Retired Rev William Goble, 88 years, wrote in August 2016:

Junior contemporary BI undergraduate of Doc and Peggy Watson and Ray Oosthuis and Rona Rens. He came from Darkest Africa north of the Zambezi in Northern Rhodesia. British Colonial Civil Servant.  Land Survey 22 years.  I was a Capetonian by birth.  Ray Oosthuis of Pondoland thought I was a stranger to Cape Town so he took me up Boyes Drive to show me the beauty of the Cape.  Put him out of sight talking Pondo, they thought was one of them.  He had worked as a store trader in the Transkei.

My BI principal was Presbyterian Stewart LAW.  My wife to be, a Pinelands girl, was GRACE Margaret GREIG.  My family was in Pinelands too.   When not on BI weekend duty, of course I went home to be near my lady.  Weekdays on campus I was under LAW, weekends I was under GRACE!

Each term changing roommates, I shared with Jack Pienaar of the Beaufort West sheep Karoo farm.  He became with Peggy Doke an AIM missionary in Kenya and Namibia. Back on campus after a paradise weekend in Pinelands, my bedroom smelt like rotten fish. Jack would teach me a lesson.  I was too domestic tidy.  He had been down to Kalk Bay harbour while my back was turned, tied a bunch of BOKKOMS to the springs of my bed.  Perhaps LAW was hoping to cure Jack of his notorious untidiness!  Jack now in a Bergvliet Home.  Widower, serious stroke.

In 1951 I was a BI senior enjoying the lectures of the new boy but for one term.  Sandy Gilfillan came to the tennis court in heavy blue serge pants to the knees.  He quickly adapted.  He came to his lecture lectern protected by a wall of text books.  South African critics ready to pounce!

DUX in my final year, and arranging Sunday student preaching assignments, I questioned LAW, ‘Bill, if I put students in important pulpits who are not preachers, those doors will close to me.”
Post graduation, I served a one-year internship as a curate in Springs, Transvaal.

Grace now my fiancée came on BI campus to begin her studies.   She well knew of LAW’S fearsome reputation.    He pounced on her, the classroom newcomer, “Miss Greig, from whence did Abraham leave in obedience, not knowing where he was to go?”  In her terror all she could blurt out was UGH! LAW gruff said, “That’s right,” and he moved on to his next victim!

We hoped to serve in the CIM in the Anglican work in the far west of China.  The Communist balloon went up.  Under the OMF we sailed for Singapore in 1954.   Academic, posted to Malay Muslim work.  Our real vocation burden, the Thai Buddhists.  We had 13 wonderful years mobile productive in the Thai language, understood, spoken, read and written.  Inter alia three years houseparents on the staff of our Malaya Chefoo School for our own missionary children.

We came home in 1967 because of serious chronic health problems in three sons.  All three are now in Heaven. I am a widower well cared for by our only daughter she a spinster at 51 years, Thailand born.  We both praise GOD, speak the language of Zion.

The Chinese have no conventional written alphabet.  The stylist brush.  Pictures, out of the wisdom of thousands of years.  The word CONFLICT?  Two women under one roof!

I am now living in a cozy retirement cottage near on the south side of the mountain, I keep an eye on my Alma Mater!  Full circle.  Back to Paradise.

PS  While a curate in Springs, Ray Oosthuis and Rona Rens were married in the Pretoria Central Baptist Church.  I was Ray’s  ‘bestman’.  They had a long honourable service as SAGM/AEF missionaries.

Uncle 'Bamboo Bill' went home to the Lord at the beginning of 2018. "Well done, good and faithful servant..."