It is with much sadness that we record the passing of Graham Gifford Hearn on 2 January 2025, aged 80, after a life well lived.
Graham and his twin sister, Gillian, were born in Durban on 6th August, 1944. The family moved to the then Transvaal in 1949. The twins spent 7 happy years at Hatfield Primary School in Pretoria, and then moved on to Boys High and Girls High.
Graham was a second generation Pretoria Boys High School boy who loved his years there and was always proud of having been a “Boys High boy”. Easy-going, kindly, and gregarious, Graham made friends easily at school—and maintained those friendships faithfully over the years until his death.
He loved sport. He was a tenacious rugby player, played tennis, but he loved swimming and water polo best. He was an excellent swimmer and in his Matric year swam for the first team and was awarded full colours in swimming.
Graham played an active role in the school’s cadet squad and in 1962 received the Cadet of the Year trophy.
After school he used his natural swimming ability in the interests of others when he spent several happy holidays doing voluntary life saving duty on the beach at Port Alfred.
After school Graham studied Accountancy at UNISA, completed his 5 years of Articles, but then abandoned all further thoughts of a career in accountancy. He did a brief stint driving overseas tourists on trips around South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, and so grew to love our beautiful country—especially the Kruger National Park, where he spent many happy hours. He then sailed to England “to see the world”.
Typical of so many young South Africans at that time, he took on sundry jobs in London, finally taking groups of young people on camping holidays to tour the Continent. He was well suited to the job, being competent, capable, helpful and hugely popular (especially with the many girls who went on those trips). It was on one of those trips that he met the lovely Averil Lindsay from Cowies Hill whom he married when he returned to South Africa.
Graham and Averil, a radiographer, lived in Pretoria. They had two children, Gareth and Karyn, both married. Gareth is also a proud PBHS Old Boy, has a son and two daughters and his son looks forward to becoming a 4th generation boy next year. Averil sadly passed away suddenly in 2013, shortly before their 40th wedding anniversary.
Graham and Averil enjoyed caravanning and spent many happy weekends in the great South African outdoors with the Trekkers Laager 11 Caravan Club and racked up more than 150 outspans.
In his later years, Graham became a much sought-after and well-loved handyman, admired for the quality of his work and his integrity—and for refusing to charge inflated prices! Always one who believed in serving mankind he was a volunteer police reservist over weekends at Brooklyn police station for almost a decade.
Graham was a proud PBHS Old Boy and passionate about the Old Boys Club, in which he was involved in a variety of roles over the years—secretary, director, and was made an honorary Life Vice-President in 2014. He not only attended many Old Boys Reunion Dinners around the country, but also played a role setting up a branch in Bloemfontein. He worked tirelessly and proudly for the Old Boys, playing pivotal roles in his 40th, 50th and 60th Matric Reunions.
When Graham moved to Hermanus just over three years ago, he joined the Overberg Branch of Old Boys, and continued to contribute to keeping the flag of PBHS flying high.
Graham will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him, and his memory will be cherished.
Valerie Taylor (née Hearn)
