Reunions held in 2007: Class of 1967

30 November - 2 December 2007

By Sydney Cullis

1967 class photo
Attendees

Kaltoen Adams, Abdul Adams, Michael Aitken, Joel Berman, Keith Breetzke, Tony Butt, Alan Chait, Clifford Chan-Yan, Norman Cooper, Sydney Cullis, Manilal Daya, John Dodsworth, Geoffrey Duncan, Jean Faure, Bazil Freedman, Jack Gluckman, Govind Harie, Cecil Helman, Paul Hill, Jeffrey Hirschson, Abdul Jappie, Ardiel Kamedien, Richard Kohn, Ian Marais, Allan Mitchell, Adrian Morison, Theo Odendaal, Sarah Pearce, Dennis Philander, Shunmoogam (Praga) Pillay, Marguerite Pretorius, Neville Polley, Colin Reardon, Stephen Rebstein, John Ross, Harold Sacks, Michael Scallan, Elroy Schroeder, Bruce Scott, Anthony Segal, Jeffrey Scher, Ashley Stoner, Barbara Strauss, Peter Swift, David Theodosiou, John Werner, Bryan Williams, Bertram Wing King, David Zacks

(Click on the image to see a large version.)

Forty-nine members of the 1967 class registered at Medical School on Friday 30th November. Of those who sent their details for inclusion in the booklet, there were 16 GP's, 10 physicians, 6 anaesthetists, 6 surgeons, 5 paediatricians, 4 radiologists, 3 psychiatrists and smaller numbers of others. There were slightly more in private practice than in Government service. The geographical spread was South Africa 28, UK 10, USA 8, Australia & New Zealand 7, Canada 4 and others.

It was a pleasure at registration for many members of the class to meet the face behind the email address of joan.tuff@uct.ac.za.

We were then shown around the Student Learning Centre by Dr Laurie Kellaway and given an explanation of problem based learning which was greeted with some scepticism. We then had a walk through the UCT Private Academic Hospital which was not very informative and Andy Nichol, head of the Accident and Emergency Unit, explained the workings of the CT scanner which is used for multiple trauma cases. It was initially designed to catch people trying to smuggle diamonds out of mines. A superb finger lunch at the Tafelberg Restaurant provided an opportunity to catch up on 40 years of history.

In the evening we were welcomed by the Dean, Marian Jacobs, at a cocktail party in the MAC Club. Our guests were Andre Swanepoel, Ralph Kirsch, Boet Heese and Stuart Saunders.

The "Academic" meeting on the Saturday morning was introduced by Dr David Stein with a talk entitled "Apartheid and me at Medical School". It was of special relevance to our class as the Bill Hoffenberg saga took place during our time at Medical School.

Those visiting Robben Island found it interesting but the transport arrangements were quite not up to World Heritage status, arriving back just in time for their dinner.

After the formal photograph was taken, the dinner was held in the dining hall at Smuts and proved to be the highlight of the weekend. The excellent buffet was provided by the catering at the Baxter Theatre. Bryan Williams, class representative in our final year, proposed a toast to UCT and Steve Rebstein, as MC, kept us in order. Guest of honour, Ardrene Forder, ensured that we were up to date with the sex lives of cockroaches. The "nonsense" songs, by Maurice Kibel, accompanied by Sydney Cullis on the larynx and Basil Kaplan at the piano, provided a fitting end to the proceedings.

Despite the lateness of the previous night, eight members of the class took part in the Medical Ten fun run at 06h30 on Sunday morning. This is a 10km run for health professionals which has become part of the medical calendar in the Cape over the last 30 years.

The tour around the Kirstenbosch Gardens was interesting to locals and visitors alike and the final lunch at the Silvertree Restaurant brought the weekend to a conclusion.

Our sincere thanks to Joan Tuff for the incredible amount of work she did to organize the whole weekend. Unfortunately she will have retired by the time we need to organise our 50th reunion in 2017.

 

Glory, glory EDUCATION
(Battle Hymn of the Republic)

The flora of the colon were a mystery to me
I knew nought of CARCINOMA nor of COLONOSCOPY
But now I'm educated with the best M B degree
From Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory education
Glory, glory celebration
Glory, glory emigration, at Med School UCT

How PROFESSOR DALL spends his time is not for us to guess,
Orthopaedics was the speciality that once he did profess
If only he's still do it, we would no-be-in-such a mess
Down at Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory hesitation
Glory, glory vacillation
Glory, to administration, etc.

The brightest and the youngest is Prof Solly Benatar
(Bronchietc.asis and asthma, emphysema and catarrh)
there's nothing that will turn him on like smoking a cigar at Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory ventilation
Glory, glory auscultation
Glory, glory crepitations, etc.

John Terblanche is quick to notice if he finds you're talking tripe
And he's not afraid to tell you in a voice from rich and ripe
He loves his trips to China and the Land of Stars and Stripe
NOT to Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory strangulation
Glory, glory perforation
Glory to pontification, etc.

At morbid anatomy Oom Danie is the LORD
He's-as-good as any surgeon though he's not been in a ward
He-can-tell where your appendix and your pineal gland are stored
At Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory dissetc.ation
Glory, formalinization
Glory to evisceration, etc.

On resistant saph'lococci Ardene Forder is a hit
Send him smelly faeces and he won't complain a bit
He's not averse to putting all his fingers in the ...
Down's at Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory inflammation
Glory, glory desquamation 
Glory, glory defaecation, etc.

Prof Harrison's dominion is the Anaesthesia Tray
He knows his PREMED doses and he knows what gas to spray
And don't believe the stories, he is certainly NOT gay
At Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory intubation
Glory, glory inhalation
Glory to asphyxiation, etc.

Dennis Davy is the fellow who can tetll you what to do
When the cervix is dilating and the vulva's turning blue
Thanks to him the births are rising, in each ward and MOU
He's at Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory fornication
Glory, glory ovulation
Glory, glory tubal ligation etc.

If your sex-life is atrocious and you're bad at parlour games
If you're prone to violent spasms and you can't remember names
It's time you had an interview with our own Frances Anes
Down at Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory to hallucination
Glory, fits and jactitation
Glory to women's liberation, etc.

But-if-your dreams are pornographic and you're badly oversexed
If your dearest friends won't greet you and you're totally complexed
Borrow beg or steal the Gilles Guide to the Perplexed
From Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory, glory meditation
Glory, glory masturbation
Glory, glory flagellation etc.

When your Betz cells are atrophic and your hair is thin and grey
When there's osteoporosis, senile tremor and decay
You'll remember your Professors as they carry you away
From Med School UCT

Chorus:
Glory geriatricationv
Glory to decerebratoin
Glory superannuatoin etc.

 

ONE YEAR ON
(Yeoman of the Guard, G & S)

When Groote Schuur once ruled the waves
In Chris Barnard's day
The people came from lands afar
By camel, train, by jet and car
To hear what he would say
For Groot' Schuur's very proudest time
Was in Chris Barnard's reign sublime
Yes ... (Chorus)

And now that he at last has gone
And others in his place
We make no claim or vain pretence
At scientific eminence
Or intelletc.ual grace
But still there is a Groote Schuur
You'll see it did NOT disappear
Yes ... (Chorus)

There's Kay de V and Davey D
They're men of high degree
And Immelman of pensive air
And Kotter, oh so debonair
To whom we bend the knee
So still there is a Groote Schuur
Although it's looking rather queer
Yes ... (Chorus)

Prof Dowdle works with IGG
And he's the first to tell
That Ralphy Kirsch & Benetar
Do nothing in particular
But do it very well
But still we have our Groote Schuur
And still it really knows no peer
Yes ... (Chorus)

Reeve-Sanders knows what it's about
So do her merry band.
Thank goodness that they do not itch
To interfere with matters which
They do not understand
And even though Chris is not here
Life still goes on, at Groote Schuur
Yes ... (Chorus)

A German came with fanfare loud
To fill Chris Barnard's chair
The new Department now resounds
To Russian, Greek and uzzer sounds
All fighting for their share
Bruno Reichart has restored the name
Of Groote Schuur to lasting fame
Jawohl.
Reichart has restored the name
Of Groote Schuur to lasting fame

 

VIAGRADINE
(When the foeman bares his steel
Pirates of Penzance – G & S)

When your limbs are wracked with pain
Or you've water on the brain
When you're feeling out of sorts
Can't abide the news reports
When you've reason to suppose
That your friends won't come too close
Take a pill three times a day
And your ills will melt away
And your ills will melt away.

Nothing else will work so fast
To remove Elastoplast
Or the paint from your wall
Or teach your baby how to crawl
It's good for deafness and the gout
Slims you down if you are stout
And those nasty virus darts
Won't attack your private parts.

If you've Forder's rare disease
Can't feel a thing ABOVE you knees
If your stocks and shares are low
And your toe-nails fail to grow
If your girl friend's indiscrete
Or your dog has athlete's feet
Take a pill three times a day
You'll see it in the BMJ

CHORUS:
VIAGRADINE

To every star of stage and screen
And aspiring beauty queen
Our VIAGRADINE'S a must
For developing the bust
If your hair is falling out
It will cause new locks to sprout
And it's receiving approbation
For raising up your expetc.ation.

If you've enlargement of the spleen
But cannot pay to have it seen
If you're bleeding from the pile
Don't like Terblanche's nasty smile
If you're addicted to cocaine
But the drug you can't obtain
Take just two three times a day
You'll get high the easy wasy

CHORUS:
VIAGRADINE

They sent a man from ICI
Our results to certify
Abbotts, Boots and Lederle
Are turning green with jealousy
Those who peddle Dulcolax
Have become insomniacs
For our pill can even be
Used as a supposit'ry.

If you've a tendency to sneeze
Get the itch from Stilton cheese
If your face is looking queer
Like a Rhesus monkey's rear
When you've causing much distress
By wearing granny's wedding dress
Take a pill three times a day
And your ills will melt away.

CHORUS:
VIAGRADINE

If our leaders took the pill
It might at last show some sense instil
Yes, they'd show much more resource ...
Though it would need a longer course;
VIAGRADINE prolongs your years
But when that fateful moment nears
As they place you ‘neath the ground
You'll be the happiest corpse around.

When your bladder's fit to pop
But you can't produce a drop
If you're three months overdue
Alas you lack the revenue
And with things in such a state
That you desire to emigrate
Take a pill three times a day
And these cares will melt away

CHORUS:
VIAGRADINE