Swan song
2009-06-24 09:32
My columns over the past two and a half years have brought me a lot of satisfaction and so it is with regret that I advise I'm cashing in my chips, hanging up my sword, zipping up my boots.
I must say though I have derived an immense amount of satisfaction from my little scribblings, and I've obtained even more insight into my fellow humans as a result of their comments on my columns than I ever had before.
One thing that really reassures me is that there is still a sense of humour left in this country, people still find things funny and are still as hilarious as they ever were. And the times when my readers crossed swords with each other, some on the offensive and some on the defensive, were some of the funniest comments I ever read.
The column I personally enjoyed writing the most - as a light-hearted offer, and from the funny comments perspective - was the one on the mysteries involving the disappearance of socks. I was heartened by the fact that so many people all knew about this mystery and had such robust suggestions for where the socks went, as indeed, they had whole cupboards full of the infamous "only one sock"!
The column that set the boards on fire for the first time was my Maddie not adding up piece, which put forward my theories about Maddie McCann's disappearance (the matter remains unsolved to this day, sadly). I received over 350 comments and more than 3 000 hits easily, and many people wrote from as far afield as New Zealand, Germany and the UK. This column was also featured on many international websites as the Maddie story was a huge story worldwide.
Despite my views being scurrilously vilified by many who replied, despite some vicious character attacks being mounted against me, this still remains one of my other favourite pieces from the early days (going back to May 2007).
The most feel-good piece I wrote was about our local hero Jericho Sithole, who caught that toddler as he was falling off an escalator at a shopping centre. My telephone interview with Jericho moved me to tears as he simply did not see that there was anything unusual in what he did, and I was inspired by his "let's all help" approach, which to my mind is true Ubuntu in practise.
One column I wrote wrapped in anger and sadness was my small tribute to Heath Ledger and it included rant against homophobes which brought many extreme views to the surface, and quite a small war too.
It's been a pleasure to provide entertainment and thought provoking articles for your consumption, all of you out there. I'd like to thank you for your unfailing and enthusiastic support of me whether you agreed or disagreed with my views.
Without my readers I would have been nothing, and the columns would have meant even less.
Now I exit at stage left. Farewell!
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