember sitting on! I also remember eating toast with viennas & cheese at all hours of the night. And I think soon after the wedding I moved in with the Finlays (Mac’s parents),  into Mac’s old room in Gezina!  Great memories of Mrs Finlays cooking and shortbread and tea, I was so spoilt! Each morning Mr Finlay brought me a cup of coffee and a cookie in bed. Doubly spoilt!

Mac recalls: Actually my dad did that for me, every day, growing up, as long as I can remember!

September 1977

2 -5 SPREE 77  Festivals Durban- Events with Gwen Murray and the YFC Singers (See details under “Tours” or click here)

8  Anglican Youth Guild – VoortrekkerHoogte Stuart Mennigke

10 Ichtus – Sat

13 Keswick Rally with Pat Berning – Tues

16 Purchase of  Ibanez Electrical from Sarel (Is this you mac?)

17 Beverly’s Zeelie (Patricio) Wedding

23 Reefland YFC – Boksburg Methodist Ted Carr – Fri

24 Reefland YFC – Boksburg Methodist Ted Carr – Sat

25 Castle Carey Clinic – Pretoria – Sun

October 1977

1   Lou Finney Pretoria North

8   Ichtus – Sat

November 1977

5 SuperRally – Ster Theater Orange Grove Ted Carr YFC

December 1977

6 Bophutatswana Independence

*****Diary ends*****

Pennys Diary Stops at this point and there is no record of events. Posters and other approximates are used for 1978+ Events

Seph: Change was afoot! What used to be Reefland YFC “Come Together” events staged by YFC, now became “Superally”, under the leadership of Ted Carr. They were regular events and we really enjoyed the enthusiastic response to our performances.

I know we were there, at the Bophutatsawna Independence Celebration…. we have the photos to prove it! It was probably the largest audience we had ever played to, with the stadium seating tens of thousands. I got the dates from Wikipedia. And I think Y-1 was there as well. The YFC trailer in the background must be how we got our equipment there? Or maybe New Song was there too? I also think Jos Holtshausen was involved.

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Jan – April 1978

Promise Festival 78 – Pretoria With Living Sound

4-Jan-78 Youth Week – Pretoria Possibly when SABC recorded

27-Feb-78 Pretoria YFC not sure what….got a thank you

1-Mar-78 Afrikaanse Baptiste Kerk – Cullinan (Received R20 donation)

Mar-78 Start recording Album

30-Mar-78 Lofdal – Northern Natal YFC Easter Camp. (For more details and pics see “TOURS”)

Seph: This may have been the year SABC-TV came out to record us at Youth Week for the Crossroads program. Mac and Les were mortified because SABC put the mics right in front of the speakers!

April – July 1978

11-Apr-78 Jimmy Furgeson dies of Heart Attack in Mafikeng

15-Apr-78 Jonah’s Music Festival -Barnard Park – Lyttleton

3-Jun-78 Superally-Orange Grove Movie – Pilgrim’s Progress

30-Jun-78 to 8-Jul-78 Rhodesia Tour (For more details see “TOURS”) 

Jimmy Ferguson was a huge driving force in the founding of YFC in SA. He passed into Glory and it was quite an occasion. One of the stories told about “Uncle Jimmy” was that whenever he walked passed trees he would say “Don’t forget to clap!” in reference to the psalms.

Seph: I was actively involved in the Jonah Music Festival.  There was a park around the corner from Kim’ Mountford’s house in Lyttleton, that I often visite. ( I was dating Kim at the time). I always thought it would be a great place for a concert.  As it turns out the park was called Barnard Park, much to my surprise.  I had to get permission from the Vervowedburg/Lyttleton Town Council for the event.   I also tried my hand at the marketing.  The poster picture was shot by Mike Dawson, that’s me with a guitar in silhouette. Mike and I were into photography at that time. He even had a makeshift darkroom in his Dad’s garage in Queenswood where we processed the photos. Took so long back then!   To get some promotional copy in the newspapers, I’d even gone to the Pretoria News and Beeld and got them to mention it.  But getting people to concerts is hard work.  We had the usual faithful show up, but not too many others showed up.  My idea was to have these festivals all over the place. But after the discouragement of the first one, the enthusiasm was lacking!  The name Jonah’s, Music Festival came with the by-line – “Have a whale of a time!”. The poster says Appearing: New Life, Exodus, Logos, Dave Ornellas & more.

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Aug – Dec 1978

30-Jul-78 Park Street Assembly of God – Pretoria

9-Sep-78 Elim Assembly (opp Sunny Park) – Pretoria

1-Oct-78 NG Church – Monument Park – Pretoria

14-Oct-78 Bedford Chapel- BedfordView – Eddy Lear Wedding Reception

22-Oct-78 Christ’s Church Hillbrow Youth Night – 75th Anniversary- Ken Terhoven

4-Nov-78 Verwoerdburg Town Hall- YFC Movie Pilgrims Progress

12-Dec-78 Photos for album taken downtown Pretoria in Volkstem Avenue

Bet El Theater, Gezina Music Festival

Seph: The Elim Church opposite Sunnypark, next to the post office was an alive place with a good crowd of young people! We played there on a number of occasions.

Theo: The NG church-Monument Park event was significant because it was the first time we had sung at an NG church and I remember us standing outside praying before the event. I remember getting dirty (or maybe just puzzled) looks from some of the congregants as we prayed! We didn’t quite fit the usual the NG way.

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Bet El Theatre on Voortrekker Road, was the venue for a music festival / talent contest put on in conjunction with YFC. 

Cecil: I remember sitting in the balcony at Bet-El Theatre, with the mixing desk and Pat Berning coming up to me and scolding me for the vocal mix of some artist ! Quite embarrassing!

Seph: It was the first time we saw Maralyn Hanna, Norman’s wife.  We wondered who the little girl was, who had a baby in her arms. And how surprised we were when she drove off in a 7 series BMW!  In April ‘79 we “officially” met the Hannas at YFC Music Camp at Wilgerspruit.

1978 – Undated

• Jhb South AFM church – Mayfair

• Eastlynne with Neville Norden

• Lutheran Church Pretoria

• Events with Gwen Murray Pretoria

• Springs Coffee Bar

• AFM Pentecostal Church Arcadia

• Central Baptist Church – Pretoria

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Bob Larson Conference

Remember Bob Larson?  He was the American Evangelist, who said all rock music was from the devil!  Bob had come to South Africa with his message, and it did not help us much, as our music was considered “rock”. Some of us went to his “conference” in Pretoria where we stated our case which was that we had seen many come into a saving knowledge of Jesus through our music. We played rock founded on The Rock!

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Nevil Norden

From the earliest days of New Life in 1975, when we all attended Hatfield Baptist Church, Nevil Norden was an encourager. He regularly loaned us his brown El Camino pickup truck for weeks at a time, so we could undertake tours to Natal, Port Elizabeth and Bulawayo. We had numerous opportunities to minister together between 1975 and 1978. He saw the value of the music ministry, and we are so grateful to him.

Unassigned appearances – possibly 1978: The Following are events that happened but no dates have been recorded, just wonderful memories.

Jo’burg South AFM – Mayfair

Seph: “Brother Ron….from America” The mere mention of the phrase sends Steve falling to the floor in fits of laughter and tears, which gets the rest of us going too!  What a memorable moment for us.  In that small AFM Church in Mayfair when that big guy, in the bell bottomed brown plaid pants, white belt and white shoes, huge Thompson’s Concordance tucked under his arm, flashed a big toothy smile and held out his hand… “Brother Ron …from America.” A legend was born!

Eastlynne with Nevil Norden

Mac, Penny, Les, Joan & Steve remember: We were at this church in Eastlynne, having been invited by Nevil Norden to provide the music and to lead worship. Once we had finished our music set, Nevil got up to preach. We were able to slip out the back. We were pretty punchy. Somehow we had seen someone with two amputated fingers and imagined them ordering hamburgers, and the confusion it would cause, holding up a hand with three fingers but asking for five hamburgers! It didn’t need much to set us off. Steve lost it with laughter as he often did. We must of been a bit loud, because when we packed up after it was all done, Nevil gave us “hairy eyeball”! While we were out back rolling in laughter, Joan and Penny were stuck inside the church and very frustrated because they wanted to be with us. The problem was that pentecostal happenings seem to go on forever! Eventually they excused themselves and stepped outside, feeling guilty that they weren’t “spiritual” enough to have stayed, only to find the guys convulsed in laughter outside! (The “finger amputee image” caused another convulsion a few years later at Springs City Hall, when Lindsay had joined us. We were hysterical over the image again in an interval in the programme, and when we went back on stage we were in no fit state to play seriously spiritual songs!).

Lutheran Church Pretoria

Seph: We were setting up somewhere in Sunnyside /Burgerspark area at a Lutheran Church.  Mac and I had carried the Peavey PA speakers in and were trying to figure where to put them. There were some choir pews facing the audience, so that seemed a good idea, except the backs of the pews meant that the Peavey speaker columns were too sharply angled.  No problem, we were resourceful. There were kneeling pillows, in the rows, so we took those and used them to prop the speakers upright.  Just as we were doing it, a little old  lady came in and was horrified with our actions!  “Nein, Nein” she anguished… “Das is Heilig….Heilig”. Somehow we did not get the fact that the pillows were Holy and not to be used for such mundane tasks.  We sure saw a wide variety of God’s precious children at work! And I’m sure it made us more accepting Christians because we had seen everything, from the most uptight sourpuss, humourless holy ones, to the chandelier-swinging, high flying pentecostal types!

MF/TvR: Correction! It was because Steve was trying to use the pillows in his base drum! 

Events with Gwen Murray in Pretoria

Gwen Murray was a performer from the UK, who was invited to SA by YFC. We were fortunate to perform with her in PE in July of 77 and at Spree77 in September ’77. We also had the opportunity to do performances with her in the Pretoria area.

Cecil: I remember Gwen Murray had a few concerts together with us. We would do sound for her as she was using our equipment. She had a backing tape and it was my job doing the audio, to cue it up. Then at a prearranged signal, I was to start it. Except there were two cues on it! I did not which one was the right one. Inevitably I got it “wrong”, and I remember her somewhat perplexed, until I showed her there were two cues, and I didn’t know which one to cue? “Oh”, she acknowledged, and all was forgiven.

Springs Coffee Bar – Tiny Shop Front

Seph: The gig was in Springs, so we travelled all the way with a van-load of equipment only to fin d that that the church was in a small shopfront. “Small” is the operative word here. “Minute” is probably more accurate. It was kind of, well uh, we can set up, but then all the people will have to be outside!. I don’t remember how e solved that one, but it took “cosy” to new heights!

Central Baptist Church, Beatrix St, Pretoria

Seph: I had become a member of Central Baptist Pretoria, after Hatfield became a little too big for me. The church was on Beatrix Street, around the corner from the old Hellenic Hotel and across from the Kingsley & Marais Center. Quite a few of the YFC people attended the church, including Shirley (YFC secretary), and Fran (previous YFC secretary), Penny Deeks (just finished Y-1), Dawie Hatting, Frankie Naude. Peter Nicoll was the Youth Pastor at that time. Peter had been with YFC in Transkei, then went to Baptist Union College. I’m sure we played there, probably in the hall off to the side of the Church. Pastor Macpherson was the Pastor. Pat Berning (in our conversation with him), remembers the early 70’s at Central Baptist, when they would not allow him to play guitar as they did not allowed “stringed instruments” to be played in the church. He suggested they look inside their pianos!

AFM Pentecostal Church in Arcadia, Pretoria

Seph: One of the churches we played in Arcadia, was a small Full Gospel, or AFM church, had no place to set up the drums, so Steve had to set them up in the Baptistry. I seem to remember that this was during the time we had the girls singing with us, but I can’t seem to find a date or event that matches in the diary.