Bruce John MacFarlane was born in Johannesburg on 18th April 1948. His father, Wally, was teaching at Jeppe Boys High at the time. After a 2 year spell in Vanderbijl Park, the family moved to Potchefstroom when Wally was appointed Headmaster of College. While living in Milton House, Bruce started school at Central School, where many Old Mooi boys will remember him. Because Wally thought it appropriate, he went as a boarder to Solomon House at Pretoria Boys High. As a left hander he was a good cricketer and was awarded coloursfor shooting.
After school Bruce did his obligatory National Service in the Military Police. Talk about the fox guarding the hen house! He had, typical of Bruce, a colourful career. Nevertheless he completed his brief Military Service in the Officers School.
Then followed Wits University where he graduated with a Civil Engineering degree. After graduating Bruce worked for the Railways on projects such as the building of Sterkfontein Dam. When he had saved enough money he took his ‘gap’ few months in Europe, as we all did, and the stories of his adventures, particularly on Greek islands, are legend!
On his return he joined Bechtel which was the start of a successful career in the project engineering field.
In the boom years of the 80s, he chose to use his skills working for a stock broking firm as an investment analyst. Following the market crash in the late 80s, Bruce returned to the project engineering business, specialising in feasibility studies for major mining projects and was involved in the Hillside Aluminium Smelter in Richards Bay and on the Skorpion Zinc project in Namibia, amongst others.
Bruce married Claire Willson in 1989 and they were blessed with their much loved son Paul who they educated at Pridwin Prep and Hilton College, and who is presently studying at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth.
Bruce had a particular skill in identifying properties with development potential and alongside his professional engineering career, he and Claire bought, lived in and profitably sold a number of select properties, where they had created beautiful homes.
After moving to their present home in Natal, Bruce continued using his professional status on various projects in KZN.
He died too soon on the 2nd March 2016, playing golf with his son, Paul, and close friend Gavin Townsend.
Bruce was loved and will be remembered by all for, amongst other things, his ‘Peter Pan’ forever young spirit, his delight in being contentious and his late night philosophising and his death leaves a large void in the lives of his wife and son, family and friends.
REST IN PEACE DEAR BRUCE.