Derek David Brown was born in Pretoria on 22 January 1941.
Derek matriculated at Pretoria Boys High School in 1958, as a dayboy he was in Arcadia House.
Derek had two younger sisters, Jill and Sandy.
Derek married Margie the “girl next door” or rather who lived over the street and this year they would have been married for 55 years.
A serious leg injury put paid to Derek’s rugby career.
He was a very good swimmer and as a Sea Scout he obtained his Queens Badge.
He was also the back-up bass drummer in the School Band.
After matriculating, Derek studied at university and qualified as a Mechanical Engineer.
After marrying Margie, they built their own house in Groenkloof, with Derek doing most of the woodworking.
Initially Derek worked for the Pretoria City Council and then joined BevCan (Metalbox) and worked for them until his retirement. Derek had many overseas consignments with BevCan and he and Margie were therefore able to enjoy the experience of living in other countries for many years.
I got to know Derek though the Thundergun Old Boys Lunches.
Nine Old Boys from various years attended the Thundergun lunch on Wednesday 21 September 2022 and we celebrated Derek’s life as well as the contribution he made to making our lunches possible. Derek’s dedication was such that he came through from Pretoria on a regular basis even when he had no passengers to accompany him.
We set a place for him at the lunch and raised a glass – a few times!
REST IN PEACE OUR GOOD FRIEND!!!!”
Alistair Brande
