Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Picture if you can, a table at Shooters, and a conversation with two London Cyps (with property here) plus one British refugee, when after a few 'Were you...? ' and 'Did you...?' followed by almost 'screams' and gales of laughter followed by comments such as 'Never!', 'Really!...and what have you got?

You have Soner Kiofi, Boss/owner/capo of the KibKom family, together with Joe Efe one of theBig Boys of Ozankoy Football Team, and yours truly who was just there 'for the beer' and what do we discover? We all three were living in Battersea, south London at the same time but never met. And over 40 years ago. We all went to similar haunts - Battersea |Park, Clapham Common, and Joe and Soner even went to the same school in Clapham (not overlapping though).

On top of that I discovered a while ago that Joe's Uncle had a car repair business underneath the arches of the railway station at the bottom of the road where I grew up and where my family lived for 50 years.

Yes, I know it is a small world, but really - all this way and all this time later to discover that we might have sat on the same park bench, sailed boats in the same pond, past each other in the street, or - who knows.

As I say 'I don't believe it' but I guess 'You gotta believe it!' cos this is Cyprus.

ANYONE ELSE ANY SIMILAR STORIES.

(Oh and there is a geographical connection in U.K. with Can Gazi too!

I also went to the Clapham Common Secondary Modern school in the late 1950s - only for a year though!

So was a year enough!? Seriously, that may have been before Soner's time and Joe's but fascinating to hear who had shops and where, and we had a laugh that they were obviously never 'foreigners' cos of their 'white' faces and dreadful south London accents! So, Papa Bravo, where did you live?

Shared a flat in Mysore Rd in Battersea with John Ratzenberger who played Cliff the postman in Cheers. I did the fire-eating / burning for the opening of the Battersea Arts Centre - the old Town Hall. Taught at Lambeth College opposite Clapham Common which was previously Thomas Carlton school I think. Well I never! I don't believe it! Lastly I fished on the ponds of Clapham Common as a kid.

As it's a Chealsea over-spill you probably know it's now pronounced Batterrrr Sea.

So, Papa Bravo, where did you live?

Marions, I lived in India till my early teens. We came to the UK for a year to see what it was like prior to a possible emigration.

İ will have to teach your favourite waitress ın Shooters,not to say 'Bore da'......but.....'cor blimey,me old Chına......wanna cup of Rosy Lee ?'

But bringing the subject back to TRNC interest,10 years ago when I first came to live here,İ worked part time for a shipping company.One day we had to take customers to Famagusta docks to sort out a mixed contaıner...We took the customers out to lunch.I asked the man next to me is that a North Wales accent you have?Yes,he replied.Sounds like you are from Wrexham.What did you do there?İ enquired.I had a stationery company,he replied.İ asked the name,and when he replied,I then asked,'Dıdn't ıt go bust?'...yes,he said,some other f*****g company opened up and stole all my customers !!!'Sorry'İ replied,İ am Mike owned that company !!!!!
That evenıng after finishing business ın docks,we went to my Boss's friends for drinks.İ was asked to repeat the story..'Bloody hell'said her friend,you are Mike,from Border Office Supplies,we were customers of yours !!!!
Small world,eh?