Hans Kilian, the author of a book called ‘Life of a Dock Rat’ is one of 67 musicians taking part in a Mandela Day event organised by Smile 90.4 FM radio station. The 67 musicians who are taking part will busk for 67 minutes in 67 different locations around Cape Town – Hans will be busking at the Bayside Centre in Table View. All 67 musicians will start busking simultaneously at 12:00 and finish at 13:07. All money collected during the 67 minutes of busking will be pooled and donated towards music development for underprivileged children.

The song Hans wrote is called “Britstown” and refers to gesture of kindness that was shown to him that is also mentioned in his book. Hans worked as a skipper in the V&A Waterfront for over 20 years and in his book he tells of the experiences he had on the sea and the people he met. At the same time it tells the story of the growth of the Waterfront and also, to a degree, the growth of South Africa. Hans writes about how he came to be employed at the Waterfront, the experiences he had on the boats he skippered and the people who had a significant influence on his life. The book ‘Life of a Dock Rat’ is published by Kwarts Publishers and will be available in a book store near you soon.

Listen to the song Hans wrote and recorded: 

Britstown By Val Shans

https://soundcloud.com/val-shans/britstown-by-val-shans