Thursday, 14 July 2016

From Melbourne (Mum): 24th September 1981

Melbourne
24 Sept
Dear Alan,
                When I got home yesterday there was telegram for you. First I thought it was some mistake and they had mixed up the telegram we had sent you for your birthday. I had a look and it was from the Navy asking you to contact them. We cannot just ignore the telegram because when you have had a time in SA with plenty of experience you may still need the forces for a job. There have been several bits in the paper about the number of dentist seems that quite a lot are not working a full week at all. I will put some of the paragraphs in a later letter. Tomorrow (I can’t ring today because it is Show Day) I will ring the number given and tell them that you are away-that I have written to you-and am waiting for an answer. The Navy takes a long time to do anything or at least when Colin joined he had to wait months.

                I met Mrs Gartley yesterday and she was telling me how they are getting too many doctors here and Ian has got no hope of doing what he wanted to because there are too many.

                I have just finished reading a very interesting book about Johannesburg by a photographer Magubane who worked for the Rand Daily Mail a few years ago. It was mostly pictures of black people in Soweto. Magubane lived in Diepklook when he published the book (in London1978). He says he is going to stay and work in Sth Africa but I wonder if he is still there. He is a friend of Winnie Mandela who is in a lot of his photos. This is just a hurried letter because I want you to get it as soon as possible @letters seem to take a long time.

                                Love Mum






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