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Certain skate spots around the city of Johannesburg carry with them a lot of heritage – the 44 Stanley Bank being one of them. Originally called the Simmons Bank because the Simmons Security company rented most of the building space there.
We take a bit of a nostalgic step back to the bank and its history with local skate legends Rudi Jeggle, Wandile Msomi and Dean Marais. Here’s what they had to say about one of the most iconic skateboarding spots in Joburg…
Ashwyne Dames recently skating the bank
Rudi Jeggle
When did you start skating the spot?
I first started skating the spot in 1993 [laughs].
How did you first find the spot?
Oh man it was one of our go-to spots. I just went with a lot of the older guys who already knew about it.
What was it like skating it, and would security be an issue?
Back then we pretty much had free reign to cruise the spot uninterrupted. It was awesome! I think it was only later in the 90s that security started clamping down on us. I moved to California in 95 and my first visit back in 1997, security was a lot worse than before.
Is there anything you want to see go down on the spot?
I’m a sucker for a well caught Tre Flip [laughs]
Wandile Msomi
How did you find the spot?
I don’t remember how I found the spot, I just remember that I was on a mission at the time, and everything was new and exciting for me. I would meet Neil Hughes at the Heathway Mall – there was a manual block, bump and flatground we skated loads together. My parents place was close to Heathway and he worked there as a jeweller, after work on the weekends, he would drive us all around with the homies looking for spots or he would go and hangout with Brendan Body and Candice at the Session Magazine HQ, and I would tag along. But it really helped to roll with Neil, he knew so many spots in Johannesburg, he was a spot dictionary. This was around 2001/2. So for sure Neil Huges took me to the spot for the first time I think, this was over twenty years ago… wild. Rest In Peace Neil.
What was it like skating the spot in the early 2000s?
Skateboarding in the city of Johannesburg around the early two thousands, late nineties, was so magical. Parts of the city were still deserted after independence, there was no order or security in many spots around town, and as the skateboarding community we took full advantage. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The sad part is that we thought it was going to last forever. Skating Simmons really was a treat, it had the famous marble titles, and popping off them was so good, the run up was still the same SA Paving rubbish, but the bank was so forgiving. Library Gardens, Simmons Bank, and Angle Banks at the time were probably the smoothest spots in Johannesburg I had skated, especially after they fenced The Green Curbs’. Also petrol was so cheap, it cost me R5 a litre back then, so we drove all around the city finding spots and filming.
Dean Marais
How did you first find the spot?
I first found out about the spot when I was a kid. My older friends at the that time took us to JHB, around 2003. I was 14 years old and we used to warm up there. I remember the surface being different and smooth.
What was it like skating it then compared to now?
It wasn’t really a bust back then but maybe we were just lucky on the days we went. It was also a lot quieter. Now it’s a bit busy in that street but its new vibe has something cool about it.
Do you see classic spots as a sort or right of passage for skaters in every generation?
I think it’s cool if someone does something like an NBD. I think skating classic spots and doing something creative and new is refreshing. I definitely think skaters and new generation can appreciate the number of tricks that have gone down there over the years. It’s a really great spot.
Is there anything you want to see go down on the spot?
So much has been done on this spot, I’d like to see more for sure. Shooting photos of a skater being pulled by the pitbike was definitely something I enjoyed watching and shooting photos of. The spot coming back has definitely brought some sort of nostalgia to 44 Stanley and has awakened a blood lust for the streets. It’s a very central spot so it’s easy to meet up with friends and go skate.
