Margaret and Simon Thomas arrived on British soil in the year 1958 with me and my two sisters Arlene and Glynnis in tow.
I was already on the way and with money saved, my parents rented some basic accommodation in North London. Consequently, I was born under the sound of the Bow Bells making me a true cockney. Their plan was to live off my mother’s salary as a teacher whilst my father was planning to train in accountancy. Prior to this he had been working as a social worker in South Africa. Unfortunately, my mother’s qualifications were not recognised by the UK authorities, so she was unable to work as a teacher and she spent her time caring for her 3 children under 4 years of age. It couldn’t have been easy. My father has always been very sharp and ambitious and with mother’s drive and intellect they made a dynamic young mixed-race couple. As well as being of African origin we also have some Scottish and German in us. I guess this explains why we all have fire in our belly and when push comes to shove, we will stand up for what we feel is right.
My dear parents Not long after our stay in North London my parents found more suitable accommodation in Bickley and then went about finding a small terraced house to buy. Finances were extremely tight, but my parents were very resourceful.
My parents were ambitious for us and
instead of sending us to the local State school they sent us to a Church of England school called St George where education was of a higher standard. We all played two instruments each. I chose the violin and the piano and we all played in the school orchestra. I was also in a quartet and sang in the school choir and of course in St George’s church on Sundays. We all enjoyed every aspect of music, but singing especially. My Dad had an old Ferguson reel to reel recorder, and we loved making recordings as well and showing them to any and everyone who visited our home. My youngest sister Michelle arrived 9 years after me and we all really enjoyed having her to look after. She was truly treated like a living doll. We dressed her up in all fancy clothes, outfits that my parents could not afford for us when we were younger. She was really loved. By the time I went to secondary school I had found my niche in Gymnastics and former Olympic Champion Margaret Bell became my coach. I became part of the elite team,
BY SIMONE SANIVARI
so we entered national competitions and I was chosen to train in the Czech Republic with another elite gymnast, Carole Gould. As a young teenager I found a penchant for dressing up and really got into punk clothing at the very beginning of its existence, before it went mainstream. I was briefly one of the original members of Siouxsie and The Banshees, playing electric Violin, but I never felt entirely comfortable as it was so far removed from the classical music I had played from the age of 5. I went on to sing in a Jazz Funk band which was much more my style and my taste, and I donned the newer romantic style of clothing. Bowie was a huge influence on me and still is to this day. I went on to play in many other bands and we supported Ashford and Simpson at The Dominion Theatre as well as playing regularly at The Embassy Club in London. When I was 17, my father got a contract with the University of Botswana. I was very independently minded and decided to stay in London with my two older sisters.
