It’s amazing how God is in the finest details of our lives. Looking back, I have no doubt that
subconsciously he knew. Over the past few months he’d been declaring his love and gratitude all the time.
On the day that he died, he’d been watching a bit of cricket, he then finished some paperwork and left with urgency to Speedie. He was coming home for a family braai so we were all together when we got the news.
Our insurance brokers and a patrol car were first on the scene in Hope Street. Also, there was no one else involved in the accident. It’s certainly no coincidence that he died in HOPE Street. After going into a lamp post on his motor bike, he landed near a tree.
When the family went to the scene of the accident, they picked a branch as they thought it
would be a good idea to plant one in remembrance of him. It was a Cape ASH – how fitting
because his favourite place in the whole world was Ashar Heights.
God is in the details…As news got out, I received a card with a message about Hal reminding
them of sunflowers. A couple of hours later, someone dropped off a bunch of sunflowers.
Butterflies are significant to my grand daugther, Hannah, and went she went to the scene of the accident, a white butterfly flew close to the ground, right over the spot where he landed.
He was treated for prostate cancer in 2019, and after raised PSA levels went for a PET scan in Cape Town in December. A few days before Christmas, we heard that the cancer had spread to the base of his spine. Apart from that, he appeared to be in good health. However, according to the post mortem, it seems he had a major heart attack.
Hal was a true leader.
● Head boy in standard 5
● Prefect and in charge of Grade 8 boarders at School House in Pretoria Boys High School
● President of Lions twice in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal
● He was asked to join Rotary in George but was too busy at York High School
● He was chairperson of the body corporate at our flat in Mossel Bay
● He was lay director at Emaus
● Ran a cell group in George and one in Mossel Bay
But most importantly, he led our family with so much love, devotion and pride – the evidence of which can be seen today in each one right down to the 3rd generation, all serving God with their whole heart.
He excelled at teaching and the tributes from past pupils from York High school have been
incredible.
He also excelled as a vegetable farmer in George on our farm next door to Oubaai.
As previously mentioned, his favourite place was right here on Ashar, and he commented
virtually every day what a blessing to have the family here with us in this beautiful setting.
There is a picture window facing east, and being the early-riser he was, he always spoke of the incredible sunrises. The morning after his death, the sunrise was something like I’ve never seen before.
● He graduated cum laude from TUKS with a BSc in Agriculture and was head-hunted by
the then Rhodesian government, to help run a research station near Fort Victoria.
● Then Mayford Seed company asked him to come back to SA to run a new seed factory
in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.
● After that, Old Mutual approached him to be the liaison between the company and the
farmers. He was incredibly successful in this line of work and ended up being one of the
top producers in the whole of KZN.
● He ran 8 comrades marathons in his spare time.
● We moved to George in 1980 where he took up a teaching post at York High teaching
Science and Biology.
● He also headed up the Student Christian Association, Cross Country and first team
Squash. He did hostel duties as well.
He loved riding his motorbike which I named EXTRAVAGANCE when he bought it. He would
ride for hours over the weekend and the Saturday before his accident he had been to the
Wilderness and Vic Bay and then Saasveld. The weather had been perfect, the scenery
magnificent and he said when he got back that it had been his best ride ever!
We have been assured by medical professionals that his death was instant and that he had not felt any pain at all.
He has been spared any cancer treatment for cells that spread to the base of his spine. When speaking to the oncologist, he said that he would have had to undergo radiation and later possibly chemo.
I am so grateful and thankful that he doesn’t have to face a life of pain. Although we are
completely devastated and lost without him, as he would’ve said ‘what a way to go’.
With all my love after 61 years,
Your wife Junie.
