Graham was born in 1937 in Rustenburg and grew up on a citrus farm with 2 younger siblings. He started at Boys High in 1951 as a border in School House and matriculated in 1955. He went on to obtain a B.Sc. (Agric) from the University Of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, specializing in Horticulture. It was there that he filled out and developed into a tough competitor on the rugby field. His strength, particularly in line-outs and loose scrums, ensured that his team, often against the run of play, got more possession than their opponents. For this, he was a contender for a place in the then Natal Rugby Team – unfortunately, injury prevented that from happening.
After graduating in 1959 his first job was on a farm in the Johannesburg area doing pioneering work on new techniques for the mass production of mushrooms. In 1962 he married the love of his life, Denise Brink, a Girl’s High girl, who he met at university. They moved to Mataffin near Nelspruit where he took up a position in the citrus industry with H.L.Hall and Sons. One of his exciting tasks was to explore the effect of biological pest control on citrus trees, and if effective, introduce it in the orchards under his management.
After several years he moved to Tongaat on the North Coast to pioneer bulk vegetable production for a major sugar company who had spare ground not suitable for sugar production. Contact with old friends eventually led to a move to Pietermaritzburg where he first became involved in the timber industry. He remained there for the rest of his life, and is where he and Denise raised their lively, involved family, Duncan, Grant and Wendy.
During his early years in Matitzburg he earned a B.Com (Hons) degree through Unisa. The rest of his career was spent developing unique costing analyses for timber plantations. These were widely used in South Africa and later by sustainable timber producers and analysts in many countries worldwide. He remained actively involved in that field until his death.
Graham was a gentle giant who was devoted to his family. His brother Richard and sister Sheelagh write that “even from our earliest memories he was a really nice guy, a kind and caring older brother”. Grant relates that “he was a gentle and caring father who was selfless in his generosity. It wasn’t easy to do things for Dad because much of his joy seemed to come from doing things for us”. Wendy says “We will remember him as being so generous, kind and patient. He always had something encouraging to say and would see the bright side of things”. His 6 grand children (3 resident in New York and 3 in Tampa) were his delight and he, with the advantage of several hours of time difference, was proud to always be the first to wish them a happy birthday; to them he was larger than life and he remained in constant email contact with them having interesting and exploratory conversations.
His dear Denise died in 1999. His love for her never waned and when she passed on it was the one sadness in his life which didn’t fade with time. For many years he was plagued by back and hip problems that despite numerous operations, continued to get worse and eventually he was unable to walk more than a few steps at a time. During the last few years of his life he was wracked with pain which he bravely hid from the world, to the extent that few knew the degree of pain he was suffering. He died at home one night in late May after a fall.
His passing has left a gap in all our lives. He is sorely missed.
Duncan in Maritzburg, Grant in New York, Wendy in Tampa, Richard in Winnipeg, Sheelagh in Crieff, UK
Submitted by Richard Rusk (School House 1954-1958)