 |
From : "Jack Curtis" <jackcomp@iafrica.com>
To : <mikecurley@bigfoot.com>
Subject : Re: Is that you...?
Date : Tue, 23 Apr 2002 09:42:53 +0200
Hi Mike
Yes. This is indeed me.
Sitting in a game reserve watching beasts.
I look forward to learning all your news for the last thirty years.
I operate that well-known multinational software house Jack Curtis Computer Systems. We mostly use a revolutionary new programming language - COBOL.
Could send you some inside information about COBOL if you are interested.
Wheeeyaaaa !!
Best regards, Jack
Jack!
Ha-ha? glad to have found you? I think it was via a search which found the company, and putting 2 and 2 together ? Jack Curtis + Computer Company ? they don?t get much cleverer than me you know!!
Funny ? I found Dave Burchell (ex 1900 SA) ? the same day I found you ? and mentioned to him that I thought I?d just about got the bugs fixed in an Atlas Aircraft Cobol program, that I?d been de-bugging in Plan for the last 30 years! Does Cobol still exist..?? surely not??
So.. the last 30 years?. I left Joburg around 1973 having contracted there for the last 6 months ? and earned not a single cent, married to German lady ? Almuth.
Got back to UK ? met by Bassy and Anne, joined a software house he?d financed ? Systems 70 ? headed by Jim Davis, fell into the 3-Day week and Miners strike ? and thought ?what have I come back to? ? what a crap place England was. Struggled on, 2 daughters appeared, Jim and Bassy couldn?t work together, Systems 70 closed, I went contracting ? best thing I ever did ? wrote programs, designed systems for anybody who wanted them, got dragged all over, mostly London, but Scotland, a bit in Boston USA, Saudi-Arabia etc.. came back to SA for a couple of holidays, kept in touch with Fred Boulton, who also visited us in the UK a couple of times, split from Almuth around 1989, she went back to Hamburg, youngest daughter 13/14 went with her, elder one 16/17 stayed with me ? no great struggling/pulling of the kids ? they just did what they wanted to do. I tried to retire in 1989 and bumming round for a dinner one day I called Mike Waller, his wife answered and said he was in Hong Kong and she was going to join him in a few days ? bollocks!! No dinner there!! Next day Wal was on the phone ? ?did I want a contract in HK??? ? yes ? so I was there a couple of days later ? and basically have been there/here ever since. Met up with Auntie Janet with whom I?ve been living for the last 7/8 years, she had to move here (Singapore) 6 months ago ? so I came along as baggage. Actually managed to retire 2 years ago ? hence the annoyance I?m making of myself now!!
Your turn? then I?ll ask about lots of names from the past?
I remember the beasties??. Once visited Wankie in Zimbabwe ? ?Largest concentrations of elephants on the planet? ? during 4 days ? we saw ?. 1 !!
MC
___________________________________
From : "Jack Curtis" <jackcomp@iafrica.com>
To : <mikecurley@bigfoot.com>
Subject : Jack's last thirty years
Date : Thu, 25 Apr 2002 14:01:57 +0200
Hi Mike
Many thanks for your long message.
1971 I married a Lebanese lady - Jeanette. Still very married (to the same lady).
You mention 'struggling/pulling'. My long, long marriage has comprised only struggling/pulling. A steep uphill. Two sons.
The older now 29 is a hip-wriggling computer contractor living in Johannesburg.
The younger now 27 is a hip-wriggling computer contractor living in Cape Town.
After wrenching myself (or being wrenched, as you will) away from 1900 SA I started a custom-building software house (COBOL).
After a couple of years I started a computer bureau with Mr A (I did the software design and programming) and after a couple of years sold my interest to Mr B and returned to my custom-building software house (COBOL).
After a couple of years Mr B fought with Mr A and bought him out of the computer bureau - meantime I was continuing with my custom-building software house (COBOL).
After a couple of years I bought the computer bureau from Mr B, ran it for a couple of years, sold it to Mr A and returned to my custom-building software house (COBOL).
A large part of my life is running an octopus of an application package (COBOL) for motor-dealers.
Some half a dozen years ago I ventured into SAP/ABAP and worked for a couple of years on custom-built sofware for S A Post Office but I have since returned to my custom-building software house (COBOL).
You mention '... managed to retire 2 years ago'. What I laughlingly call 'my plans' do not include retirement. I suppose retirement could be thrust upon me but I expect I would hate it.
'... lots of names from the past' leaves me speechless. But I look forward to hearing from you some more.
Best regards, Jack
Jack!!
Finished watching the beasts!!
I knew you married a Lebanese lady had forgotten her name (don?t think I ever met her), but think I remember she was ?related? to another Lebanese lady (Gloria??) who was Receptionist at 1900 Commissioner St offices ? correct??
So you have passed the 30 years hurdle ? congratulations ? applicable more to Jeanette than yourself as she probably had the more harrowing time.
Hip-wriggling sons, sound like something to be proud of ? congrats there too.
The custom-building software house (COBOL) ? monolith seems to keep calling you back, and to be in business over all the intervening years is remarkable, are you the oldest software house still operating??
Which leads me onto specific memories??.
I remember seeing you a couple of times at the 1900 offices ? and shortly thereafter you were persona non-grata, Johnston had a real hatred for you, probably mutual??
I then remember struggling with Joy and Atlas etc.. the whole thing getting swallowed up by ICL and becoming Dataskil, and only staying with it for 6 months thereafter. But? Doug ??? ? IT Manager at Atlas, who left to set up ??? Software House (you must have had something to do with that??) ? I remember him saying that competing with us (Dataskil) was easy, he just waited for us to enter a quotation to a client, then he visited and said ? ?we?ll do the job for 60% of Dataskil?s quote? ? ha-ha!! Easy days!!
What was his name?? I enjoyed the tussles and ?fights? we had at Atlas.
Speaking of KPJ ? I was in Tokyo in 1998, at a Bank ? contracting ? and saw on a software database ?owner ? Len Gore? ? ?it has to be the same? ? I thought ? made immediate contact and he passed on KPJ?s email address. From then for about 18 months we were emailing each other almost daily ? so enjoyable was it (reminiscing about SA etc..) that I?ve put it on my web-site (mikecurley.simoncjwalker.net/mjc). When we?d exhausted ourselves, all went quiet for a few months ? then it all started again ? wherein he wanted the world to know who had started 1900 and how and when etc.. ? so that also went up there as ?1900 the true story?. Have a look if you?ve a mind ? I?m sure you?re mentioned and probably not favourably ? who cares??
Brian Stoate is a good mate still.. emailing every day (he works in the City ? Canary Wharf), but holidayed in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago ? and stopped off here (outward and inward) for a couple of good evenings.
Bassy is in Monte Carlo, and only emails me if I email him ? maybe twice a year.
Now you have to tell me what?s happening with Chiswells and Fred Boulton?? I?ve been trying to find Fred for a couple of years to no avail, is he still in Joburg?? Also Dave Lewis?? Graeme Wallace?? Roger ?Day? ? Durban office married Moira??
That?ll keep you busy?. Plenty more?
MC