Awali days

Mike Knight, a former sales executive, radio station manager and DJ_is now a civil servant living in Luxembourg. He is sharing his magical memories of Awali School with a series of articles in GulfWeekly about life in the Bahrain of yesteryear. Right, Mike then and now.

Whilst I think none of us kids who lived the Awali life thought of ourselves as being privileged - we most certainly were.

Where else in the world could you get to know the Royal Family? Spend your days in a giant holiday camp? And walk around with a feeling of complete and utter security?

During April 2004, the Knight family made a return trip to Bahrain - 36 years after we left - 12 of us in total!

Manama was for the most part so different, that we often got lost driving around. But once we got to the Bab Al-Bahrain and into the souq - we were fine. The property growth to the north of the island was quite dramatic - with familiar landmarks which once stood alone and close to the sea, now completely surrounded by buildings.

The river where they used to bash laundry against rocks to "Dhobi" them, has now gone completely! Belgraves gardens and its wonderful lake - gone!

Awali? - Now that was special!

It was like going back to an old film set! Most everything was as it had been - some of the houses had been demolished (many at the Zallaq gate end still stood, but were in a very sad state) the rest were all occupied and in excellent condition - the hedges are now huge - so it was very difficult to take a peek at some of the houses. Awali School had hardly changed at all (what echoes of the past that place brought back).

Bapco Club had been given a new look entrance, the Phoenix sculptures are still there. Inside the club it was a real time-warp!

The bowling alley was JUST the same - my goodness did I ever expect a familiar face to appear at any instant - a VERY strange feeling.

Throughout the rest of the club very little had changed, the immaculate snooker tables are still there, and the big party room was untouched - the upper camp pool, which was the focal-point of so much activity during the summer holidays of the 60s, can now only be approached via the club - the pool remains almost unchanged, apart from the fact that for some bizarre reason, the diving boards have been removed. We went in search of the "Fairy Glen" but sadly - it has gone to Fairy heaven - whilst looking for it, my sister Christine spotted a large black beetle scurrying across the sand, which reminded her of an ex-Awali School girlfriend, Roberta, who's party-piece was to eat live beetles! Must have been the heat!

My family enjoyed the 2004 Bahrain visit very much. Personally, it left me feeling that in the short time I was there, I did not see enough. Or, could it be that I just wanted to sit back, relax, and enjoy the Bahrain that I knew?

Underneath all the changes - it was essentially still very much the same - but these days I look at it as a grey-haired older person! There were so many new things for the more mature me (?) to discover that my visit left me with more questions than answers...

As the Gulf Air flight took off - right on cue - Leaving on a jet plane was playing -_how apt! ...Don't know when I'll be back again.

One day - inchalla!

Mike Knight

57 and still a kid at heart

Dubbed "El Faris" by HRH

Ex-sales manager

Ex-radio station manager

Ex-DJ

Now a Civil Servant living in Luxembourg.

Concludes