Six months after Britain enjoyed its hottest ever summer, South Africa was enjoying a summer heatwave of its own, and it was into this blistering climate that Nik was born in the last few days of 1976. Here he grew up on a quarter-acre plot with his relatively well-off parents and brother until in 1978 he was whisked away from this middle-class paradise and plunged into the decidedly less well off world of being a destitute immigrant.
South Africa was collapsing at this time, both economically and politically. The National Party had such an enormous share of the vote they were the only party of significance. The ANC were banned as a terrorrist group, so their political wing was ineffective, and in any case their biggest asset, the vast black majority, were banned from voting. Crime was increasing, both in the townships and in the white suburbs. Anyone could see the situation was worsening and it was from this that the family escaped.
With no money and no friends they moved into a small flat in Clifton and promptly set about building a new life; Nik went to a morning playgroup to allow both parents to get out to work while his brother went to a local primary school. It was in this flat that Nik was to spend his first three years in the UK. It was in this flat that Nik was to have his first encounters with devices such as a soldering iron. These days the soldering iron is Nik's finest weapon of technology, but then he learned its power the hard way, by picking it up by the bit when it was on.
During this time, 8 hours at the speed of sound away, Alex was busy growing up on the western coast of South Africa.